[NAGDU] Dog Distractions

Wed Mar 1 17:45:56 UTC 2017

The pinch collar has worked wonders so far. I had to remove a couple links to get it to fit properly, but it is clearly making a difference. 
Jordan

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 1, 2017, at 9:38 AM, Lisa via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Jordan,
> 
> 
> I understand you're quite desperate about the situation with your dog. I just would like to stress how dangerous a pinch cdollar is. It can easily do some damage to the dog and it is by no means a method to work on his behaviour or problems. He might react to it because it hurts him. But the only way to solve such a problem is to work on the cause and to do it professionally. A pinch collar is, in my opinion,. just a bad attempt on intimidating the dog.
> 
> Lisa
> 
> 
>> Am 01.03.2017 um 15:30 schrieb Tracy Carcione via NAGDU:
>> Hi Jordan.
>> The pinch collar has to fit properly.  It has to be up on the neck a bit,
>> not on the shoulders, but not be too tight, either.  I had to remove one of
>> the links to get it to fit right.
>> Good luck.
>> Tracy
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of NAGDU President
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2017 9:10 AM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Cc: NAGDU President
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>> 
>> Jordan,
>> 
>>    I used a pinch collar on my horse - I mean dog - and it worked very
>> well. The only thing I caution those considering a pinch collar is to be
>> very light on the correction. The collar can work well but it can also hurt
>> the dog if too much pressure is placed on it!
>> 
>> Fraternally yours,
>> Marion
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Marion Gwizdala, President
>> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU) National Federation of
>> the Blind
>> (813) 626-2789
>> President at NAGDU.ORG
>> 
>> 
>> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
>> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
>> expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind  people
>> and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds
>> you back.
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 6:51 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Cc: Jordan Gallacher
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>> 
>> Hopefully, the pinch collar will do the trick.  If it does not, I am going
>> to have to start thinking about returning him.
>> Jordan
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Charlene Ota via
>> NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 12:39 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Cc: Charlene Ota
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>> 
>> Hi, Jordan, I had a very bad situation with my first guide dog many years
>> ago and got no support what-so-ever from the school and the best thing I
>> ever did was to turn her back in even though I had to insist that the school
>> personnel come get her when they argued with me. Your safety is more
>> important than keeping a dog because the trainer isn't paying attention or
>> being honest about the situation. I know a lot of time and effort has been
>> invested in your dog, but I'd encourage you to just take charge, you're the
>> consumer, and do what's best for you and your safety and your peace of mind.
>> You're an experienced dog user, you know the experience should be enriching
>> your life, and your safety is one of the most important factors as well.
>> It's very stressful when you and your dog don't work out and the dog has
>> major behavior issues. From the posts, I can tell there are others who have
>> experienced similar situations, too, you're not the first, nor unfortunately
>> will you be the last, but do what's best for you and don't wait till
>> something unfortunate happens to you.
>> 
>> All the best to you,
>> Charlene
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 9:04 AM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Jordan Gallacher <jordanandbelto at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>> 
>> He was definitely being a jerk on the phone last week that is for sure.  My
>> experience with the gentle leader on Belto so far has been a mixed bag.  It
>> works great in situations where there might be food on the floor or in other
>> restaraunts that he is taking to much interest in to going after food, but
>> for dog distraction issues, it does not work one bit.  I have had him escape
>> even with that on and he also still has the same issues with being
>> distracted by other dogs.
>> Jordan
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 8:54 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Cc: Tracy Carcione
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>> 
>> Hi Jordan.
>> If he's good sometimes, maybe there's hope.  Though escaping is definitely
>> not good.
>> Have you tried the Gentle Leader?  It didn't work well with my last dog, but
>> it calms my current dog down  immediately and gets his mind back on the job.
>> You would use it routinely until you felt the dog was reliably good, then
>> gradually start working without it on but in your pocket.  I don't love the
>> GL, but it does seem helpful in some situations.
>> 
>> Can you go direct to a supervisor at your school, and skip the field rep?
>> The person sounds like a jerk, frankly.
>> Good luck.
>> Tracy
>> 
>>> The thing I worry about the most is what would happen if we had
>>> another dog show up on the sidewalk we were headed toward while
>>> crossing a street.  I need to figure out a game plan for that scenario
>>> since the problem is already bad enough at times that if I did not
>>> have someone else such as my girlfriend with me who can get two extra
>>> hands on the leash and get him out of the situation, we would have a
>>> problem.
>>> Not to confuse the situation that I described in my very first e-mail
>>> of this subject, but today was the exact opposite of what often
>>> happens.  All it took this morning while on my way to breakfast was
>>> one correction, and Belto snapped right back to what he was supposed
>>> to be
>> doing.
>>> Jordan
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Danielle
>>> Ledet via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 9:26 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Cc: Danielle Ledet
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>>> 
>>> You could also try stopping and doing obedience once you know another
>>> dog is present. I think it was my fagie boy who got excited around
>>> other dogs and I would have him do a few doggie pushups. This is a
>>> series of sit and down, sit and down. Only had to do it every so
>>> often.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On 2/27/17, Dan Weiner via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> My god, if this is the case, you need to make a very hard
>>>> decision...I hate this, but it happened to me twice, I had to say to
>>>> myself "If the situation doesn't improve can I live with it or not"
>>>> if the answer is "No,
>>> I can't"
>>>> then you might really start thinking of retirement. It's so
>>>> heart-wrenching I know, but I had to do it and the next dog after
>>>> that was brilliant, so sometimes it can be for the best.
>>>> Sorry you are going through this situation, and if it were me,
>>>> (remember not telling you to do it, just saying what' I'd do) I'd be
>>>> shopping around for another program.
>>>> 
>>>> Best wishes to you.
>>>> 
>>>> Dan
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan
>>>> Gallacher via NAGDU
>>>> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 3:01 PM
>>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>>> Cc: Jordan Gallacher
>>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>>>> 
>>>> Belto behaves the same way around my aunts dogs unfortunately.  Belto
>>>> has managed to escape from me three times already when he comes near
>>>> other dogs, and my field rep's response to that is oh well, that is
>>>> your problem.  It gets worse.  He also has said to me you do not have
>>>> a clue what you are doing.  Belto happens to be my third dog, and he
>>>> is the only dog that I have ever had a major problem like this.  Both
>>>> of my previous dogs I could fix most of the problems I had without
>>>> needing help from the school.  September only became an issue after
>>>> she was attacked, and when I finally got the school I received her
>>>> from to get their act together and they took her in for evaluation,
>>>> they saw all the same problems I was seeing.  I have a letter ready
>>>> to go out to the school where I received Belto from, and if I have
>>>> to, I will send it.
>>>> Jordan
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alysha via
>>>> NAGDU
>>>> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 1:44 PM
>>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>>> Cc: Alysha
>>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>>>> 
>>>> Hi Jordan,
>>>> I have dealt with this problem as well, although it started a few
>>>> months after class for me. First, I tried a clicker approach as
>>>> recommended by an instructor from my school. I taught my dog the word
>>>> "look" meant he should turn to look at me. As soon as he did, I
>>>> clicked and gave him a treat. We first practiced this while walking
>>>> with no dogs around and then worked up to doing it when a dog was
>>>> nearby. This helped redirect his attention back to me during the
>>>> distraction. If the dog was far enough away, this method really
>>>> seemed to help, but we still had problems when dogs came close enough
>>>> to pass us on the sidewalk.
>>>> 
>>>> I called the school again after it became clear that the clicker
>>>> alone wouldn't solve our problems, and they recommended using a prong
>>>> collar. I was pretty against this because I thought it was cruel, but
>>>> I really wanted to preserve our partnership since everything else
>>>> about my dog's work was great. So I sucked it up and gave it a try.
>>>> It really helped a lot. I just had to give him a few corrections with
>>>> the prong collar, and he got the idea that going after dogs was not
>>>> OK. I know the prong collar would not have worked on my first dog
>>>> since he was very sensitive, but my current guide is a lot more
>>>> confident. He doesn't like it when I put on the prongs, but he still
>>>> wags his tail and enjoys working even when he is wearing it.
>>>> 
>>>> Today, I still use a combination of the word "look" rewarded by
>>>> click/treat to redirect his attention and the prong collar to correct
>>>> him if he lunges or barks at another dog. I won't say that his dog
>>>> distractions are completely gone. I think it's something we will
>>>> always have to work on. But he has gotten so much better now with the
>>>> combination of those 2 tools. The key for us was intense and
>>>> consistent practice. Our neighborhood has tons of dogs, so it was
>>>> easy to go out every day and work on the distractions.
>>>> 
>>>> How does your dog interact with other dogs he knows? I was worried my
>>>> dog was aggressive when he lunged and barked/growled at other dogs,
>>>> but after getting to know him and observing him interact with other
>>>> dogs, I truly don't believe he would actually start fighting with
>>>> another dog. If you believe your dog would bite another dog, that
>>>> could be a very serious problem. I would seriously demand the school
>>>> send someone to observe and help you with this.
>>>> 
>>>> I really hope you're able to find a solution that works for you. It's
>>>> a shame that your dog was exhibiting this behavior in class, and the
>>>> instructors didn't do anything about it. I think this is one of the
>>>> toughest behaviors to manage in a guide dog. I know many handlers
>>>> that have this problem, and I think the schools need to really step
>>>> up their game when it comes to working on this.
>>>> 
>>>> Best,
>>>> Alysha
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan
>>>> Gallacher via NAGDU
>>>> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 2:22 PM
>>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>> Cc: Jordan Gallacher <jordanandbelto at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>>>> 
>>>> I am having a bit of a problem with Belto that even the school cannot
>>>> figure out how to solve.  I received Belto last February, and even
>>>> during training, he would lunge at and/or try to chase other dogs
>>>> possibly trying to attack them.  My instructor during class did
>>>> nothing to work on this behavior nor did he give me any suggestions
>>>> on how to solve the issue or at least calm it down a bit.  Everytime
>>>> I have contacted the school about the issue, I get a different
>>>> answer, and since my instructor I had in class is also my field rep,
>>>> I am not getting anywhere when it comes to solving Belto's behavior
>>>> around other dogs.  Anyone have any suggestions on what I can try to
>>>> calm this problem a bit?  I have tried the gentle leader, but that
>>>> does not seem to be solving the problem other than being able to tell
>>>> what he is doing sooner.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> 
>>>> Jordan and Belto
>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> --
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