[NAGDU] pace and pull

[Jean Menzies]

Thanks, Susan.

Thanks for the reminder to stay well back, as it is so easy to walk up on a 
slower dog. I'm also hoping that as he gains confidence, his pace in more 
congested areas will pick up a bit. Aw, and remembering that the dogs with 
issues at first can turn out to be the best. Thanks.

Jean

-----Original Message----- 
From: Susan Jones via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 5:21 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Susan Jones
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] pace and pull

Jean,

I received a dog that was very slow at one time.  One thing I did was walk 
doubles with someone who had a really fast dog.  That helped some, but she 
was always very slow.
Turned out, she was one of my very best dogs!

One thing you might try when she slows down due to congestion is back 
yourself up an inch or two, and be very diligent about following her lead. 
Allow her to get the sense that she is leading you, albeit slowly.

I hope this is helpful.

Susan

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jean Menzies via 
NAGDU
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 7:21 PM
To: NAGDU
Cc: Jean Menzies
Subject: [NAGDU] pace and pull

Hello all.

I have been home with a new guide for three months now. This dog has some 
wonderful traits, but so far we have had to have a home visit to work on 
inconsistency. I won’t go into those details, except to say that I am now 
taking him back to kindergarden and using food reward and praise at every 
curb and whenever he responds positively to what I ask. After things appear 
solid, I will be slowly decreasing food reward and hoping that consistency 
stays.

I mention that only to say that I am working on that first and foremost. 
However, once that is fixed, and I hope it will be fixable, then I need to 
work on pull at slower speeds.

My normal pace when things are clear is fast. I like a nice solid pull, and 
this dog does well at both pace and pull at faster speeds. When streets are 
busier, though, with pedestrians, shop doors possibly opening, etc., his 
pace is much slower. I accept that the slower pace is appropriate for those 
situations, but the problem I have is that when he walks slow, there is 
absolutely no pull in harness. I feel like a ship without a sail, and it 
takes a great deal of concentration to feel his movements and even sometimes 
trust that he is working. The lack of pull at such slow pace makes me feel 
vulnerable.

For those who have trained their own dogs or worked with this kind of issue 
before, how can I increase his pull at slower speeds? I understand pull can 
be taut to some degree. Note that he also has some body sensativity, and 
when I add a slight back pressure either on purpose or accidentally at slow 
paces, he might just stop or maybe side-step left. He has no problem with 
pull at faster speeds or when he decides to pull.

Ultimately, if the bigger inconsistency problem resolves and I am able to 
back off on food rewards, I then need to work on pull at slower paces if I 
can. Does anyone have ideas on how to do this? One thing at a time, but I’m 
wanting to have a bit of a plan going forward.

Jean and Boomer
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