[nagdu] A Mia misconception

Fri Oct 3 15:30:58 UTC 2014

My last guide dog had the opposite problem, and it was actually quite
dangerous to me. She had such a hard right side line that she would get me
too near the curb if the street was on my right. I did fall off the curb a
time or two because of it, or come close to falling, stumbling from a
sidewalk to rocks or grass if any of those things were on the right. For me,
if I fall, I literally can't get back up without help, so it was a bad thing
for her to keep to the right so far. It was one of the reasons I retired her
after only five years together. I prefer the left line, if the dog is going
to go more to one side or the other. Well, of course, as long as it's not
veering into traffic of course.

Sherry

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sheila Leigland
via nagdu
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2014 9:06 AM
To: Marion Gwizdala; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide
Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] A Mia misconception

I am inagreement with you on this. I have had folks wonder why our dogs 
work against pedestrian traffic and I don't have a good answer to give them.
On 10/3/2014 8:37 AM, Marion Gwizdala via nagdu wrote:
> 	It has always been my belief that the job of the dog is to protect
> the handler from obstacles and, therefore, put themselves between the
> obstacle and the handler. I contend that training programs condition their
> dogs to work to the left which causes guide dog users to work against
> pedestrian traffic. I have brought this to the attention of my training
> program which asserts this is not so; however, both my dog and my wife's
> pull left in wide areas and this is very frustrating. I have worked with
my
> dog on this issue and, even though it has gotten better, he still has a
left
> tendency.
>
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Aleeha Dudley
via
> nagdu
> Sent: Friday, October 03, 2014 9:19 AM
> To: Deanna Lewis; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide
Dog
> Users
> Cc: Tracy Carcione
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] A Mia misconception
>
> A trainer told me that a dog sees the left side of a crowded area as the
> path of least resistance, even if it isn't actually. I was told to just
let
> my dog do his thing to avoid unnecessary stress.
>
> Aleeha Dudley and seeing eye dog Dallas Vice President, Ohio Association
of
> blind students Blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com "The wind of Heaven is that
which
> blows between a horse's ears." Arabian proverb
>   
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Oct 3, 2014, at 8:39 AM, Deanna Lewis via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>> Hi Noah,
>> I too have had a problem with my dog's left tendency. He always hugs the
> left side, not only can it be annoying, but it can also be dangerous.
> Especially, if you are crossing a street and the dog pulls to the left and
> ends up getting too close to oncoming traffic. I taught my dog the
command,
> "Keep right." I started teaching this by working in a store (Target in my
> case) and working down the aisles. I did this similar to the way Rox'e did
> it. I would start on the right side of the aisle, I would tell him
"Forward"
> and we would go, if he started to pull to the left too far, I would say
the
> phrase, "Keep right". He would go to the right and I would give him a
> kibble. He learned very quickly, and had it down in just about 5 or 6
> aisles. I still use the command from time to time, especially if he veers
on
> street crossings.
>> Deanna and Pascal
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy
>> Carcione via nagdu
>> Sent: Friday, October 03, 2014 8:12 AM
>> To: Beckman, Noah G.; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of
>> Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] A Mia misconception
>>
>> Hi Noah.
>> This is a pretty common thing.  It's easier for the dog if she has the
> building on her left, and all the people have to go around her.  If she's
on
> the right, she has to look right and left, and go around things herself.
>> But I agree with you; a strong left tendency can be very annoying.  I
> prefer my dog in the center of the sidewalk, so we can dodge left or
right,
> whatever seems best.
>> Rox's solution seems good.  I will also say that my dog Echo had a big
> left tendency that was driving me crazy, so I got a trainer out to look.
He
> figured out that Echo was very sensitive to how I was holding the harness
> handle.  If I held it over the center of her back, she walked straight,
but,
> if I pulled it even a tiny bit right, she would pull left.  He showed me
how
> to hold it the way she wanted, and we practiced a bit, and voila!  it
fixed
> the problem forever more.  So make sure you're not pulling on the harness,
> trying to get her to go right, because dogs are taught to pull in the
> opposite direction, and it will make her go left. Try to hold the harness
> right in the center of her back.
>> Tracy
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Beckman, Noah G. via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 8:43 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] A Mia misconception
>>
>>
>>> Good evening everyone,
>>>                I am noticing a consistent tendency in Mia's guide work
>>> that I would like to eliminate.  It seems as though her perception of
>>> her guiding window (the space both above her and to her right that
>>> she needs to keep clear of obstacles) is quite a bit wider than
>>> necessary.  In other words, I think she feels she needs to guide me
>>> as though my right arm is raised and pointing straight out to my
>>> right.  Although her efforts to make doubly sure my right shoulder
>>> doesn't collide with anything might seem touching, it has several
>>> negative symptoms.  As we walk down a sidewalk, she will tend to favor
> either the middle or the far left side.
>>> If there is a building line, curb into the street, row of parking
>>> meters, etc. to my right, this tendency becomes especially
>>> pronounced.  As I attend a large university, the volume of people on
>>> the sidewalk at any one time can reach levels comparable to New York
>>> City.  This means that her love of the left often results in oncoming
>>> people either having to step off of the sidewalk or cut over to my
>>> right in order to avoid us.  Or, if we approach a group of people
>>> that is standing on the sidewalk such that there is still a little
>>> bit of room for us to pass, she will sometimes freeze or walk at a
>>> snail's pace.  The same is true for slightly narrow, but definitely
>>> navigable gaps between furniture or other objects.  When I ask her to
>>> hup right, she will (usually) but not all of the way to the boarder
>>> of the sidewalk.  Also, she will drift back to the left immediately.
>>>                I've tried putting the leash in my right hand and
>>> tugging slightly to the right.  I've tried scolding her and, in
>>> extreme or repeated offenses, correcting her when she pulls me to the
>>> left.  I've tried putting on a praise party on those few instances
>>> where she keeps me to the right without repeated encouragement.  None
>>> of these efforts has noticeably mitigated the issue.  I am not
>>> exactly sure how or why this started; I only became acutely aware of
>>> it in late August around the time other students started moving back to
> campus.
>>>                Other than this problem, I hardly have grounds for
>>> complaint when it comes to any aspect of Mia or her work.  I simply
>>> want to be able to walk along and have thoughts or conversations with
>>> others that are not continually interrupted by me having to remind my
>>> dog that we need to stick to the right.  Your thoughts and
>>> suggestions about how to correct this issue would be much appreciated.
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> -Noah
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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