[NAGDU] Dog Distractions

Tue Feb 28 03:26:03 UTC 2017

You could also try stopping and doing obedience once you know another
dog is present. I think it was my fagie boy who got excited around
other dogs and I would have him do a few doggie pushups. This is a
series of sit and down, sit and down. Only had to do it every so
often.

On 2/27/17, Dan Weiner via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> My god, if this is the case, you need to make a very hard decision...I hate
> this, but it happened to me twice, I had to say to myself "If the situation
> doesn't improve can I live with it or not" if the answer is "No, I can't"
> then you might really start thinking of retirement. It's so heart-wrenching
> I know, but I had to do it and the next dog after that was brilliant, so
> sometimes it can be for the best.
> Sorry you are going through this situation, and if it were me, (remember
> not
> telling you to do it, just saying what' I'd do) I'd be shopping around for
> another program.
>
> Best wishes to you.
>
> Dan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 3:01 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Jordan Gallacher
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>
> Belto behaves the same way around my aunts dogs unfortunately.  Belto has
> managed to escape from me three times already when he comes near other
> dogs,
> and my field rep's response to that is oh well, that is your problem.  It
> gets worse.  He also has said to me you do not have a clue what you are
> doing.  Belto happens to be my third dog, and he is the only dog that I
> have
> ever had a major problem like this.  Both of my previous dogs I could fix
> most of the problems I had without needing help from the school.  September
> only became an issue after she was attacked, and when I finally got the
> school I received her from to get their act together and they took her in
> for evaluation, they saw all the same problems I was seeing.  I have a
> letter ready to go out to the school where I received Belto from, and if I
> have to, I will send it.
> Jordan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alysha via NAGDU
> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 1:44 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Alysha
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>
> Hi Jordan,
> I have dealt with this problem as well, although it started a few months
> after class for me. First, I tried a clicker approach as recommended by an
> instructor from my school. I taught my dog the word "look" meant he should
> turn to look at me. As soon as he did, I clicked and gave him a treat. We
> first practiced this while walking with no dogs around and then worked up
> to
> doing it when a dog was nearby. This helped redirect his attention back to
> me during the distraction. If the dog was far enough away, this method
> really seemed to help, but we still had problems when dogs came close
> enough
> to pass us on the sidewalk.
>
> I called the school again after it became clear that the clicker alone
> wouldn't solve our problems, and they recommended using a prong collar. I
> was pretty against this because I thought it was cruel, but I really wanted
> to preserve our partnership since everything else about my dog's work was
> great. So I sucked it up and gave it a try. It really helped a lot. I just
> had to give him a few corrections with the prong collar, and he got the
> idea
> that going after dogs was not OK. I know the prong collar would not have
> worked on my first dog since he was very sensitive, but my current guide is
> a lot more confident. He doesn't like it when I put on the prongs, but he
> still wags his tail and enjoys working even when he is wearing it.
>
> Today, I still use a combination of the word "look" rewarded by click/treat
> to redirect his attention and the prong collar to correct him if he lunges
> or barks at another dog. I won't say that his dog distractions are
> completely gone. I think it's something we will always have to work on. But
> he has gotten so much better now with the combination of those 2 tools. The
> key for us was intense and consistent practice. Our neighborhood has tons
> of
> dogs, so it was easy to go out every day and work on the distractions.
>
> How does your dog interact with other dogs he knows? I was worried my dog
> was aggressive when he lunged and barked/growled at other dogs, but after
> getting to know him and observing him interact with other dogs, I truly
> don't believe he would actually start fighting with another dog. If you
> believe your dog would bite another dog, that could be a very serious
> problem. I would seriously demand the school send someone to observe and
> help you with this.
>
> I really hope you're able to find a solution that works for you. It's a
> shame that your dog was exhibiting this behavior in class, and the
> instructors didn't do anything about it. I think this is one of the
> toughest
> behaviors to manage in a guide dog. I know many handlers that have this
> problem, and I think the schools need to really step up their game when it
> comes to working on this.
>
> Best,
> Alysha
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2017 2:22 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Jordan Gallacher <jordanandbelto at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] Dog Distractions
>
> I am having a bit of a problem with Belto that even the school cannot
> figure
> out how to solve.  I received Belto last February, and even during
> training,
> he would lunge at and/or try to chase other dogs possibly trying to attack
> them.  My instructor during class did nothing to work on this behavior nor
> did he give me any suggestions on how to solve the issue or at least calm
> it
> down a bit.  Everytime I have contacted the school about the issue, I get a
> different answer, and since my instructor I had in class is also my field
> rep, I am not getting anywhere when it comes to solving Belto's behavior
> around other dogs.  Anyone have any suggestions on what I can try to calm
> this problem a bit?  I have tried the gentle leader, but that does not seem
> to be solving the problem other than being able to tell what he is doing
> sooner.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jordan and Belto
>
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