(VICT) Re: Traffic Training and the Decision to Train a Guide
- From: "Julie J." <jlcrane@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:57:42 -0500
I agree completely with Ann. Training a guide dog is not rocket science.
It takes time, patience and hard work, but it is not particularly difficult.
At least that was my experience.
About traffic training... I just wanted to add that dogs already have a
strong sense of self preservation. they don't want to be run over. Really
all I did about traffic training was to expand and define this already built
in response.
I do have to say though, that traffic training was not really all that
important to me. I felt safe around traffic when I used a cane and that
feeling hasn't changed with Belle. I do appreciate her help especially when
there is a lot of wind or background noise making it difficult to hear cars.
She does provide some extra information that I didn't get from a cane, but
the responsibility of safety is still mine. JMHO
Julie
http://www.livingblind.com/eml
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and
those who matter don't mind.
Dr. Seuss
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ann Edie" <annedie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:40 AM
Subject: (VICT) Traffic Training and the Decision to Train a Guide
> Hi, Jill, Jo, and Everyone,
>
> I agree that it is a major undertaking to train one's own guide animal,
> and
> it is certainly a great responsibility to train a guide dog for another
> person. However, sometimes I think that we give a bit too much credit to
> the guide dog training programs and their trainers when it comes to the
> uniqueness of guide dog work and the "special" nature of the knowledge the
> official guide dog trainers have.
>
> To me, guide dogs learn a set of tasks, just as other types of service
> dogs
> learn a set of tasks. There is nothing magical about the behaviors or the
> way they are trained. The important things are: 1) to know what the
> tasks
> are that you want the animal to perform; 2) the knowledge of how to break
> those tasks down into small steps that the animal can grasp; and 3)
> confidence in your teaching method to accomplish the training.
>
> I believe that many of us who have had long experience as guide dog
> handlers, and who have had an interest in training and experience in
> training other types of work, can successfully train our own guide
> animals.
>
> Have you ever noticed that the guide dog training programs never guarantee
> your safety when travelling with your program-trained dog? This is
> sensible, because no one can guarantee another person's safety, no matter
> how well-trained the guide animal is. So the person handling the guide
> animal must always take responsibility for their own safety. The
> well-trained guide animal can give us useful information about things in
> the
> environment which we might otherwise not be aware of, and the guide animal
> can perform specific tasks for us which make travel safer and more
> efficient. But it is still a team effort, and we must be the partner who
> is
> responsible for ensuring that our guide is focused on the task, feeling up
> to par, and that he possesses all the skills needed for the situation he
> is
> in.
>
> I think that where people get into trouble is when they attempt to train
> their own guides without sufficient knowledge of what a guide animal
> actually does. Some people think that the animal mysteriously "just
> knows"
> that he is supposed to "take care of us", and that he knows instinctively
> how to do that. They do not analyze the tasks that the animal must do,
> and
> they do not teach those skills by formulating and following a systematic
> plan.
>
> At any rate, I believe that if we know what we want to teach, and if we
> follow an organized and sufficiently chunked down lesson plan, and if we
> have a good guide candidate to work with, and if we use a proven training
> method--Clicker Training, of course, that we have at least as good a
> chance
> of producing a wonderful guide as do the established guide dog training
> programs.
>
> Since both you and Jo have mentioned traffic training as one of the
> biggest
> hurdles in making the decision to train a guide, I thought I might append
> to
> this message a post I wrote to this list some time ago about Panda's
> traffic
> training. It is not meant as a lesson plan, and of course, I give no
> guarantee of anyone's safety if a similar method is used to teach traffic
> work to any other animal. I offer it as something to consider and to help
> you chunk down the behaviors that need to be taught as partts of traffic
> training.
>
> I hope it is helpful to you and to anyone else who may be thinking about
> training a guide animal.
>
> Best,
> Ann
> ------------
>
> Hi, Everyone,
>
> To me, "traffic work" refers to the guide's skill in taking me around or
> otherwise out of the path of moving obstacles, especially vehicles, but
> also
> people on foot, on bicycles, on the segway, on skates or skateboards, etc.
> The "traffic check" refers specifically to rapid stops or evasive action
> taken by the guide to keep us safe in the event of an unexpected approach
> of
> a moving vehicle, person, or animal.
>
> To my way of thinking, the "check" in
> the term "traffic check" means "stop" rather than "notice", and refers to
> the fact that the guide has to "check" our forward motion and change
> course
> rapidly to avoid danger.
>
> So looking out for traffic happens all the time when my guide looks ahead
> and judges the trajectories of all the moving objects and beings in the
> vicinity and chooses a path which will give both me and her clearance
> around
> those objects. She also uses her wide field of vision and her hearing to
> monitor traffic behind and to the sides.
>
> I believe that this skill is built
> gradually upon the foundation of stationary obstacle work as the guide
> gains
> experience with guiding the blind handler through many environments. In
> my
> case, I clicked and reinforced Panda for any tendency to move over to one
> side of the sidewalk to leave room for oncoming joggers, dog walkers,
> sports
> teams out for a run, bicyclists, shoppers at the mall, students in the
> halls
> at school, etc. She is naturally also very cognizant of such traffic
> coming
> up to overtake us from behind, and she will similarly pull over to allow
> them room to pass, if necessary.
>
> In some cases, Panda has decided that the
> safest thing to do is to pull over to the side of the path and stop to let
> the traffic pass before going on. She will do this when we are walking on
> a
> sidewalkless narrow road and a car approaches us from in front in our
> lane.
> If possible she will pull into the mouth of a driveway, and she may or may
> not pause to let the car go by before continuing on our way, depending on
> the size and speed of the vehicle. I have merely noticed and reinforced
> these behaviors to make them part of Panda's repertoire.
>
> Formal "traffic checks" were taught in a more organized and systematic
> manner, with the help of Panda's sighted trainer and at least one driver
> of
> an unfamiliar vehicle.
>
> We began off the road in a driveway, with Panda's
> sighted trainer handling Panda. The car was allowed to advance very
> slowly
> toward Panda as she stood with her trainer on the driveway. As soon as
> Panda noticed the vehicle, the trainer clicked and rewarded her.
>
> The reason
> we used the sighted trainer for this part of the training was that the
> sighted trainer could pinpoint more accurately just when Panda noticed and
> reacted to the proximity of the vehicle. The timing of the click was very
> important at this point, and since little or no movement on Panda's part
> was
> involved, it might have been difficult for me to catch that moment of
> recognition.
>
> After a few repetitions, the trainer reinforced any beginning
> of evasive action on Panda's part, such as backing up or moving out of the
> path of the car. Once this beginning evasive behavior was established, I
> took over the handling of Panda and we went out on quiet residential
> streets
> to work.
>
> First we reviewed the noticing and taking evasive action when cars
> approach from directly in front of us. Then we went on to having the car
> turn into a driveway in front of us and pull out of a driveway in front of
> us.
>
> We progressed to having the car approach from the side, as a car going
> through a red light at a street crossing might, and also having the car
> turn
> a corner in front of us, such as on a right turn on red.
>
> Later we had the
> car approach from the rear and turn in front of us or very close behind
> us,
> necessitating either a stop and back up or a quick move forward on Panda's
> part.
>
> At first, during these sessions, Panda's trainer walked behind Panda
> and me to advise me of when to go forward and where to expect the car to
> appear. Later the trainer simply indicated which direction we should take
> or which street we should cross, and when the driver was in position to
> begin.
>
> Eventually, both the trainer and the other assistant driver drove
> cars and approached us from all angles and directions as we travelled a
> route.
>
> The purpose of all of this practice with traffic checks is twofold.
> First, it trains the guide to avoid moving obstacles. Second, it
> accustoms
> the handler to trust the guide and to move with the guide to avoid the
> vehicles.
>
> This is how we trained traffic work and traffic checks. It may be
> possible
> for an owner trainer to use naturally occurring traffic to train these
> behaviors completely independently. However, I think I prefer the more
> systematic and planned team approach for this important element of guide
> work.
>
> Note that at no point in this training program is it necessary to make the
> guide fear the oncoming vehicle. We do not have to convince the animal
> that
> the vehicle can hurt her in order to train her to avoid it.
>
> The training
> was accomplished solely by rewarding and shaping the behavior we wanted.
> No
> bopping with rolled up magazines by the driver of the vehicle through the
> open car window or spraying with water or other aversives were used. The
> training can be accomplished entirely using positive reinforcement. This
> preserves the guide's confidence and comfort in her work, and avoids the
> introduction of stress into the work.
>
> Best regards to All,
> Ann
>
> ---------Original Message -----
> From: "Jill Gross" <jgross@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 2:59 AM
> Subject: (VICT) Re: New member and I clicker
>
>
>> Enjoy the book, Jo, it is very good. I might like to talk with you more
>> at
>> some point. I am becoming convinced that I may need to train my own guide
>> in order to get what I want. I am confident about my ability to do most
>> of
>> the training on my own, but traffic work is a bit of a concern.
>>
>> I will be starting some private lessons with Pam Dennison next week. She
>> will be helping me to get my saluki puppy ready for the show ring. I
>> intend to talk to her about this also.
>>
>> Jill Gross
>>
>>
>> On Mon, 9 Apr 2007, Jo Clayson wrote:
>>
>>> Jill,
>>> My copy of Click to Calm is in print. I can see okay, though cataracts
>>> interfere some, but not enough I would need a dog guide. My dog assists
>>> me
>>> when I have seizures and with my multiple chemical sensitivity and I am
>>> helping another person in training her own guide dog.
>>>
>>> Jo
>>
>
>
>
>
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