[NAGDU] Dog Distractions

Fri Mar 3 15:39:43 UTC 2017

my concern about pinch collars is that a handler might be to heavy 
handed with corrections. I am
	sure if appropriately used they might work but my choice would be not 
to use one especially for long term use.
On 3/1/2017 7:09 AM, NAGDU President via NAGDU wrote:
> 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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>>
>>
>> --
>> How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
>> compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and
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>> George Washington Carver
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