[NAGDU] My dog's weird stubborn behavior, suggestions?

Tue Aug 21 22:26:47 UTC 2018

I think it might be useful to not just use food rewards, but specifically food rewards when finding doors in the presence of other people. Perhaps you can even work with your roommate and other people you ask to help with training to stand between you and the door, ask your dog to find it, and instruct the other people not to open the door no matter what your dog does. 
Also, I know this isn't always practical in real life, but when ever possible avoid going through doors that people open unless your dog actually finds them first. The general public isn't going to understand why you don't want to go through the door when they were just trying to be helpful of course, but maybe this will get through to your dog that you aren't going anywhere until he actually does what you ask. Maybe you can even work this into a training situation. Ask your dog to find the door with your roommate standing close to it. If he looks at her, have your dog stop. Instruct your roommate to go through the door and let it close behind her. Then ask your dog to find the door again and reward when he does. So the message to your dog is just because someone else went through the door, you still need to find it yourself.
Good luck with your stubborn boy. These dogs can be too smart for their own good sometimes. 
Danielle and Thai  

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 21, 2018, at 5:59 PM, Sandra Johnson via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Julie:
> 
> Oh my gosh, I can really relate to what you are saying.  My last dog Tara, a
> gentle golden, would always look to other people to help her, especially
> when I was walking with family or friends.  She would stop a few feet back
> from a door, seat, bank teller window or store counter as if to say "well I
> got you this far and that is enough let all these people help you".  In
> Tara's case some of her hesitation was a lack of confidence but she really
> did a lot of looking at anyone around us to help her.  It was extremely
> frustrating but somehow I could not let Tara feel that frustration or else
> she would just shut down and quit working.  I used food reward along with
> lots of praise and pets when she located what I had asked her to find.
> Gradually as time went on I dropped the food rewards most of the time.  Tara
> was highly motivated by food so this worked quite well for us.  Now with
> Eva, my current golden,  she is such a little show off that she proudly
> prances up to what I ask her to locate and happily wags her tail with the
> attitude that of course she deserves all my praise and the admiring looks
> from her adoring public.  Good luck with your stubborn boy.
> 
> Sandra and Eva
> SLJohnson25 at comcast.net
> -----Original Message----- From: Julie McGinnity via NAGDU
> Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2018 4:03 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Julie McGinnity
> Subject: [NAGDU] My dog's weird stubborn behavior, suggestions?
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I have a mail yellow lab, and he is a particularly stubborn one.  He's
> a good boy and doesn't get distracted by much, and he loves to work.
> But he likes for people to do things for him.  For example, if he
> thinks someone else will get the door, he does not want to show it to
> me because he would rather it be opened for us.  I know he can find
> doors when they're in his line of sight or he remembers they are
> there, and when he does it, he is very proud of himself.  But
> sometimes I have to make him find them.  This is also the dog who
> really can't use the follow command because he thinks that if he's
> following, he doesn't have to work beyond basic guiding around
> obstacles.
> 
> I plan to walk around with my roommate next week and have him find
> some doors for us.  She is good about letting me walk ahead so that he
> can do it.  But as we all know, most sighted people lose their
> patience, and they eventually get the door for us.  My dog will
> literally look at people when he wants them to get the door.  He also
> looks at people when he thinks I don't know where I'm going, and he
> slows down to try and follow them.  He's kind of a manipulator.  Lol
> 
> Any other ideas?  I am firm with him, and although I don't use food
> rewards often, I can break them out if you guys think that's the best
> course of action.  He is good at listening when I tell him to hup-up
> or speed up, and his obedience in general is totally fine.  It's just
> this thing with manipulating other people into opening doors, leading
> the way, etc.  Thanks.
> 
> -- 
> 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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