[nagdu] Barking

[Hope Paulos]

Sharonda.  What a wonderful post.  I agree with you.  I had some 
issues with my dog when I first got her.  It lasted until about a 
year after I received her.  Everything I tried just wouldn't work 
and finally we learned how to best work with one another and she 
also is a wonderful guide and loyal friend.  The key is 
consistancy.  No dog is perfect, and one thing we always must 
remember is that they're not machines.  They're dogs.  Dogs first 
and guides second.  Yes, we have to rely on them.  Yes they 
should behave correctly around other animals, but some dogs have 
more difficulties with this than others.  Should they be pushed 
away? No, I don't think so.  Not without working your hardest to 
try and help them.  After all, they're part of the family.  If a 
family member needed help and had a really difficult time either 
understanding or accepting your help, would you throw them out 
into the cold? No, you wouldn't.  It's important to see the 
relationship between a guide and human the same way.  If I've 
offended people on this list I'm truly  sorry, but I feel 
passionate about this subject.  Hope and Beignet

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Sharonda Greenlaw" <sbgreenlaw at gmail.com
>To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:15:09 -0700
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking

>Lora,
>I want to first say that Julie's suggestion of trying to find a 
behaviorist
>in your area is the absolute best.  I have had some issues with 
my dog guide,
>Rusty, and the behaviorist really helped me bunches.

>The first thing I did was to purchase a prong collar.  It has 
been a Godsend
>against pulling and lunging.  The second thing I did was to work 
like has
>already been explained with the click-and-treat system so that 
his attention
>can always be refocused on me.

>Lastly, I want to say this publicly concerning what the 
behaviorist told me.
>When the dog is being trained at the school, it is a puppy.  It 
is not an
>adolescent.  The school is not aware of the behaviors that the 
dog will
>exhibit in its adolescent years.  You might have 20 dogs and two 
might show
>aggression during adolescence.  If you are willing to put in the 
hard work,
>most, if not all of this aggression can be squashed.  Sure, there 
may be an
>instance where your dog doesn't change, but I know that my dog's 
issues were
>a bit worse.  With much hard work and repetitive training, while 
also
>learning my dog and him learning me, I have not only a great 
guide but a
>loyal and faithful companion.

>If you can, hang in there!

>Sharonda

>On Sun, Dec 14, 2008 at 9:51 PM, Lora and Myrtle 
<blindhistory at gmail.com>wrote:

>> I have a dog from Leader Dogs.  Today my dog Myrtle started 
barking at
>> another dog before she saw it and before the dog started 
barking.  She has
>> done this ever since she has got home.  I ahve contacted leader 
dogs and
>> have
>> tried a gentle leader.  I have tried leash corrections and 
verbal
>> corrections
>> with no luck.  I think it is aggressive behavior because her 
tail goes up
>> and
>> her ears are forward with her fur behind her shoulders and tail 
sticking on
>> end.  She lunged at a dog tonight and I almost fell on the ice.  
Otherwise
>> she
>> is a very good guide.  Normally she barks at a dog when she sees 
them and
>> lunges at them.  What do you guys think.  I have contacted my 
trainer several
>> times and the suggestions she has told me to do have not worked 
out.  I'm
>> worried I am going to get hurt one of these days because my dog 
pulls so
>> hard.  I don't know if I will go with LD again.  I would like 
this to stop or
>> at least be able to get my dog under control.  I don't want to 
go to student
>> seminars because she can't even handle one dog let alone alot of 
them.

>> --
>> Lora and Leader Dog Myrtle
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