[NAGDU] Taking Guides to Marches, Protests, etc.,

[Gary]

hi Tracy:

what is a mutt mat?   fits in your pocket?

Thanks
Gary


On March 25, 2018 6:49:19 AM PDT, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>I decided to take Krokus on the march, and he did fine.  The only part
>that
>confused him a bit was when we were walking in the street, but I let
>him
>move so that we were closer to the side than the middle, and that
>satisfied
>him.  I stuck his Mutt Mat in my jacket, and put it down for him to lie
>on
>when we got to the speechifying part, so he didn't get cold. 
>Everything
>worked out well.
>Tracy
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of margo Downey
>via
>NAGDU
>Sent: Friday, March 23, 2018 3:12 PM
>To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>Cc: margo Downey
>Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Taking Guides to Marches, Protests, etc.,
>
>I've taken guid dogs to marches and protests.  No problem.
>
>Margo and Isis
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Heather Bird
>via
>NAGDU
>Sent: Friday, March 23, 2018 1:54 PM
>To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>Cc: Heather Bird
>Subject: [NAGDU] Taking Guides to Marches, Protests, etc.,
>
>One thing I have working in my favor is that my dog is from TSE and we
>mostly use the word Pfui, pronounced like the French word for yes, with
>an F
>sound at the beginning, fwee, not foo wee, so “no” does not
>automatically
>equal “You are being a bad dog.” Dogs often get upset by chanting, even
>positive chanting, because it is loud, and intense, even if the word
>“no”
>isn’t involved. Also, dogs can pick up on emotions and protests are
>often
>charged with emotion, both negative and positive emotions. What I did
>with
>Ilsa was use the clicker to make a positive association. I used a few
>things
>I knew would be similar to what she would hear. I played crowds
>chanting “We
>will, we will rock you.” And “Black lives matter.” And “N F B, N F B.”
>complete with stomping or table thumping. Every time a chant would
>start I
>would click and treat. I would play the recording or let the other
>people
>chant, and I would say “Atta girl, good girl, big noise, atta good
>girl.”
>While it was going on. She was alert and slightly alarmed the first few
>times, now she just wags and sits up alertly looking for a possible
>treat.
>I do intermittently and totally randomly reward after the initial
>desensitization has been achieved, in order to maintain it. We had to
>pass
>through a group of protesters down town and they were chanting and
>shouting
>and banging on their thighs and clapping. Ilsa just wagged like a goof
>ball
>and kept going. I did a mouth mark of a click I have gotten very good
>at and
>once we got past them I clicked again and gave her a piece of cheese I
>had
>in my bag. This will work with a lot of dogs, in theory, any dog sound
>enough to be graduated as a guide should be able to deal with this
>stimuli,
>as long as no one is throwing things or trying to assault you or your
>dog.
>But realistically not all guides are the same and not all training
>programs,
>and even really solid dogs from really great schools can develop fears
>as
>they age, so I would suggest that everyone do this desensitization
>training
>in some way shape or form, but be cognizant of how your dog is reacting
>and
>proceed accordingly. It’s better to plan and then never need it, then
>to
>discover in the middle of a legislative seminar, or a convention, or a
>sporting event, that your dog has just been traumatized.
>You can make yourself a bit bipolar and you will feel super weird
>during the
>training, but it is worth it “Jeremy, if I ever hear something like
>that
>come out of your mouth again, you will lose the iPad for a week. Atta
>girl
>Ilsa, Ilsa is a good girl, no one’s mad at Ilssa, because she’s a good
>girl.” “NFB, NFB, Good Girl Ilsa, NFB, NFB, big noise, good girl, NFB,
>NFB.”
>(To the beat of the crowd chanting “We will, we will rock you.” “Good
>girl,
>Good girl, Ilsa.” “We say, hell no, (insert name of politician) has got
>to
>go. Great job. That’s a good Ilsa.” In the immediate, it can be a
>little bit
>crazy-making, but the rewards are very obvious when you have a pretty
>much
>bomb proof dog, happily doing their job when you encounter or
>participate in
>a large, loud group activity which would be disconcerting to an
>unprepared
>dog. I used the same method to get Ilsa used to fireworks, because they
>can
>legally set them off in our area around the few weeks before and after
>the
>fourth of July and they sometimes do so even in the day time. I would
>click
>inside the house every time one went off far away, and treat, then we
>would
>sit outside and listen, click and treat, then we would get fairly close
>to
>an active display, more click and treat. One afternoon, a little while
>before sunset, someone set off some fireworks in a parking lot we were
>passing. I seriously jumped, both feet off of the sidewalk several
>inches,
>almost peed my freaken pants, (have two babies the natural way and your
>won’t judge) and what did Ilsa do? She jumped then turned and looked at
>me,
>sat down, tail swishing and nosed my hip where my bait pouch is when I
>am
>working with the clicker. So I retrieved my heart from my throat, took
>a
>deep breath and gave her a treat. As we continued our route they set
>them
>off again, a half a dozen more times, one while we were crossing a busy
>street. Ilsa just continued to the up curb, and once out of the street,
>she
>paused and turned to me enquiring about the possibility of another
>treat.
>Had I not done this training, she might have been ruined that night, or
>at
>the very least, we might have been stranded sitting on someone’s front
>lawn
>with a shaking dog waiting for someone to drive and come and rescue us.
>Had
>I not prepared her and had the fireworks started in the middle of that
>crossing, we likely would have been hit by a car if she had frozen or
>had
>bolted. So, I absolutely support bringing guides to various types of
>protests and marches, just prepare ahead of time and know what to
>expect and
>help your dog know what to expect. Walking in a march, parade, etc. is
>a
>whole separate issue with regards how you want them to guide you,
>especially
>if you are walking in the street, and how to best go about it will
>depend on
>your dog, your school and how often you intend to participate in such
>events, so that is probably a subject for a whole different post, right
>there.
>
> 
>
>Heather Bird
>
>"They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I
>wasn't
>a Communist.
>
>Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a
>Jew.
>
>Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I
>wasn't a trade unionist.
>
>Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a
>Protestant.
>
>Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up." -
>Martin Niemöller
>
>In our diverse society we must never fail to speak up in the face of
>Human
>Rights violations lest we be the next targets of such violations.
>
> 
>
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