[nagdu] Arbitrary restrictions on playing with future guide dogs

[larry d keeler]

Monitoring the play is always good. Holly doesn't usually rip up toys. She
loves the soft squeakies. She won't play with the kongs much. She has
started to play with them some though because the eskie is very playful. He
does manage to do just about any toy in! I'm wondering and not to start a
fire under anyone or any school or for that matter rights of blind people
but the fetch thing involves the dog running off and hopefully coming back.
Maybe some people think that us blind folks can't do merry chases as well as
our sighted counterparts and therefore don't encourage the dogs to run. Some
dogs rather than fetching love to play keep away and play it very well! At
Pilot, they discourage tug of war. The reasoning is that if you have to take
something away from them you should be able too. I play it with holly
because she will let me take it if I really want it but the eskie is still
learning that one!  

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
via nagdu
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 10:21 PM
To: nagdu
Cc: Raven Tolliver
Subject: [nagdu] Arbitrary restrictions on playing with future guide dogs

As some of you know, I recently started working at LDB. One of the aspects
of my job is handing puppies over to puppy-raisers, explaining to them basic
dos and don'ts of raising, and going through the 16-page contract they have
to sign.

One of the things we tell them not to do is play fetch with the dogs.
Also, many of you know that the schools advise both raisers and clients
against giving the dogs soft toys, such as stuffed animals, squeaky toys, or
rope toys--anything they can tear apart easily.

I recently sat down with the director of training and asked him why they set
these guidelines. He explained that LDB doesn't want to stimulate a dog's
prey-drive. They don't want the dogs to be excited by moving objects or
moving animals because it could translate into lunging after balls, animals,
etc in harness.

I think this is ridiculous. I haven't raised a pup myself, so maybe there's
something to it. But since I've brought my golden home, we play fetch with
balls and frisbees, tug with stuffed animals or squeaky toys, and whenever
the Golden Guy is in his kennel at work, I give him a stuffed golden
retriever as a comfort object, though he probably doesn't need it. My
coworkers were surprised that my dog will not chew the stuffed toy apart and
rip the stuffing out of it.
Also, I played fetch with him out in the hallways tonight, and the kennel
care staff asked very sarcastically, "Wow, playing fetch doesn't ruin his
work?" And we then had a long discussion about how the no-fetch advice is
extremely unrealistic. They even told me that the trainers will play fetch
with the dogs in the runs sometimes, and that there are many a tennis ball
in the training trucks while dogs wait their turns to be with their
trainers.

I understand all dogs are not the same. Some dogs will chew toys up if you
let them, or if they're under stress. But you should monitor your dog with
toys no matter what. Some dogs just have the prey-drive engrained in them
and will go after moving objects and small animals regardless. But I don't
think the ways we play with them mitigates or increases these behaviors.
Retrievers were originally trained to fetch, and shepherds were trained to
lead and chase. They can differentiate very well between what they do with
toys out of harness, and what their job is when in-harness. Given, dogs have
their distractions, but again, I don't think playtime has anything to do
with it, unless play is used as a reward during work.
Even then, the reward is offered after a cue is given, so if used properly,
this kind of play would improve a dog's work, not ruin it.

Does anyone else find that the advice against fetch and soft toys is
nonsense? Or Is it legit in your experience?
--
Raven
Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
www.1am-editing.com

You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you have or
what you do.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs

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