[nagdu] New member
Hope Paulos
hope.paulos at maine.edu
Thu Nov 27 23:21:32 UTC 2008
Your right about that! Smile. I've been working with the new
trainers as well and have used the clicker for complex behaviors.
To be honest, I prefer positive reinforcement. Who was your
trainer with Faith?
Hope and Beignet
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jeffrey Schwartz" <sidney.schwartz at sbcglobal.net
>To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:11:53 -0500
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] New member
>Hi,
>I'm not putting John down. He was very effective. A kind of
split has
>developed among guide dog trainers. Many of the new ones feel
more
>comfortable with a strategy which relies more on praise and
tangible
>rewards. They give the dog a little piece of kibble for doing
well and at
>the same time sound a little clicker. After a while they start
weaning away
>the food. Thru the association with food the sound of the
clicker has
>become rewarding. Eventually, they just rely on the clicker.
Occasionally
>they may use a piece of food for a new, complex behavior which
they really
>want to be sure the dog gets down. For example, when my current
dog needed
>to learn which of several identical and adjacent flights of steps
took me to
>my office, they placed a thin slice of hot dog on the correct
first step.
>After several repetitions Faith got it down nicely. I'm quite
sure that
>John is quite disapproving of the use of food in training, but
his method is
>out of vogue now.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf
>Of Hope Paulos
>Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 10:43 AM
>To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] New member
>Hi Jeff. My name is Hope Paulos and also have my dog, Beignet,
from Fidelco.
>She's my first and coincidentally I had John Byfield. I
couldn't ask for a
>better trainer. These dogs listen to and respect him. If my dog
barked, all
>he had to do was to say "quiet" and immediately she stopped.
>If you're interested, there's a Fidelco grad list and I"ll give
you the link
>if you write me off-list.
>Take care.
>Hope and Beignet
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
>Behalf Of Jeffrey Schwartz
>Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 9:26 AM
>To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users'
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] New member
>Thanks Marion. I hope that you have a great holiday. What is
your dog's
>name, and where did you get him/her?
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf
>Of Marion & Martin
>Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 8:05 PM
>To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] New member
>Jeffrey,
> Welcome to the NAGDU list. I am sure you will find a great
deal of
>information and support here.
>Fraternally,
>Marion Gwizdala
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jeffrey Schwartz" <sidney.schwartz at sbcglobal.net
>To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
Users'"
><nagdu at nfbnet.org
>Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 7:27 PM
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] New member
>> Hi,
>> I just joined this week and was glad to read the digest. My
name is Jeff
>> Schwartz. I am a psychologist and have lived in New Haven by
way of
>> Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Scranton. I didn't know that I had a
>> significant
>> visual problem until I was about 20. At that time I was already
legally
>> blind due to the insidious deterioration of my visual field from
Retinitis
>> Pigmentosa. At age 61, I'm left with little more than light
perception.
>> I
>> recently received my third guide dog, Faith, from Fidelco. They
are a
>> superb organization. The founders, Charles and Roberta Kaman
have been
>> raising German Shepherd dogs for about 40 years. Originally
they raised
>> them as show dogs. The story which I heard is that they started
the
>> school
>> after one of the dogs prevented their young son from running
into traffic.
>> John Byfield was their first trainer. He was my trainer for my
second
>> dog,
>> Webster. John is from the "old school". My wife and I called
him the dog
>> Nazi. He was really tough, as were all of the early trainers.
The new
>> breed, if you'll pardon the pun, rely more on positive
reinforcement. I
>> really liked the in community orientation, as you get four hours
a day of
>> the trainer's undivided attention. I don't think that there are
any bad
>> or
>> even mediocre schools. German Shepherds are fantastic dogs. If
I were in
>> the position to select a pet, it would be a GSD. The only
problem that I
>> have encountered is that they tend to be dog aggressive.
Fidelco gets its
>> breeding stock from Germany. They are only a generation or two
away from
>> being working shepherds. Every pure bred dog was selectively
shaped to
>> perform a certain task, even lap dogs. Centuries ago, before
central
>> heating and indoor plumbing people seldom bathed. As a
consequence, they
>> had fleas. They would sit with a dog in their lap because,
given a
>> choice,
>> fleas prefer dogs. Back to German Shepherds and dog aggression.
They
>> were
>> bred to keep the flock together and protect it from predators.
Today's
>> German Shepherds are "hard wired" to see other dogs as potential
>> predators.
>> Like all of you, I have had my share of blind stereotypes tossed
my way.
>> When I was younger, slim and walked with a white cane, I went
into a
>> Wal-Mart's and the greeter asked me if I wanted a wheelchair.
I've been
>> in
>> restaurants with my wife and had the service person ask her "and
what will
>> he have" I guess we have all heard, "you don't look blind".
>> Anyway, sorry to have gone on at such length. I'm glad to have
joined
>> this
>> group and I'm sure that I will enjoy participating. I don't
usually talk
>> so
>> much. Just ask my spouse.
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf
>> Of lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 5:42 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
>> Subject: New member
>> Hi Mardi,
>> I liked the part about "You don't look blind...". That one had
me stumped
>> for years and years. I didn't know what people meant by the
remark. I
>> thoought it was people denying that I was blind. Well, a
sighted friend
>> finally explained the basis of the remark to me. He said that
people look
>> at a blind person and see the blindness. People have this view
that blind
>> people are people who rock, jam their fingers or fist into their
eye.
>> They
>> walk with a stiff-leggeed gait and don't look at people who are
talking to
>> them. In other words, the crappy stereotypes people think of
when you
>> say,
>> "blind person".
>> Marti, you used to be a sighted person. Think back on your
sighted days
>> long before you ever met a blind person. What did your mind
conjure up?
>> Now,
>> me - I've always been visually impaired and I can't and never
was able to
>> see people's faces and the expressions on them. I had no clue
about "look
>> blind" sinse I've spent a lifetime around blind people.
>> My friend told me that when someone tells me that I don't "look
blind" I
>> need to take it as a compliment. The statement really says that
you look
>> normal - like a SIGHTED person! You and I do not have the
so-called
>> "blind
>> mannerisms" that so many sheltered congenitally blind people
display. You
>> learned how to be as a sighted child - what was socially
acceptable. As a
>> child, I was taught by my parents how to be in public and that
people can
>> see what I do. So, you and I behave in a normal socially
acceptable
>> manner.
>> We look at people who speak to us. We don't poke our eyes with
our
>> fingers
>> or fists. Our eyes may look pretty normal - well - mine wiggle
with
>> nystagmus. We rock only to music or while seated in a rocking
chair.
>> I don't remember if you are totally blind or are partially
sighted. Being
>> in a wheelchair, I can see how people think your guide is a
wheelchair
>> service dog. There aren't too many of you out there. I know
several
>> visually impaired wheelchair users but they see too much to use
a guide
>> dog
>> and they don't have a service dog, either.
>> I know it's annoying when people don't know. People think you
are either
>> fully sighted - "Oh, you must be faking it!" or you are totally
blind.
>> People still don't seem to grasp the idea of all kinds of
partial vision
>> in
>> between. I tell them that I have enough vision to be dangerous.
We then
>> have a laugh.
>> Hope that helps! Thank God we are normal people who can give
the public a
>> good impression of who blind people are.
>> Take care and Happy Holidays!
>> Linda and Landon
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Mardi Hadfield" <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:52 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] service vs therapy dogs and welcome
>>> Hi every one, I have had similar experiences with Therapy dog
owners.
>>> They seem to think they know it all. They seem to think,because
I am in a
>>> wheelchair that my dog is not a guide.They can't see beyond the
chair. My
>>> dog must be a "wheelchair dog",because I use a wheelchair. I
am told
>>> that
>>> I
>>> don't look blind. Can some one tell me what a blind person
looks like?
>>> Do
>>> they all look the same? I get so aggravated at these people,
that I don't
>>> even try to explain. I just roll away and ignore them. There
are too many
>>> other battles that are more important to take care of.
Welcome
>>> Ted. All my guides have been Siberian Huskies except for my
current
>>> trainee,Wanagi. She is a Husky/Shepherd cross, and I adopted
her from the
>>> pound. I have trained my dogs with the aid of a private
trainer. I am
>>> sure
>>> that whatever school you choose, you will get a wonderful, and
faithful
>>> partner. Have a great day, Mardi and Nala, retired, Wanagi,
gdit, and
>>> Tokala,gdit.
>>> _______________________________________________
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ak%40people
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