harnessi ( that is the plural of harness)---since no one has asked for my opinion lately on harness, i feel the need to spout on a couple topics..
i just got a lovely ad from some outfit selling some straps of leather as the ultimate training device... bullroar...the ultimate training device is the handler and no amount of expensive hardware is going to give you that perfect mutt. plus i don't have any kind words for the process of sending your dog "to a trainer"-- to have some problem corrected-- the dog will come back and maybe hesitate for 3 seconds and return to previous behavior unless you... the handler... learn to adjust your handling of the dog.. while the trainer "goes to the bank"
A well trained dog will behave perfectly with a piece of dental floss for a collar/leash... so spending $100 on something that winds around various parts of your dog is money wasted..( or better yet --- you should donate to service dogs project instead)..
only once--- that i can remember ( now there is a loophole) -- did i ever recommend anything exceptt the normal training collar-- a "slipchain" previously known unfortunately as a choke chain.. it certainly is not used to choke the dog !! ---- our dogs and handlers are not even allowed to tighten the thing in my field of vision without being repromanded "don't tighten that leash" -- properly used, eventually t ht jiggling noise of the chain is part of the conversation between handler and dog... granted the leash might be a necessary emergency brake with a young dog, but you would never drive your car with that brake stuck on - the only time i can remember suggesting anything else was to a kid who just went to college with her dog she was newly in a wheelchair, on campus, where there were squirrels darting all over the place.. it was more than her dog was prepared to deal with... so i did suggest that strap around the nose for a week or two til the dog got over the thrill of squirrels. dog hate that thing- so it is not in the interest of the partnership if the first thing you do is put that thing on the dogs nose which he hates.... it is a shortcut to training in some cases... and it pains me to see some seeing eye dogs with it on...
speaking of the seeing eye dogs... which do a fantastic job- and cost o$50,000 to produce--- they have set the stage for all service dogs that follow.... they wear a harness with a handle.. that handle has a purpose in communicating the dog's position to the person.. it works perfectly and is hinged differently than the ones for balance work......THis KIND OF HARNESS DOES NOT BELONG ON A DOG USED FOR BALANCE WORK.-- THAT METAL HANDLE CAN HURT THE DOG IN A FALL.. or yanking on it in the process of getting up out of a chair... there are places that sell them- at great expense -- like $600 -- and they look wonderful... but i will not certify any team using that kind of harness.... because all the cloth/web harnesses that are available on the internet will work as well for the person... and be so much more comfortable for the dog.. i have heard that one of the harness makers told a recipient of ours that she needed to have the handle for a complicateed reason... the basic reason was to get her to pay $600 for the harness... my point is the benefit to the dog far outweighs any percieved benefit to the person.-- if you are interested in how it looks..... you shoujld not have one of our dogs period .
we have t least 3 of those metal harnessi around here somewhere... they were given to us... and when i started sdp years ago , i used one to go thru security at the airport so that i would look like a seeing eye dog team. i was using their reputation , before i had any of my own... the harness was good for that.. it is impressive. at one point i wanted to try and train a seeing eye dog... but that idea got away from me.
training a seing eye dog still fascinates me.... i wonder...........hmmmmmmmmm.
******
from EVE and FINN
Yesterday and last week I had a lemonade and cookies stand to raise money for SDP i raised $40 dollars !!
finn has done so much for me in my life I couldn't imagine life without him literally'
I really hope this money makes the same kind of impact in someone else's life
Sincerely EVE
wow ... am i impressed !!!!...
