(VICT) Re: New member and I clicker
- From: Jill Gross <jgross@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:27:24 -0400 (EDT)
Jo, I would guess that you probably like the idea of selecting your own
dog for training. I think that is the greatest factor for me. I would like
to pick my breed based on my research and I would like find a dog witht he
personality traits that I like in a service dog. I have always been very
disappointed in the very limited number of breeds utilized by most of the
guide dog schools. I know many people who have labs as guides and they are
thrilled with them. I don't particularly care for them and feel that they
have some important traits that decrease there desirability as guides, ie.
they are very social and they are extremely food oriented. There are so
many fabulous breeds out there and I have have never understood why some
of them have never been used by the schools. I know there is a small
school that uses vislas and Leader will use the occasional bouvier or
boxer.
I "untrain" my guides to stop at the up-curb on street crossings. I do
most of my travelling in the city where people often drive wrecklessly. I
want my butt and my dog's butt in the street as little as possible. I have
always been good able knowing where the up-curbs are, so I find it safer
for us to get out of the street quickly. I have always trained my dogs to
do other things, some that are practical and some that are fun. I have
also found that the dogs that are trained by the schools tend to be unruly
in the house. I have had to do significant in-home training with all but
one of my dogs. I have often wondered how the nondog person who gets a
guide handles a guide who wrecks their house.
Jill
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007, Jo Clayson wrote:
>
>
> What would you like to do with your dog that the dogs in schools are not
> trained for?
>
> Interesting question. I've never had a dog from a school, and though I know
> a few people personally that have, I'm not really familiar with specifically
> what behaviors are taught, or not taught.
>
> Things I teach my dogs:
> Tricks: shake hands, roll over, choosing the correct hand in response to a
> question, speak, etc. Both my dogs and I have fun with these. Teaching a
> trick is a good way for me to try out a different training method....if I
> really goof up and my dog doesn't do a perfect "play dead" it's not
> potentially life threatening for me or my dog. Also, if my dog has been
> distracted and needs to focus back on me, tricks are often a good way to get
> that focus back. Simply because they are tricks and fun, there isn't the
> tension in my voice that so easily communicates to my dog, like when I might
> tell her to "leave it" , "quiet" or "sit". A dog that does a few tricks can
> also delight other people, and help those who are hesitant or a bit fearful
> around dogs.
>
> Search & rescue: though we are not part of a search team, I want my dogs and
> I to be able to work together in this way. I live on 29 acres of land in a
> rather remote area with thousands of acres of undeveloped land adjacent.
> Should a guest here, or a hunter get lost, or should I be injured and folks
> are looking for me, I want my dogs to be able to assist in the initial
> search.
>
> Agility - we don't compete, but do this at home for fun, physical
> conditioning, and for building teamwork, self-control, and physical skills.
>
> "go to the bathroom" - take me to a public restroom . For a dog with a keen
> sense of smell, this seems to be a fairly easy task.
>
> Find my stuff: When we are away from home I may have a duffle bag, back
> pack, jacket , bucket of tools, etc that I set down. Usually I know where
> they are, but sometimes I forget, or am "bleary brained" with chemical
> exposure and it's handy to have my dog take me to my stuff.
>
> Go to the car: as I don't drive, and ride with many different people, and
> some of the families have more than one vehicle, I sometimes can't remember
> what vehicle I'm looking for or where it is parked. Kita does fairly well
> already in small parking lots. Zoomer could even find the vehicle in a very
> large lot. It's also been handy for the driver a few times who forgot where
> they parked!
>
> There are probably others. Often my dogs have figured out something on
> their own that is helpful to me, so I reward and encourage it.
>
> Jo
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Other related posts:
