(VICT) Geaux Laveau
- From: "The Pawpower Pack" <pawpower@xxxxxxx>
- To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
- Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:38 -0500
My husband, who is also blind and a guide dog handler-- took a walk with me to
the local shopping center near my office. It is set up such that it is
perpendicular to the Win Dixie with a huge parking lot between them. We pass
the Win Dixie and need to pass the driveway where cars pull in and out of the
parking lot. Laveau alerted that a car was in the drive by stopping and
putting herself across my legs. She only does this behavior if there is a
running car in my path and although I did not *teach* this using shaping; I am
capturing the offered behavior and working it into our communication as a guide
team.
Bob told me that I could go and although Laveau was still across my legs; I
assumed that she just did not realize that she could stop doing that once the
car had left. I told her to go forward across the driveway and to the sidewalk
that would take us to the shopping center. Once we started out into the
driveway; I realized that Laveau had been right and the car was still there.
Apparently the driver told Bob to go on ahead, and he didn't know how far she
was pulled into the driveway. Her front end was pointed out into the street
and Laveau could not have taken me around that way without getting us killed.
She took me behind the car very quickly and yanked me into the parking lot
between the Win Dixie and the shopping center.
I could not get on the sidewalk to go around toward the shopping center because
the car was too close to it and the sidewalk in that area is very narrow with a
blended curb all along the side. My only choice was to go through the parking
lot. It is a very large parking lot. We had never worked on very large
parking lots before all alone because I have had more pressing things to worry
about.
In a parking lot the dog has total control and responsibility for our safety.
I can neither see nor hear traffic, shopping buggies, people etc. Until we get
to our destination; the dog is 100% responsible for our safety.
I had no choice though. I was standing in the parking lot and the car was not
going to move. My husband was behind me and the only way open to me was
forward. I gave her the cue and off we went. Weaving and dodging and pulling
this way and that. Finally she really began to pull and she started wagging
furiously as she guided me up the wheelchair ramp to the shopping center.
We made it still in one piece. Once we got there it occurred to me that I
could have let Bob and his much more experienced guide Rudy go ahead but I'm
glad we did this together.
She did such fabulous work out there today. We went into Petco and another dog
started barking at her. She just looked at the dog as if to say: "I'm sorry
you're so poorly behaved; let me show you how a professional does it."
All of the employees at that Petco have watched Laveau's training and everyone
came out to tell us how great she looked and what a great job she was doing.
She lay quietly by my chair as I had something to eat at an outdoor cafe and
she tried to take me to my favorite coffee shop but moved right along when I
told her *not today*.
We still have a long way to go, especially where her house manners are
concerned but as far as working behaviors; I couldn't be more pleased.
Now if we could just make progress on the working retrieve.....
Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day, right?
Other related posts:
