Why is my right side the "safe" side?

[celloyogi]

When Olive is nervous/frightened, she always tries to sit on my right side. We'll be moving in a heel, come to a stop, she'll sit on the left and then immediately dart behind me to my right side. If anything startles her, she darts to my right side. I've never worked with her on my right side, ever. If we're doing anything, she is either on my left or in front of me. So why is she so desperate to go to my right side? I'm doing 2 things: walking around her or heeling in a small circle to get her back on the left, then stepping on her leash to prevent her from moving. The second I step off the lead, she's back to my right side. For all her oddball behaviors, this one is the most perplexing.

Am I just reinforcing the problem behavior? I'm not sure how to prevent/change/work around the behavior. I could force her to stay on the left, or force her to move back to the left if she moves. I've tried moving her back, not with the leash but guiding her with hands like a sheep in a chute, and she shuts down. Keeping her in place is a little easier, but I don't really like the idea of using my hands to keep her somewhere. I've tried stepping back to block her - she is really fast and if she can't get behind me to my right, she immediately goes in front of me. I worry about stepping on her or tripping. Food luring is not an option during class for anything beyond the most basic tasks, which for now are just watch me, sit, and down. I only give rewards when she's on my left.

Olive is better. She's responding to "watch me", some great sit/down/stands from her today. We did some great heelwork before and after class at the club; during class, meh. But still, I kept her attention, she let a few people pet her, greeted some new dogs, and walked past a crazy-barker dog without reacting (yes, the trainers/owner are all over that dog). Olive is fantastic at home and the neighborhood. 80% at the playground, maybe 50% at stores. She wants to work at home, she is happy to do it and smiles and wags her tail. I know she'll be the same way at the club eventually.

I've found ways to work with all her issues, except this right-side-is-safe-side thing. Any ideas?

[*Caro]

Are you right handed? This usually happens to right handed people because we unthinkingly get the treats out with our right hand. Even if you treat on the left she is still smart enough to know it's your right hand that has all the good things. Plus we tend to gesticulate and generally use our right hand more. Try keeping the lead in your right hand to keep that hand still and have your left hand free.

[mcemily]

I don't have any advice, sadly, but I've noticed Lerwick does the same thing to us when we are out walking. If anything "scary" comes toward us (kids, bikes, strollers, etc.) he will dart behind whoever has his leash and get on his/her right side.

Caro could be right that this is because we are right-handed and usually treat with the right hand... but I just figured he did it because that put his human between him and the scary thing. Human shield!

[Emmasmom]

When you hug and cuddle, which arm do you use?

[Jaynie]

I am left handed, and even so, had problems with Neechee going to the right. I solved it using a handy little clear acrylic wand from Paul's Obedience Shop <blast from the past>. I'd touch him on the butt with it every time I caught him trying to duck behind me to my right. I can't remember exactly how I managed leash, treats, wand and feet all at once, but it did help the situation. (The wand was originally purchased for helping with forging, which it did beautifully.)

[celloyogi]

Originally Posted by *Caro

Are you right handed? This usually happens to right handed people because we unthinkingly get the treats out with our right hand. Even if you treat on the left she is still smart enough to know it's your right hand that has all the good things. Plus we tend to gesticulate and generally use our right hand more. Try keeping the lead in your right hand to keep that hand still and have your left hand free.

Nope, I'm left-handed. I treat from the left hand, hold the leash in my (usually) right hand, unless I'm moving her around me. I try to only treat from the left hand, largely to due the fact the treats Olive likes are stinky, greasy, or a combo, and only having one hand gooked up lessens the chance I'll get goo on random stuff.

[celloyogi]

I'm glad others have had similar problems... sounds weird I guess but makes me think Olive is just slightly less crazy.

It doesn't make any difference where I am, meaning Olive's moving to my right may place her closer to a wall, to a dog, to a person, to a big open space, whatever. It would make more sense to me if my right side was away from something scary (the human shield idea mentioned by mcemily).

Given others have had the right-side problem, I'm wondering about something, probably completely off base. Domestic dogs have a left-gaze bias (they look toward the left, so towards the right side of the human face, also shown to be the more expressive side). Maybe by sitting on my right, Olive is putting herself in a position where her human is in front of the scary part of other people, or where she can see my emotions more clearly? I haven't really paid attention to the proximity of people when Olive wants to be on my right. Even if they are far away, maybe the gaze bias has something to do with it.

I'll have to look into the acrylic wand thing. My brother, the telecomm/techie person, is also a self-proclaimed materials expert (and has all the scrap material in his warehouse to show for it). I think he can cobble something up.

[Tagg]

Tinsel likes my right side as well. I wonder if it has something to do with generally moving in a counter clockwise circle which puts him between the wall and myself instead of out in the open. Of course I ask him if he was a gundog in a previous life. He has yet to answer ;)