[NAGDU] follow command

Gary Steeves rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca
Thu Aug 30 15:41:36 UTC 2018


hi
gonzo is so so at follwowing.   i get the grocery store folks to tell me when they are  turning just to be sure gonzo is with them.  my last dog seemed to follow well but detour for th edog food aisle. .   i do like using the command  with people who maybe helping me for some reason  rather than goin gsighted guide.  allows me to feel independent.   i guess for me it's like a person is showing me something the  way they would a sighted person rather than me having to be guided physically.

good thread though. 

gary


On August 30, 2018 8:34:28 AM PDT, Danielle Sykora via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>My dog is generally very good at following, though  he does follow
>people he knows better than people he has never met in chaotic
>environments. He did have an understanding of follow  when I got him
>but I definitely needed to refine it some within the first few months
>home. 
>Personally I really like the follow command for several reasons. I
>don’t have any hearing loss but I still find it very difficult to hear
>people talking in very loud environment particularly when they are
>facing away from me while walking. I also tend to be a little anxious
>in very loud environment where I can’t hear much of what is going on
>around me, so having a dog keep track of someone who I want to stay
>with is extremely helpful. I generally prefer that people walk behind
>me and let my dog work, but it is much easier to simply have my dog
>follow in unfamiliar environments that I really don’t need to learn how
>to navigate independently for whatever reason. Some people are really
>bad at giving directions and it is confusing and frustrating for both
>me and my dog to try to navigate unfamiliar environments with people
>trying to give directions that can barely tell their left from right. I
>also like to use follow when I am having a conversation with someone
>because it means my dog will stay close to them. Follow is also useful
>when walking with other service dog teams again in unfamiliar
>environments or whenhaving a conversation. For example my roommate uses
>a service dog and neither of our dogs knows how to walk on our right
>side. It would be kind of impossible to use cited guide, and she has
>some degree of hearing loss that would make it unlikely she would hear
>me calling out to her to ask for directions or something if I was out
>of herline of sight. I would often have my dog follow her when we were
>walking together on campus or in a store so that we wouldn’t get
>separated.
>I have a very confident dog  that I know can think for himself all too
>well. I never have an issue with him just following random people all
>of a sudden. Sometimes if someone is walking next to me in a boring
>familiar environment, my dog will slow down to try to sneakily let the
>person go in front of him and do the work. If this happens I simply ask
>the person I’m walking with to match my pace and walk at my side or to
>walk a few steps behind me. Likewise my dog will sometimes try to rush
>ahead of the person he is following in fun exciting environment so I
>use thesteady command to get him to walk more slowly. I do prefer that
>the person I’m following makes some kind of noise like snapping their
>finger, or that they let me know when they are going to turn. This
>doesn’t always happen but it is obviously great when people comply.
>Thai is normally great at following but he can occasionally veer off to
>show me a potential target or to take what he thinks is a better path.
>I don’t ever harshly correct this initiative but I will stop and have
>him focus on the person he is following again. I may even allow the
>person he is following to say his name occasionally in an excited tone 
>which is something I usually don’t encourage 
>Of course when my dog is following, I still expect him to stop at
>curbs, avoid obstacles, etc and will correct or rework mistakes as I
>would if he were not following. The only issue I’ve noticed my dog
>having with follow that there was no clear queue that would tell him
>when to stop following people. Sometimes I would have him follow
>someone for part of a route and then we would need to go in opposite
>directions, and then my dog would get confused why all of a sudden I
>didn’t want him to follow anymore. Thai sometimes will follow someone
>if I’ve been talking to them without me giving the command. I had
>really good intentions to teach him a command that would essentially
>release him from a follow, but I haven’t really had the time to proof
>it yet.
>Danielle and Thai 
>
>
>Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 30, 2018, at 10:50 AM, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>wrote:
>> 
>> Most of my dogs have felt it was necessary to follow anyone with whom
>I was talking, so when they would leave I would stand there for a while
>until we could be sure we were oriented. Could hat be a brain problem?
>> Cindy Lou Ray
>> cindyray at gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Dan Weiner via
>NAGDU
>> Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2018 8:48 AM
>> To: Melissa Allman via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Dan Weiner <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] follow command
>> 
>> Very interesting, I did use follow extensively when I was a
>university student with my dog Evan, I had to work on it a bit with
>help from willing family  members and friends, but frankly Evan got to
>the point I'd just talk to a person, ask for help and he'd just follow
>the person I was talking with or asked for help, I did ask them to keep
>talking or to tell me when they turned left or right but usually they
>didn't, and he just got to be very good at it. It was a great
>> 
>> 
>>  way to maintain my safety and independent mobility while having
>someone help me to places I didn't necessarily know.  I frankly haven't
>got my dogs since to be as good as Evan was, of course people who knew
>me  during the Evan Era--smile  get vry disappointed if my dogs don't
>just instantly do as Evan did--smile.  As far as a dog following just
>at random, I never had much of a problem with it, I would just gently
>redirect the dog or whatever. It is a good skill and I think it's great
>if your dog can do it, though some are better than others and some just
>won't. Especially since I have a hearing issue, not being able to hear
>on the left side, it would have been impossible for me to go places
>with people without being guided if I didn't have a dog with a good
>follow. I just can't tell where people are usually--smile. As I've said
>though, My first two dogs , Grant and Evan, were by far the best,
>Carter and Parker have not been as tenacious about it. Then again I've
>had to go most places myself nowadays so I don't get as much practice.
>> 
>> Warmest regards,
>> Dan the man and Parker the nut
>>> On 8/30/2018 9:30 AM, Melissa Allman via NAGDU wrote:
>>> Even when I do use follow, I still need the person to talk to me so
>that I can make sure my dog is following them in particular especially
>when she's following someone she really doesn't know and there are a
>million people around. Half the time she walks faster than the people
>she's supposed to be following or they are so nervous about it that
>they keep slowing and looking behind them and sometimes trying to make
>physical contact with me so I'm pretty selective about when I use it
>for that reason.
>>> 
>>>  Melissa R. Allman, Esq.
>>> Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Government Relations The Seeing Eye,
>
>>> Inc.
>>> P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963-0375 (mail)
>>> 10 Washington Valley Road, Morristown, NJ 07960-3412 (deliveries)
>>> 973-539-4425 ext. 1724,     Fax:  973-525-1081 mallman at SeeingEye.org
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray
>
>>> via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2018 9:25 AM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
>Users'
>>> Cc: Cindy Ray
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] follow command
>>> 
>>> I think that following has its advantages, especially if someone has
>a hearing loss. When I worked as chaplain service organist at the V.A.
>Hospital in Topeka, KS though, I followed too much and ended up having
>to work Jet out of it a little. She was a good dog, and I think it was
>sort of a disservice to her to have her follow as much as she did. So I
>guess I feel like Tracy about this. It is good to have that command in
>our toolbox, but I like the idea of just getting the person to speak to
>us occasionally so I can keep track. That is what I am currently doing
>without a dog.
>>> Cindy Lou Ray
>>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
>via 
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2018 8:15 AM
>>> 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] follow command
>>> 
>>> My dog Ben didn't like to follow much.  He figured his way was best.
>I loved his initiative, so I just asked whoever we were with to say
>something occasionally so we could stay reasonably close.
>>> Krokus tends to over-follow.  He's happy to let someone else do the
>work, as we were discussing the other day.  Really, I'd rather have a
>dog who has the initiative and self-confidence not to follow.
>>> I've found, over my 7 dogs, that young dogs often need encouragement
>to develop the self-confidence to solve problems without a lot of help,
>and  I praise them up when they do it, so I wouldn't grumble at a dog
>for not following.  But that's me.
>>> Tracy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Janell
>via 
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 8:56 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
>Users'
>>> Cc: nellie at culodge.com
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] follow command
>>> 
>>> We did the follow command with the trainer but then when I went to
>the mall yesterday with my mom she was having no part of it.  Then my
>mom was frustrated and then Rosy was too so she kind of shut down.  I
>am so used to Sully who is very strong willed and confident and then
>Rosy is very sensitive and tender hearted so I am having an adjustment
>too.  Rosy is an absolute doll and I think we will work well together
>but we have to get accustomed to each other.
>>> 
>>> Thanks for any advice!  😊
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via 
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 7:47 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
>Users' 
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] follow command
>>> 
>>> How much do you want Rosy to follow? You could get her in the habit
>if you aren't careful. I did that with a dog. But you can do this by
>practicing.
>>> Get someone to help you and then tell her to follow. Then reward her
>in whatever way you reward her.
>>> 
>>> Cindy Lou Ray
>>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Janell via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 7:43 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
>Users'
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: nellie at culodge.com
>>> Subject: [NAGDU] follow command
>>> 
>>> I have my new guide dog Rosy.  She is doing quite well but she just
>doesn't have the "follow" command down.  Any suggestions from anyone?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Thanks, Janell
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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