[NAGDU] My dog's weird stubborn behavior, suggestions?

[Ann Edie]

Hi, Julie,

I personally never try to walk through a door with my guide that someone
else is holding open for us. This is because I have had bad experiences in
the past where the person holding the door is partially blocking the doorway
or not holding the door open wide enough for both me and my guide to go
through, so that when the guide tries to navigate through the doorway,
someone is bound to get bumped into the door or the doorframe, and that
someone is usually me. Especially when helpful members of the public hold
doors open for me, if I am aware that this is what is happening, I ask them
to let the door close so that we can work through it ourselves. Then I have
my guide find the door handle, and I can open the door and control exactly
how we proceed through it. Once, when I had my first guide dog (who was
excellent in his guide work and very consciencious), I was at a school
function for my children. We were in the gym and were going out into the
hallway. There were double doors with a metal post in the center. People who
wanted to be helpful opened both of the doors for us. But my dog was a bit
nervous about how long the doors would be open and whether the door might
close on us as we were going through. So he was watching the people who were
holding the doors rather than focusing on exactly where I was with relation
to the center post. Anyway, I got a good bloody bump on my forehead out of
that experience, and learned a valuable lesson which has lasted me for
decades. Now I just tell people that I prefer to work through the doorway
myself, and that is what all of my guides have gotten used to doing.

Best,
Ann

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie McGinnity
via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2018 3:03 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Julie McGinnity
Subject: [NAGDU] My dog's weird stubborn behavior, suggestions?

Hi all,

I have a mail yellow lab, and he is a particularly stubborn one.  He's
a good boy and doesn't get distracted by much, and he loves to work.
But he likes for people to do things for him.  For example, if he
thinks someone else will get the door, he does not want to show it to
me because he would rather it be opened for us.  I know he can find
doors when they're in his line of sight or he remembers they are
there, and when he does it, he is very proud of himself.  But
sometimes I have to make him find them.  This is also the dog who
really can't use the follow command because he thinks that if he's
following, he doesn't have to work beyond basic guiding around
obstacles.

I plan to walk around with my roommate next week and have him find
some doors for us.  She is good about letting me walk ahead so that he
can do it.  But as we all know, most sighted people lose their
patience, and they eventually get the door for us.  My dog will
literally look at people when he wants them to get the door.  He also
looks at people when he thinks I don't know where I'm going, and he
slows down to try and follow them.  He's kind of a manipulator.  Lol

Any other ideas?  I am firm with him, and although I don't use food
rewards often, I can break them out if you guys think that's the best
course of action.  He is good at listening when I tell him to hup-up
or speed up, and his obedience in general is totally fine.  It's just
this thing with manipulating other people into opening doors, leading
the way, etc.  Thanks.

-- 
Julie A. McGinnity
MM Vocal Performance, 2015; President, National Federation of the
Blind Performing Arts Division; First Vice President, National
Federation of the Blind of Missouri

_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/annedie%40nycap.rr.com