What Kolby described is much what I was doing by accident with Thane due to my grip. I did however choose to put it on que. It is a que that when I say it, he usually automatically slows his pace back down. Thane is a young dog and a Border Collie so I expect these kinds of issues to affect us at times especially when we have not done enough outside our neighborhood due to weather or my health. And weather- boy howdy do we have that limitation right now! Winter has hit the pacific northwest in the form of SNOW and very low temps. It was 20 degrees at 6PM. With the forecast of a long cold week- I don't expect we will get to work at all this week beyond the complex. So many ideas have been presented though on this topic that I hope something will help, if in fact the answer is to keep working with this particular guide dog. I can understand for someone getting a dog from a program wanting a dog that does not try and take their arm off or take you for a 100 yard dash home. I don't have to worry about falling like most of you, but with my weaker muscles due to disability, I can certainly empathize with not wanting a dog yanking one's arm for months to come. Karyn and Thane