[NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency

Wed Aug 28 16:56:22 UTC 2019

I guess, for me, it's kind of like using silverware.   Sure I could eat my 
salad with my fingers, it might even be easier, I don't know, but the 
societal expectation is to use a fork.  There are consequences for not 
conforming to societal expectations and you have to decide if you are 
willing to pay the price.  If I'm with friends at a restaurant and I don't 
use silverware to eat my salad, they are going to be horribly embarrassed 
and never invite me again.  Maybe some people would be okay with that, I'm 
not.  I choose to use the fork.

When you walk against the flow of traffic, in this case on the left, you 
will cause a lot of other people to have to dodge out of your way.  If you 
are walking with others, the dodging and jostling gets even more 
complicated.  The people you are with will likely be uncomfortable or 
embarrassed by your unconventional behavior.  Maybe this is no big deal to 
you and you are willing to deal with those consequences.  I choose to keep 
to the right.

There are certainly lots of things I do that are against the social norms. 
I think that's true for everyone.  But each person has to decide which rules 
to break and which consequences they can live with

Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall
<https://www.blindmicemegamall.com/bmm/shop/Directory_Departments?storeid=1916046>
-----Original Message----- 
From: Dan Weiner via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2019 10:26 AM
To: Sarah Calhoun via NAGDU
Cc: Dan Weiner
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency

why do you want to be on the right side of a sidewalk? I'm not trying to
gt the moderator to send me a harsh reprimand?--lol but, why do you feel
it necessary other than what other people tell you to do?  If your dog
isn't slamming you in to things, bumping you in to people, or causing
you danger or lack of safety in other ways why is that so important? the
same with buildings, when I was a full time employee everyone and his
brother had advice as to how my dog should do his job, whether they
would last for five minutes as a blind person I don't know--smile but
they would just insist on giving me advice.  I would ignore it or
explain the best I could, but the bottom line was eventually ignore, I
just want to make sure that all of the people who want their dog on the
right just don't want it to please critics among their friends or
family. why is it important unless you are trying to find something
specific on the right side or folow a specific right shoulder?  Mind
you, in the beginning of my dog days, I let myself be convinced by
nitwits in my circle of colleagues and friends that I should walk on the
right and I spent a year trying to fullfill their expectations with
frankly unsafe results I just learned to do what I need to do.

.

Anyway, just some food for thought.

On 8/28/2019 9:59 AM, Sarah Calhoun via NAGDU wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I have been reading with interest the topic of the left tendency guide 
> work.
>
> While walking through an office building, aisle, sidewalk, etc., my guide
> dog, Lakota tends to walk in the middle of the walkway, keeping me well 
> off
> from the right side. As someone mentioned, I hold the leash in my right 
> hand
> and tell her, "Right shoulder". It seems to work a bit maybe by a few
> inches, told to me by family or friends.
>
> I am mindful of others around us, plus I work on getting Lakota to move a
> bit right, but there again she might be walking me around an object,
> obstacle or stepping off of a curb. I give her verbal praise as she moves 
> a
> bit to the right as we work our way to our destination.
>
> In a perfect world, I would like to have my guide dog guide me exactly on
> the right side of a sidewalk, etc.  But considering the complexity of her
> training, guide work, observing the environment and deciding on her own 
> how
> to best avoid the trash can, someone stopping in the hallway, find the
> elevator, door, steps, etc., I/we do the best we can. When the opportunity
> presents itself, I explain the reason why Lakota works in the middle of 
> the
> isle, sidewalk, etc., in hopes for a wider scope of understanding from the
> public, mainly the sighted public.
>
> Take care,
> Sarah and Lakota
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Julie McGinnity via
> NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2019 7:41 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Julie McGinnity <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> Thanks for the suggestions.
>
> First, I have complete confidence in the safety of my dog.  I know this
> because I know he is not pulling me out into traffic.  I also have tried
> dropping the harness handle and just starting over on the right. 
> Sometimes
> when I've dropped the harness handle, Bill refused to move because there 
> was
> an obstacle in our way.  He won't allow me to run into things.
>
> I had a dog once whose left tendency got worse because she was done 
> working.
> This isn't the same.  I feel uncomfortable with him moving to the left, 
> but
> I don't feel as though he will run me into things or allow me to be
> surrounded by traffic.  Do I think he's pushing boundaries though?  Yes.
>
> I could let it go and just deal with it.  But I don't want to do this for
> two reasons.  1. There is a reason for this, and there is, more 
> importantly,
> a reason it has gotten worse.  I can't tell if it's boredom, testing me, a
> combination of those two, or something else I haven't thought of.  And I
> want to figure out what's going on and try to help him through it if I 
> can.
> 2. I believe he can be trained out of it.  He might be 7, but he still 
> loves
> to work.  He likes to go new places and learn new things.  Yes, his
> stubbornness has gotten worse with age, but our bond has also 
> strengthened.
> I believe that given the right method, we can reduce this problem.
>
> I will likely try to give him a positive reminder of why it's cool to be 
> on
> the right side.  None of the corrective work seems to do the trick with 
> him.
> He just wants to fight against those methods and go right back to walking 
> on
> the left side. Thanks.
>
> Julie
>
>
> On 8/27/19, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Thanks for clarifying.
>> Cindy Lou
>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 8:31 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Jordan Gallacher <jordangandoliver at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency
>>
>> Among others such as being aggressive around other dogs, he would
>> either pull or we would do a slow drift to the left into the parallel
> street.
>> Jordan
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via
>> NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 8:25 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: cindyray at gmail.com
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency
>>
>> Jordan, what was the problem with Belto?
>> Cindy Lou Ray
>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 6:07 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Jordan Gallacher <jordangandoliver at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency
>>
>> Which was one of the problems with Belto, and Leader Dogs told me that
>> was perfectly fine for him to be doing.
>> Jordan
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Dan Weiner via
>> NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 5:30 PM
>> To: Sherri via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Dan Weiner <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency
>>
>> but here's a problem folks, if you have a left tender you are saying
>> you should pull the dog to the right or step to the right, how do you
>> know there isn't  something on the right side that you will trip over
>> or a clearance issue? unless you use your cane of course to check. the
>> only time I would find it an absolute emergency and not to be
>> tolerated would be during a street crossing and if the left side were
>> the parallel traffic, now that would be a serious issue indeed.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 8/27/2019 4:02 PM, Sherri via NAGDU wrote:
>>> Wow, I wish I had known that suggestion.  I had an extremely
>>> left-walking dog.  Someone told me it's because they are taught to
>>> walk on the left side of the street, so they incorporate that into
>>> their walking behavior.  I was never successful getting her to walk
>>> much
>> on the right side of anything.
>>> Sherri
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of sunshine
>>> via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 1:01 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: sunshine <halogirl817 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Horrible Left Tendency
>>>
>>> Michael, I was advised to do likewise. With one dog that didn't work
>>> at
>> all.
>>> She resisted all the more. Then there was a dog that I could correct
>>> using the method, but she'd bounce back to scraping the buildings.
>>> There was not an explanation for same. They're trained to walk in the
>> middle, though.
>>> Sunshine
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone XR
>>>
>>>> On Aug 27, 2019, at 10:55 AM, Mike Hingson via NAGDU
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>> Julie,
>>>>
>>>> I have experienced the same thing. I never have gotten a good
>>>> explanation for this tendency. One suggestion a trainer did offer is
>>>> that when your dog veers to the left, push your harness handle even
>>>> further to the left. This is a bit uncomfortable for the dog and
>>>> they move to the right to correct. I found that this suggestion did
>>>> work some.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best Regards,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Michael Hingson
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: NAGDU 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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>>>>
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>
> --
> 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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