[nagdu] families and our dogs

[Daryl Marie]

Hi, Mary,
I agree with Cindy's advice; if the criticism is helpful or useful, take it as it is intended and leave the rest.  How is the criticism being handled?  Is it simply a comment that someone notices things aren't going well, or are there suggestions offered?  Either way, take what is useful and the rest can go away.

Jenny, like Felix, can be a bit of a scavenger.  We have worked on this a LOT over the past few months.  I have copied and pasted a few things that have worked for us, from previous archives of the list, modified for Felix.

Are you able to take him to an unfamiliar place and play the Leave-it game with him?  I tried doing this with Jenny and it made a big difference; at home/work,
she won't try and pick up the popcorn/bread/tomato, but in an unfamiliar environment she might, so it was a great training exercise for her to go somewhere
she's never been (a friend's apartment, etc.) and work with her on that.

Are there certain things he does that indicate to you that he's about to scrounge?  Once you stop him before he starts, the behavior should improve.

Has this been an ongoing issue for him, or is it new?  Has he had success scrounging somewhere before?  Have you kept him on the same food, switched food,
or given him vaccines or medications recently? Are there certain foods/items that are a particular struggle for him to resist?

The Halti is a good tool, but is definitely not to be used all the time.  Are there particular places he scavenges more than others?  For example, for
some reason I will never understand, there's a one-block bit of sidewalk where Jenny has always had trouble (I think there's apartments there); if we walk
north, she's fine, but walking south is a whole other matter.  There's all kinds of good ground candy in the grass verge...  Perhaps you could take him
to a place like that and walk with him there, with the Halti, and praise him for not picking up the food (I know it sounds like you're praising for nothing,
but really you're not).  This worked wonders for Jenny, and now all I have to do for the most part is talk her through that sidewalk and occasionally tell
her to leave it if she goes for something (which she does).  Also, are there certain things that trigger the scavenging (i.e. boredom, weather changes,
after a good rain)?  Once you figure out what, if anything is triggering it, then you can be a lot more prepared and less frustrated when it happens. 
Ultimately, you can greatly reduce the use of the Halti.  Over the past six months I have used the Halti nearly daily, then once a week, then less... I
think the last time I broke it out for her was when we were at the vet's six weeks ago, but I always carry it in my purse.

Jenny  knows when she's been set up for food refusal drills.  I have tackled this in two different ways:
1) Gone somewhere unknown (a friend's apartment, for example).  This tends to trigger scrounging behavior in her, so it's a perfect time to work with her
on it.  She doesn't feel set up, I get to actually work with her on it, and everyone's happy.
2) use the clicker for food refusal.  Even if Felix knows you're doing it.  With Jenn, I found that treats tended to make the food much more irresistible,
so I have been clicker training her with praise.  This has greatly reduced the scrounging.

I have by no means arrived, but those are things that have worked for us.

Mary, if you would like me to walk you through how I have used clicker training with Jenny girl on this, I would be more than happy to describe the process and how ti has worked for us.

Good luck!

Daryl
----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Wurtzel via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:54:46 -0700 (MST)
Subject: [nagdu] families and our dogs

Hello,

 

Felix and I just celebrated our third anniversary together.

My family remains rather critical of my handling of my dog.  It is true that
we still have a pretty major problem with scavenging.  Our field rep came
and worked with us.  I am realizing that I must practice food distraction
training on a daily basis.

It is a real problem for us to work a whole lot especially outside.  I have
a balance problem with falling on ice.  Our temps have gone below zero also.

I am quite discouraged right now.  I know I should probably go practice at a
mall.  I seem to be just venting on this list, but if anyone has ever felt
discouraged and can offer a word of cheer, I would appreciate it.

 

Mary and Felix

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