[NAGDU] Softer Dogs?

[Aleeha Dudley]

Tracy, 
I had a very similar experience when I got Whitley. She did Not, Not, NOt, want to heel at all. She would much rather choke herself than heel. She was coughing because she was pulling so stinking hard. I tried to manage her, and my trainer just said to walk at *her* speed, which was the blistering pace we normally assume going down the sidewalk. I shook my head and did it, then got yelled at by someone else for walking too fast in the hall. I was told later that the dogs aren’t really taught to heel because it discourages pulling. I’m not too sure how I feel about this. 
Aleeha and Whitley, the confident but soft one

> On Mar 21, 2017, at 1:30 PM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> All that writing, and I for got something.
> This time, when I was at TSE, and we were walking to the dining room for
> the first time, trying to make our dogs heel, Krokus was being a total
> jerk, pulling as hard as he could.  I tried the mild things my trainer
> said to do, and they were useless, so I gave him a good jerk to try to get
> him to stop pulling.  My trainer came down on me like a ton of bricks!  I
> was shocked.  All my other dogs were expected to do at least some
> reasonable version of heel right off, and got corrected if they didn't. 
> GDB particularly made a big deal of it.  Heeling up and down the halls was
> one of the first things we did with our new dogs.  But that was long ago. 
> And I still expect some reasonable behavior right off the bat. But my
> trainers didn't seem to.
> But wait till next time.  The dog will be acting the fool, and I'll get
> yelled at for not correcting him; just you wait and see.
> 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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> 
> 
> 
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