[nagdu] Devil's advocate on ownership

[Jenine Stanley]

Dan makes a great point. Rebecca also posed some excellent questions. 

Personally, I think one way to uncover weaknesses or issues with people who
may later abuse or neglect their dogs is to structure training so as to put
real life pressures on students, but maintain a respectful atmosphere.
Challenges faced in real life, like solos, which many people claim they hate
and fear during training, time limits, consequences for not following
instructions, etc., might help to uncover things that frustrate people.
Let's face it, abuse is based in part in frustration. Let's talk about being
frustrated during training and how that effects you. This doesn't mean you
have to become the Buddha to work a dog, but maybe along with the handling
skills, we can learn how to handle stress and things that frustrate us. This
would involve some training for instructors too on how to teach people about
stressers and such. Some instructors are just flat out naturally good at
that though. 

I once asked some instructors what quality they thought was necessary for
becoming a guide dog instructor and they said that you had to look at it as
if you were a coach. In fact coaching experience was very helpful. A good
coach can improve skill, build confidence and teach life skills to help you
handle stress. 

That said, regarding the application process, a good interviewer, either at
the person's home or on the phone for an extensive interview, is crucial. A
well trained, intuitive interviewer who can keep his or her personal
prejudices, which we all have, out of the process, can discover a lot about
an applicant without being disrespectful or prying. 

These are, understand, my own thoughts and not reflective or critical of any
school's processes.