[NAGDU] Cricket can growl?

[Lisa]

Hi Abby,

I think it was just a difficult situation because you were still working 
Cricket and suddenly there were two excited dogs who obviously tried to get 
her to play very resolutely. I probably wouldn't have corrected her because 
I'd just been too surprised to think about what's best. I think Cricket was 
totally confused by the sudden appearance.
I don't like to correct my dog physically. I learnt it during training but I 
reduced it to a minimum afterwards. In very rare occasions I use a 
correction but normally, I try to get him focused with my voice or by 
turning around or anything else that works.
In this particular situation, because it was in a house and I understand you 
already know your uncle's dogs, I would have let my dog off leash to greet 
the other dogs. Of course it was difficult because you was working her. When 
you go there next time, I'd recommend you go in with her out of harness or 
even let the dogs meet in the yard, garden or elsewhere so they can get to 
know each other where they have a lot of space to run or get away from each 
other.
I think you spare yourself and her a lot of stress when you don't have to 
correct her all the time while the other dogs try to interact with her. 
Well, that's how I'd do this, I'm sure you'll get plenty of other opinions 
though.

Lisa
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Abby Bolling via NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Abby Bolling" <violingirl30794 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2015 9:21 AM
Subject: [NAGDU] Cricket can growl?


> Hi all!
> I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!
> I went to my uncles house for our annual  family get together. My aunt and 
> uncle have two black labs and they said that of course, cricket was 
> welcome, that Stella and Lulu would love to play with another dog. Well, 
> that didn't go as planned.
> I was working Cricket into the house because we don't go there very often, 
> so the layout is very unfamiliar to me.
> So Cricket and I are walking up the steps and she is doing really really 
> good. She steps up and is on the landing and all of a sudden I hear puppy 
> paws on the wood floor. Crickets harness handle is 20inches long because 
> she is super short, but this means, when we go up steps, I am usually two 
> steps behind her. So I wasn't on the landing yet. But all of a sudden, I 
> feel Crickets head jerk around a little bit, then she turns to the right 
> to body block me. at this point, I can feel Stella and Lulu like dancing 
> around Cricket and getting in her  face and jumping at her. I could tell 
> they were playing, but i have no idea what was going through Crickets 
> head. I was very surprised when I heard my little 48 pound tiny black lab 
> let out one of the most terrifying growls I have ever heard. I'm serious, 
> I was taken-aback for a split second.
> I corrected her so hard that she actually did a 180 degree turn, but 
> Stella got back in her face and she growled again. At this point I was 
> able to get on the landing and correct her hard again, but even through 
> the fact that the collar was tight around her throat, she was still trying 
> to growl. At this point, my cousin was able to grab Stella and then Lulu 
> and put them in a separate room, but Cricket was still wound up and was 
> jumping in the air. I literally had to almost tackle her to get her to lay 
> down and calm down.
> My family doesn't understand dog corrections, and they cringe and squawked 
> because they thought I was hurting Cricket. I told them that I wasn't 
> "hurting her," sure it wasn't comfortable, but I wasn't debilitating her.
>
>
> Now the question! In your guys' opinion, did I handle the situation 
> correctly? Should I not take cricket over there? And what would yall have 
> done in that situation?
> My Boyfriend asked why I didn't take Cricket out to the car, as it is 
> really warm here, so temperature wise she would have been safe, but I 
> didn't do that because she has really bad separation anxiety and will cry 
> and whine and howl if she is left alone very much.
> And since I have only had her home for 4 months, I don't want to make her 
> mad too early in the game.
>
> So anyway, thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? All are appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Abby and the currently snuggly peaceful sleepy cricket.
>
> -- 
> Abigail M. Bolling
> Wright State University-2018: Rehabilitation Services
> Phone: (513) 512-3456
> Email: bolling.8 at wright.edu
> Abilities United: Secretary
> Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users, a chapter of the National Federation 
> of the Blind of Ohio: Secretary
> "keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and just let the 
> music play." (Julie Anderson-Diamond)
> "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like 
> no one is listening, and live like it's Heaven on earth." (William Purkey)
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the 
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the 
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles 
> between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; 
> blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
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