[NAGDU] Softer Dogs?

[Cindy Ray]

Well, another thing about softer dogs is what Tracy mentioned here. They are
now training dogs for an aging community, so they are not training as tough.
It could be a bit of an error to the other side, who knows.
Cindy Lou Ray
cindyray at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 1:24 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Softer Dogs?

Hi Joe.
I got my first dog in 1980 from GDB.  She was a tough gal, but I asked for a
dog who could cope with anything, and she sure could.  My 4th dog was also a
tough cooky, who needed the occasional high collar to get her back in line,
but she was a great guide, with enough self-confidence for both of us.  My
fifth dog was a soft, sensitive flower.  If I forgot, and gave her a hard
correction, she would literally melt, and we'd have to stand still a couple
minutes being calm and quiet until she got her composure back.  She needed a
good deal of cheer-leading, and a gentle hand on corrections, but she was
great, too.
I got my first Seeing Eye dog in 2006.  He was tough, and would laugh at my
hardest corrections.  TSE recommended the pinch collar for him.  I wasn't
too keen on that, but it did get his attention and get him back on the
straight and narrow.
I asked for a softer dog this time around.  I'm not as strong as I used to
be, and I don't want to be always yanking on the dog.  But TSE has
encouraged the high collar, when Krokus is getting too silly.  I try to
adapt my style to the dog I have.  But these days, if I can, I try to find
another way than the high collar or pinch, if I can.  They're in my toolbox,
but not the first thing I grab.

Tough dogs need a lot of effort, but they also deal better with some things,
like crowds.  My soft dogs look at a crowd and say Gee, I don't know if we
can get through; we better stand here.  My tough dogs see the same crowd,
look for a hole, and wiggle us through without bumping anyone.
 It's a trade-off.
Tracy

> Hello,
>
> The recent thread on obedience got me thinking about the way it feels 
> as though guide dog schools have grown softer in their approach to 
> correction.
>
> I received Gator from The Seeing Eye in 2004. I trained under Pete 
> Jackson, a no nonsense instructor who worked very hard at 
> understanding where the canine was coming from but not cutting any 
> slack where a hard correction was warranted. High collars, while not 
> eagerly encouraged, were a standard recommendation.
>
> I went back to TSE in 2015 and received Matthew. The training 
> atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed where corrections were 
> concerned. If high collars were mentioned at all, it was probably 
> because I asked about it. It felt as though there was a greater lean 
> toward clickers and treats.
>
> So, my question: For those of you who have handled dogs for a while, 
> have you noticed a similar trend, and if so, how have you adjusted 
> your own handling practices? I sometimes feel mean for running a tight 
> ship with Matthew, but I feel in some ways as though my first guide 
> dog instruction set the mood for my discipline philosophy moving 
> forward. I was never one to be unnecessarily aggressive. It looks 
> publically awkward, and I think such tactics have diminishing returns.
> Yet, I am quick to leash correct for what may otherwise be considered 
> small infractions. How much of your own philosophy do you retain after 
> bringing your guide dog home?
>
> Thanks for any ponderings on the subject.
>
> Best,
>
> Joe
>
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