[blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
Jo Elizabeth Pinto
jopinto at msn.com
Thu Jun 7 17:31:43 UTC 2012
Labradors are notoriously good with kids. Mine has growled a few times,
particularly when my daughter was younger and more prone to try riding the
dog or wagging her tail for her, or dressing her up in a hat with reindeer
ears on it. But to my knowledge, my guide has never snapped at my daughter.
My dad, in particular, thought I would have to crate my dog a lot during
Sarah's toddler years, but that just didn't happen because I stayed aware
and taught Sarah from a very early age to be gentle, and scolded her pretty
seriously when she decided not to be.
I do think, however, that my guide has gotten more skittish because of
living with a toddler. She tends to jump up and move out of the way more
quickly now, where before she was very calm and willing to stay stretched
out on the floor and let people step around her. For a non-skittish dog to
turn skittish is one thing, but if you already have a dog who is nervous and
high-strung as shepherds can sometimes be, and then the dog gets that way
even more, there might be trouble. My guide dog was always pretty docile,
but she developed a severe stomach sensitivity after my baby was born. I
still firmly believe that food allergies are largely genetic, but my vet
maintains that the dog got stressed out because Gerald moved in with me, and
then a few months later Sarah was born, and the change in family dynamics
was too much for her. That was all more than four years ago, and the dog is
still on a prescription allergen-free food that costs about $80 for 25
pounds. I swear, they make those kibbles out of nothing, and she costs more
to feed than the rest of my family. Thankfully, in the last few months,
after a lot of struggle, I finally got GDB to put me on their corporate
account so I can get the food shipped straight to me at wholesale costs
instead of buying it from the vet's office.
Anyway, sorry for rambling. I think it's awesome that GDB is moving toward
shorter classes, even for new students. Whether or not you have a family,
being away from home for three weeks or a month can be really stressful, or
at least it was for me.
Jo Elizabeth
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a
song." Maya Angelou
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Erin Rumer" <erinrumer at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 11:14 AM
To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
> Yes, this is a huge reason GDB has moved toward only 2 week classes for
> new
> and retrain clients on their Oregon campus and 2 or 3 week classes on
> their
> California campus. If someone needs to stay in the program longer they
> can
> do this without a problem or have immediate follow-up when they get home.
> The programs have been very successful and so many folks with jobs in and
> out of the home are very appreciative of the 2 week option for first time
> and retrain clients.
>
> I absolutely love the Labrador for a multitude of reasons but also adore
> the
> Shepard breed as well. I'm glad to have a Lab with my little guy right
> now
> because even if I had a shepherd who did great with kids, I would still
> be
> on guard a lot more since they can tend to be a little quicker to snap if
> provoked. I'm right on top of my son with my Labrador but there have been
> times that I really don't know why my dog didn't snap at him because my
> son
> really nailed him. I think that a lot of why my dog does so well with my
> son has to do with the fact that I've turned him into an S&M dog by giving
> the dog treats when the baby has hurt him. I'd rather have a dog who
> thinks
> of goodies when the baby is grabbing his privates or sticking his fingers
> up
> his nose, rather than thinking about what measures to take to get this
> child
> away. It's funny because when my son has hurt my dog, the dog comes
> running
> to me for food which I give him and then he runs right back to my son for
> more torture because it's worth the pain. Got to love food motivation.
> My
> son has gotten much better about being gentle with my guide in the past
> several months and he's getting old enough now at 19 months to where he
> gets
> time-outs for not being nice to his furry brother. The dog in turn gets
> his
> own time-outs for not leaving my son alone when he has food or for running
> around like a wild beast when I've told him to calm and knocking my son
> over. I tell ya, it's truly like having two kids at once in so many
> respects. GRIN
>
> Erin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Peggy
> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 7:14 AM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
> I haven't read through this whole thread yet but have to chime in. I too
> wish there was a better way then going away for three or four weeks to get
> a
> dog, but I understand the need as well. This needs to be the bonding time
> with you and your new dog, who is going to come home with you and keep you
> and your children safe from traffic, drop-offs, etc. I am working my
> fourth
> dog from TSE and with my third one I did home and away training, and will
> try to never have to do it again. I was at TSE for two weeks and then
> trained at home for another week. It was great training in my town and
> learning things with the dog what I was going to actually be using but ...
> After working the dog I had to come home, clean, cook, play with the kids
> ... etc., and as some of you know those first weeks working a dog can be
> rather stressful!! My daughter was 2 when I got my first dog and I missed
> her terribly!! When I got my fourth dog I was doing foster care and all
> hell broke lose while I was gone!! Just throwing my two cents in, I know
> it's hard to be away from your kids for that long, probably harder on you
> then them, lol!! But it's also hard to be a Mommy while learning to work
> a
> new dog.
>
> One more note, I love shepherds, they're my favorite breed of guide dog
> ...
> but make sure you ask and ask about temperment because shepherds don't
> always work well with little kids. I had to retire a guide early and get
> a
> lab b/c my shepherd didn't work well with my middle son when he was a
> toddler. Now the shepherd I have now is okay around my toddler, she tries
> to just stay out of his way, lol.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tammy
> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 9:29 PM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
> Hi,
>
> Your idea about our kid's training with us is a very good one except that
> many of the schools don't believe our kids have any part in our training,
> to
> the point where we shouldn't even be holding their hands or using a
> stroller. These are all ridiculous things for the schools to think, and
> when I asked them what I was supposed to do with my child while I worked
> my
> dog even at home after training, they said, oh carry him in a backpack or
> have someone with you who can take him. That of course is not what I did
> because it was impractical, I used a stroller and the dog got used to it
> and got really good at walking with the stroller behind us. Unfortunately
> the school I went to did not give the dog enough credit, and also said I
> shouldn't let the dog and my son interact. I did listen to that warning
> and
> was very careful to let them play in a very supervized limited
> environment,
> where the dog could go in to his crate whenever he felt the need to do so
> which wasn't often I can tell you. But if we were allowed to train with
> the
> dogs and our children the schools might get a really good idea some of the
> pitfalls of certain matches and it might result in less home visits after
> training ends.
>
> Tammy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jennifer Jackson
> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 2:59 PM
> To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
> Actually I have always thought that a couple of the bigger schools should
> offer a program once a year where our kids could attend with us. This
> would
> let us work out any travel issues with our children while we have a
> trainer
> there. Obviously some kind of child care arrangement would have to be made
> for part of the day so we can focus on our dogs, but this just seems like
> a
> workable plan. Especially for those people who live in a rural area and do
> not qualify for in home training.
>
> All that said, I did go for a dog when my oldest was four. I had planned
> to
> hire someone to watch him during the day and make my husband juggle the
> rest
> of the day. As it turned out, my mother found out about 6 weeks before I
> left that she was going to laid off right before I would be gone and she
> came and stayed at our home with him.
>
> The child who complained regularly about having to walk to school
> apparently
> complained the entire time I was gone about his grandmother driving him to
> school. It was a little over half a mile one way to his school. She always
> acted like I should appreciate the opportunity to exercise when I
> complained
> about the walk in August. :) I did not ask her why she was not
> appreciating
> that opportunity in October. I also went to one of the two week training
> sessions. I think my son would have had a much more difficult time if I
> had
> been gone longer, or if he had not been able to stay in his usual routine.
>
>
> Jennifer
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Erin Rumer
> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 7:49 PM
> To: NFB blind parent listserv
> Subject: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
> Hello list,
>
>
>
> Thankfully, my current guide is only 4.5 years old and doing well, but I
> got
> to thinking about when it does come time to get a new guide, what will
> that
> mean for my family and particularly my son. Assuming my guide now works a
> nice long life and retires around the age of 10, my son will then be
> around
> 6 or 7. I know that in-home training may be a possibility depending on
> the
> circumstances, but have any of you gone through having to leave young
> children with family or friends while off getting a new guide and if so,
> how
> did your kids fair? Working at GDB for 3.5 years before my son came along
> gave me the opportunity to work with lots of folks coming through for a
> new
> dog who have kids at home, but since I rarely got the chance to speak with
> the grads after they went home, I never really got the full picture of how
> the separation affected the kids, especially if the parent leaving was a
> stay-at-home mom or dad.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Erin
>
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