[nagdu] Training success!!!

Fri Jul 25 17:04:21 UTC 2014

Daryl,
Great to hear you and Jen are succeeding with positive training methods!
Once I switched from correction to redirection, it made things so much
easier and fluid for me and the Golden Guy. He's a big softy,  so
corrections actually hinder his work. Corrections would always slow
things down drastically, and lead to confusion and frustration for
both of us. It's so much simpler, time-saving, and uplifting to just
redirect behavior rather than yanking on the leash.

And I believe the collar you guys are talking about is a martingale
collar, or a half-check. I used that for a while with the Golden guy
before just getting a nylon buckle collar. However, I don't usually
pick up on his body language through the leash and collar unless I'm
walking him out of harness. When we're working, I can feel just about
everything he's doing through the harness.

On 7/25/14, Daryl Marie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Danielle,
> Agreed, to a point. Jenn's a bit of a harder dog, but even from the time the
> trainer left, corrections became less and less effective. I got to my whit's
> end, because corrections just weren't doing anything.
> Ironically, taking this option away has improved her work.
>
> In high-distraction environments like pet stores, I use a Halti (think a
> sturdier Gentle Leader). It keeps her nose out of everything and keeps her
> focused. We do distraction training fairly regularly as well, but with so
> much stimuli like pet stores and vets it's just simpler to use the Halti.
>
> Daryl
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Danielle Burton <danielleburton94 at gmail.com>
> To: Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca>, NAGDU Mailing List, the National
> Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 09:26:30 -0600 (MDT)
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training success!!!
>
> We have the part nylon and part chain ones on our dogs. I like this collar
> but I can't always get enough feedback from it. The clip nylon collar which
> is higher up by her ears helps me feel whether her head dips down or not.
> She could also be nonresponsive to correction due to too many corrections.
> I've been told that the muscle gets tough if you use correction too much. I
> like to stop and do some obedience if it's a high distraction area. That
> seems to work well for Willa and gets her focused back on me.
>
> Danielle and Willa
>
>
>> On Jul 25, 2014, at 11:11 AM, Daryl Marie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Danielle,
>> The correction collar we used to use was part nylon, part chain (for
>> correction).
>> Now she has a clip nylon collar. i am not entirely happy with it, so will
>> probably get her a buckle collar at some point, but I like it!
>>
>> Some dogs respond to corrections, others don't. Jenny has become
>> increasingly unresponsive to corrections. Perhaps this is because I myself
>> am getting frustrated, or perhaps she just doesn't care. Either way with
>> her new collar, if she runs off after a dog, it's not me correcting her;
>> she's correcting herself.
>>
>> Daryl and Jenny (who really hates this rain and is glad she has a poncho)
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Danielle Burton <danielleburton94 at gmail.com>
>> To: Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca>, NAGDU Mailing List, the National
>> Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 08:59:24 -0600 (MDT)
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training success!!!
>>
>> Daryl, that's great! What kind of collar are you using on Jendnny? I'm
>> just curious. I use a correction collar with Willa but it's one with a
>> clip and is made of nylon instead of the chain collar.
>>
>> Danielle and Willa
>>
>>
>>> On Jul 25, 2014, at 10:30 AM, Daryl Marie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> hey!
>>> Just thought I would share.
>>>
>>> Since moving away from the correction collar two weeks ago, we've hit a
>>> bit of a snag when it comes to Jenny's sniffing/scrounging habit. I've
>>> struggled a bit with feeling her head movements - when is her head down,
>>> etc.? - so she's probably gotten away with a bit more than I would like.
>>> However, the past three days have been fantastic! She has still wanted to
>>> sniff or scrounge, but I have been able to calmly redirect her attention,
>>> even if it means pulling back on the harness to prevent a quick
>>> snatch-and-grab. The sniffing/scrounging has decreased, and Jenny has
>>> been more willing to leave whatever it is and then keep going.
>>>
>>> Since we finished training 10 months ago, we've struggled with getting
>>> off the bus and finding the angled steps to the LRT station - there's
>>> always been something yummy from the Tim Horton's by the bus bench or the
>>> fence or, well, you get the idea. Wednesday, she nailed it! First trip to
>>> the station in a month, and she got off the bus, walked calmly to the
>>> stairs, and down the stairs we went!  On the landing she went for a tasty
>>> morsel, I waved her over to a heel, made her sit, and then down we went
>>> again. Found the door to the station no problem and found the stairs down
>>> with no fuss (she used to insistently try and take me to the elevator).
>>> On and on we went! It was a beautiful thing!
>>> Even yesterday I told her (far too soon) to find me a garbage can to
>>> throw away her "business baggie". She found it, no big deal! Nose up,
>>> ignoring the garbage can smells.
>>>
>>> I know we will still have problems, but I am liking this lack of
>>> correction collar thing :)
>>>
>>> Daryl and Jenny
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
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-- 
Raven
"if God didn't make it, don't eat it." - John B. Symes, D.V.M.
http://dogtorj.com