[NAGDU] Corrections

[Julie J.]

A new technique I've been using for the past six months or so is having 
great results.   It's super simple.  At first I was using it exclusively for 
my Jetta and her dog issues, but soon I realized how effective it is for 
just about everything.  It's become my go to technique with both of my dogs 
in just about every situation.

The basic movement is to back up a couple of steps when your dog is doing 
something inappropriate.  For me it started out with fixating on other dogs, 
but now I use it for pulling too hard, sniffing, general goofing off or just 
plain not paying attention.  At the first instant when you notice that your 
dog's attention is wandering off, you drop the harness handle, step back 2 
or more steps quickly.  You call the dog to you with "come" or "here" or 
whatever you use for the recall.  At first I used little tugs on the leash 
while I was backing up.  I wouldn't call them corrections, they aren't 
anything that strong, just little taps on the leash to help the dog 
understand what you want.

Once the dog is back to me, I give a small bit of verbal praise and maybe a 
pet, then I get the dog back into position, pick up the harness handle and 
resume as normal.  So it's quite a bit like reworking an error with a bit of 
a twist.

I think it works well because the recall is an incompatible behavior for 
just about everything that is out in front of the dog.  It's also a moving 
command, which is easier for a distracted dog to do than a stationary 
behavior, like a sit or down.  It also removes the dog's attention from the 
distraction and gets it back to you better than any other technique I've 
tried.  If you stop and have the dog sit, they can still look off into 
space, stare at the dropped donut or air scent.  However when you ask the 
dog to come to you, the attention is solidly back on you.

If the dog is really not paying attention to you, it's probably that when 
you step back, the dog will give herself a correction, but you are not 
actually popping the leash.  It becomes up to the dog whether or not they 
pay attention, stay with you and avoid the correction.  Now for the past 
couple of months of using this technique usually my dogs are right with me 
as soon as I begin this technique and the leash isn't going tight.  If you 
use an incredibly short leash you might not get to this place though.

Also you need to be extremely aware of where you are in relation to streets, 
curbs, holes, drop offs, stairs etc.  Don't back up into unknown space, but 
for general walking down the sidewalk, I love this technique!

Good luck!
Julie
New lowered price on my book:
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Rachel Grider via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2016 7:31 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Rachel Grider
Subject: [NAGDU] Corrections

Hello, Everyone:

As many of you know, I am still a fairly new guide dog user and have had my 
dog for almost four months, including our time at The Seeing Eye. I feel 
like our partnership has solidified in so many ways since bringing her home. 
Having said this, I have noticed that Demi has become more easily distracted 
while in harness just within the last two weeks. Up until about two weeks 
ago, Demi was extremely solid while in harness, but I feel like she has 
slowly become more and more distractable in a short amount of time.

I have had a couple of conversations with instructors at TSE about this and 
have done what they told me, but after a particularly frustrating experience 
last night, I realized a pattern in my handling that may be contributing to 
this problem.

I think that my greatest weakness as a guide dog handler is giving 
corrections. I have no problem doing verbal corrections, but it took me 
awhile while at TSE to feel comfortable giving Demi a leash correction. I 
have gotten  over this reticence for the most part; if we are walking down 
the street and Demi gets distracted, I have no problem stopping and giving 
her a leash correction. Without thinking about it, though, I have realized 
that I shy away from giving anything beyond a verbal correction when I know 
that there are people watching. I know that this is ridiculous and that 
people could be watching at any time without my knowledge, but if I know 
that there are people around me and I feel Demi's head dip down to sniff, I 
give her a verbal and a sort of wimpy jerk on her leash to get her head up, 
and just drive her on with a hup-up. I think that the reason I do this is a 
fear of people thinking that I am abusing my dog, which is also silly 
because no one has yet accused me of such a thing.

Now that I have become aware of this pattern in my handling, I am thinking 
that it may be at least partially responsible for Demi's increasing lack of 
focus. and am determined to change it before it is too late. I made sure I 
did obedience with her right befor we walked out the door this morning, and 
I left home early so that we would have plenty of time to stop, correct, and 
rework if necessary. Overall, things have been going quite well today...

So here is my question: Have any of you actually had someone accuse you of 
abusing your dog? If so, what have you said to convince the accuser 
otherwise?

Thank you for your support.

Rachel
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