The Ferdinand Files: Ferdinands ballet day, and the Sassy fork fix. Im going to try to explain just one guidework cue to you. Just. One. if Im going to give my dog a formal left, I start in halt position: my left foot forward next to the dogs front paws, my right foot back, my left arm relaxed and back behind me at the harness handle a few inches above the dogs back, elbow slightly bent, wrist relaxed and straight, light pressure on the harness, not pulling right or left, shoulders forward, head up, not looking down at the dog or making eye contact with it, feet lined up with my line of travel until another command is issued. To give the left cue, I slide my left foot back in one smooth motion until it is about where the dogs back paws are or a little bit beyond so his hips have room to slide under my arm and past me. Simultaneously, I turn my body left and bring my right leg flush with the dogs right ribs, but not crowding. My hand during all of this fancy footwork stays straight, and applies gentle pressure as my foot reaches the back of its slide, just enough to indicate to the dog that its okay to move. My hand does not apply any pressure on the right or left, it stays perfectly centered, allowing the dog the chance to decide if the cue Im giving is safe or dangerous, and to intelligently choose to disobey me if a left turn will bring us into harms way. Now I bring my shoulders left, and the dog turns with me, back away from the curb cut or farther forward to my right leg depending on how tight the turn needs to be. Thats just one command! Its like learning ballet. Every move is intricate, coordinated, and rehearsed a zillion times, and at first, it kind of looks clumsy and flat. I have fourteen years of working on another type of harness, and training with Whidbey cured me of a lot of hold over habits from the old harness, but I still have a few nasty ones that creep into my handling and keep us from looking beautiful yet. Every inch I move the handle of that harness changes how it feels to Ferdinand., and vice versa. Every movement shoots through that harness at lightning speed. I never, in fourteen years of guidework, fully appreciated what my dog was feeling until my trainer made me be the dog on Monday. She grabbed the harness handle out of my hand and put first the back shoulder strap, then the belly strap into my hand and bade me become the Guide Dog for a while. she demonstrated what I was doing, then demonstrated what it felt like when it was done right. The difference was huge! Just a centimeter of difference in wrist, elbow, finger or shoulder position, where I shift my weight on my feet, all of it makes Ferdinand behave differently. I know this instinctively after using it for so many years, but its like dissecting a runners Olympic sprint or Michael Jordans slam dunk... theres technicalities to the finished art. Starting over with a new, inexperienced dog means I have to speak his language and get it all right, I cant fudge or half or fake anything, lest i lead us to injury of experience, body or understanding. So, in an effort to keep my wrist straight in line with the harness, my trainer had an idea. Guide Dogs are a relatively new thing WEve only been training dogs to lead the blind for about a hundred years give or take. Its still an evolving science with lots of room for innovation and new technology, gear, ideas and methods. Much changes over the years. The work Im doing with Ferdinand is substantially different from the things I did with Arlin, though the goals and the basics remain the Same. Everything from harness, to training methods to hand position and collars has changed. So props and things used to train the humans arent conventional yet. We will use anything at our disposal to help the team achieve grace. Like.... a fork. She nicknamed the method the Sassy fork fix. Stick a fork in me, Im done, thats right, my trainer splinted my wrist with the handle of a plastic fork and aimed the tines at the palm of my hand, so that every time I flexed my wrist, id poke myself. sadist... but it worked! Insomuch as i get to wear two forks tomorrow, one on the bottom and one on the top of my wrist. Gee, yay. But hey, Ferdinand appreciated it. i stopped digging the belly strap into his tummy every time we started forward. Things got smoother, and though I felt like Harry Potter with Umbridges quill, my self-inflicted punishment achieved its goal. Our work today was full of distractions, obstacles and working on refining our pace. Were a work in progress, but were looking better and better, and weve finally earned the right to work together even when theres not an instructor around, and in buildings. Thats huge. Another great day in Ferdinand land.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 00:29:39 +0000
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