[nagdu] New member
Jeffrey Schwartz
sidney.schwartz at sbcglobal.net
Fri Nov 28 04:00:06 UTC 2008
Hi,
I actually had two trainers. Liz was not quite ready to do her first solo
training and she was supervised by Desmond. I think that I may have been
the last person Liz trained before going out on her own. She was quite
good. It added a different dynamic to the training. I felt more pressured
with both of them giving me instructions. They were sensitive to this and
Desmond usually stayed in the background and emphasized that he was
training Liz, not me, but sometimes it just felt like too much. Also, I'm
ten years older, have five herniated discs and had become quite sedentary,
particularly during the 8 months that had passed since I lost Webster. I
had doubts about my physical stamina to do four hours of walking a day.
They were very sensitive to my need to take rest periods and broke up the
session into two segments on some days. My self image hasn't changed much,
but I'm in my sixties and played a lot of contact sports when I was young.
Within two weeks of the end of training, I had to have arthroscopic knee
surgery. Faith often didn't know where we were going, but she couldn't wait
to get there. She's stronger than either of the males who preceded her.
Take care,
Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Hope Paulos
Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 6:22 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users;
nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nagdu] New member
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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