[NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency

judotina48kg at gmail.com judotina48kg at gmail.com
Tue Aug 27 16:15:57 UTC 2019


Hi Julie: 
First I want to say, that I'm not familiar 
With how the off-set harness works. However, as for the dog having a left
tendency, I would try the following: 
1. Make sure that your hand placement on the harness is in the middle and
don't have a death grip on the handle. 
2. Square your body  up with the sidewalk the same as you would when
crossing an intersection. 
3. Lastly, make sure that your  elbow is close to your rib cage with a
slight bend so that you are able to feel the dog's movements. 
This is my two cents worth. Hope it helps. 
Tina        

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Julie McGinnity via
NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 7:59 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Julie McGinnity <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency

Hi all,

This has probably been discussed before, so I apologize for repeated topics.
But how have you handled a ridiculously pronounced left tendency your dog
continues to display?  My dog, Bill, is 7 years old, and he has gotten super
stubborn lately about sticking to the left side of everything.  I mean that
he will hug walls, keep me on the left sides of sidewalks to the point where
I am hesitating to walk so close to the edge or to the buildings we're
nearly brushing up against, and he pretty much refuses to redirect towards
to the right.

I know dogs are trained on the left.  I know they prefer the left.  I have
mentioned this to my school, and they don't seem to think it's a big deal.
But it's creating problems for me as I try to walk with others.

I have used his leash to show him where I want him to walk.  I've corrected
for hitting walls and corners with his harness.  I've also just stopped when
he actively shoots to the left as we walk.  When I let go of the harness, he
literally walks to the left.  I have an offset handle, and it's possible I
lean to the right, and he is reacting to oppose my motion, but I dislike
being pulled to the left.
It makes me feel uncomfortable.  He still takes me around obstacles to the
right, so maybe there is hope.

Any ideas?  I don't use food rewards much, but if it's the best solution for
fixing this, I can break them out again.  Working with my first dog was a
battle much of the time for this and other reasons.  I absolutely love
working this dog.  He is responsive and well-behaved and teachable, but this
challenge is only creating a dividing line between us.  Thank you in
advance.

--
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

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