[NAGDU] {Spam?} Re: collar question

Sun May 15 20:48:20 UTC 2016

Good heavens! I saw an Irish Setter in a Disney movie jump through a 
glass window to save a kid from a cougar or some dang thing and was 
really impressed. I still remember the scene and still secretly want an 
Irish Setter, because that was just so cool. Parents should be more 
careful what they let their kids watch on TV. /lol/ A dog that leaps 
through a glass window just to say hi... That's a little extreme. Well, 
if the reason wasn't over-the-top friendliness, that would be terrifying.

Dogs around here just bark. Boy, do they bark! Either they're used to 
Loki or he has learned not to look at them as we pass or something, 
because our walks have gotten quieter finally. I noticed a big 
difference when I would go out with him instead of with Mitzi on the 
same walk on the same day. He was much, much more exciting than she was.

Loki has really been getting his need to greet under control. Poor kid. 
It just went against his entire world view to be prevented from saying 
hi to every good friend he hadn't seen for awhile, which was every 
person in the world. When he clued in that not everyone wanted to greet 
him, it was sorta sad. He didn't get it. He had to stand still for 
awhile before he could get over his sad. Truly, he was deeply puzzled. I 
think it's because he shot up so fast and went from adorable puppy to 
scary big dog from one walk to the next. Also, I started working on 
keeping him from greeting, so his solution to that was to call the 
people over to him. Loudly. I'm not sure if all the training I did 
solved that, or if he finally just noticed that it wasn't working for 
some reason. I think he's figured out that people will admire him 
greatly if he is standing beside me looking professional and 
well-mannered. He preens when they compliment him for it. Really. I can 
feel him just subtly lengthen his body and slide his feet just a bit and 
raise his head to enhance his profile while he pretends to be aloof and 
cool. He must practice in front of a mirror. He is a funny dog.

I do like that I can let him interact with some folks with permission, 
then just carry on with our business. Mitzi was that way, too, though 
she was more naturally reserved. Until about the last year she was 
working, then she became a total floozy for some reason. She would still 
get right back to work, but I wasn't expecting her to initiate greetings 
so didn't have a clue until she was bonding with a new bff. She picked 
people who were happy to bond, so that was a plus. Still, I would like 
to feel like a competent handler at least once in awhile. I would prefer 
to go with no greeting either way on the job, except that then my dog 
stresses when people greet after I've asked them not to. It was really 
noticeable with Mitzi, and I got tired of cleaning up the mess, so I had 
to go for a compromise I could live with and she could, too. With Loki, 
I'm beginning to think I might get closer to what I think is ideal than 
I would have expected not too long ago. Well, I think perfection is 
ideal and that people keeping their hands to themselves is super ideal. 
I'll let you know when *that* happens.

Tami

On 05/15/2016 11:58 AM, Julie J. via NAGDU wrote:
> LOL  Jetta is the same way with kids, and teens, and old people
> and...well all the people!  I completely stopped letting her interact
> with anyone at any time and that has helped.  Maybe someday, but
> definitely not this year.
>
> I don't think tags or silence makes too much of a difference with
> people. With dogs though, the difference is dramatic, at least for me.
> It's like the dogs know what the jingle of those tags means, even if
> they can't see the dog.  Then much barking commences and sometimes
> jumping over fences and once breaking through a glass window.  I prefer
> stealth dog, much less stress all around.
>
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
> available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> -----Original Message----- From: Tami Jarvis via NAGDU
> Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2016 12:47 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Tami Jarvis
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] collar question
>
> Julie,
>
> Who knew? I'll have to think about the benefits of silence when it comes
> to dogs and kids. Loki seems to be getting less interference these days,
> so I think he's learned to solicit less and to communicate a wish for
> space. Or we just haven't been around kids and loose dogs to come
> interfere. With Mitzi, kids were a problem, because they really unnerved
> her when they came up to her with their curl-snatching little hands. She
> likes them, just not up close and personal. She got better with time, so
> we didn't spin around in circles every time a kid came a' petting. Loki
> must bond with every child he meets, and they must bond with him. Only
> when he spurted up and could look most kids in the eye, he couldn't
> understand that he was just terrifying all of a sudden. Kids would still
> see him and come running up to him, then find themselves eye to eye...
> They'd come to a skidding halt and *scream*! Right in his face. That
> scared the heck out of me, but as far as I could tell, Loki thought it
> was just fun and games. He doesn't look so puppy-ish anymore, so we
> haven't had that problem for a long time. Whew! And he has figured out
> that it's best to be gracious from a distance and to maintain gracious
> reserve if the child comes up to pet him. My nerves may recover some
> day. /lol/
>
> I might try experimenting one of these days to see if there's a
> difference with and without bells. This could be a revolutionary new
> concept for guide dog users everywhere! /lol/
>
> Tami
>
> On 05/15/2016 05:54 AM, Julie J. via NAGDU wrote:
>> At home Monty wears no collar at all.  Jetta wears a nylon buckle collar
>> with her tags that do jingle.  It does help me keep track of her.  She's
>> pretty well stopped using my houseplants as a salad bar, but every now
>> and then she thinks about it.  The tag jingle helps me call her away
>> from getting into trouble.
>>
>> When out Monty wears a martingale with his tags covered by a tag
>> silencer. I found when I started using the tag silencer or not having
>> the dog wear tags when out, that it cut down dramatically on
>> interference from other dogs.  Those tags jingling are like the ice
>> cream truck jingle to little kids.  They hear that familiar tune and
>> come running.   Silencing the tags was the biggest single thing I ever
>> did to help cut down on random unwanted dog encounters.
>>
>> Julie
>> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
>> available! Get the book here:
>> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
>>
>>
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>
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