[NAGDU] Working or Nervous?

[Lisie Foster]

I have a question; I wonder if anyone else has an opinion on this.

A few days ago, I managed to use my iPhone to record Finn and me, while he was guiding.

I had no idea how it turned out, but when I replayed it, it ended up being about 8 seconds long when I thought it was longer, *grins*.

But, I showed my family, and one comment someone made is still stuck in my mind.

He told me, "He looks nervous."

I know Finn; we were almost home (where his dinner waited) and in an area he knows well. He most definitely wasn't nervous. He was tired, though, and hungry!

So, I asked why my family member thought Finn looked nervous. His reply was, "Well, why is he looking backward like that? Other dogs just look forward as they walk."

I looked closely at the video and realized Finn had, for just a second,  turned his head to look backward at the parallel traffic coming up fast behind us. He watches for traffic in driveways as well as in streets; he was doing his job, and very well!

Because of his dual hearing dog and guide dog training, he is very sound-aware. He adores music and interesting sounds, and is very alert to the locations of all cars nearby.

It was interesting, though, yet a little disconcerting to have someone perceive my dog's backward glance at an approaching car as nervousness.

I mean, that is "normal"
isn't it, for a guide dog to look at approaching traffic...?

Thank you!

Have a good evening!

Lisie and Finn
lisiefoster at yahoo.com
Sent from my iPhone