[nagdu] dog breeds and owner training

[Julie J.]

Allison,

Welcome!  I'm Julie, the moderator.

I am very interested in hearing more about your experience at OccuPaws. 
Could you tell us about the training?
Again, Welcome!
Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allison Nastoff" <anastoff at wi.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 8:30 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] dog breeds and owner training


> Hi Mardi,
> If you live in Wiscosin, there is a guide dog training program called 
> Occupaws, which also does home training.  I got my first guide dog, a 
> yellow lab named Gilbert from Occupaws six months ago.  For medical 
> reasons, I was also unable to be away from home by myself for four weeks. 
> I have been very happy with Gilbert, and I received wonderful training 
> right on my college campus.  Whereever you live, I strongly encourage you 
> to look into home training programs.  They are out there, and they make 
> much more sense for some people.  By the way, I am also a new member of 
> this list.
> Allison and Gilbert
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>From: Haben Girma <habnkid at aol.com
>>To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>Date sent: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:54:31 -0800
>>Subject: Re: [nagdu] dog breeds and owner training
>
>>Hi Mardi,
>
>>I wonder where you live? Perhaps up north like Alaska where
> huskies are
>>so common? You mentioned that you could not get a program trained
> dog
>>because you could not leave your home and business for 4 weeks.
> There
>>are schools like Fidelco that do in-home training.  By the way, I
> just
>>joined this list.
>
>>Cheers,
>>Haben
>
>>Mardi Hadfield wrote:
>>> Hi every one,  I have had many different breeds of dogs as pets,
> But all of
>>> my guide dogs have been Huskies.  I tried a border collie, and
> he would have
>>> been a good guide,but he was an abused dog before I got him and
> he could not
>>> handle being out in public.  Wanagi is a shepherd / husky cross
> and she was
>>> coming along very nicely with her training, when the weather
> changed to cold
>>> and rainy and I discovered that she had a hip problem.  I think
> she would
>>> have made an excellent guide if she did not have that problem.
> I should have
>>> had her  xrayed, but the vet said she moved fine so I thought
> she was OK.  I
>>> will not make that mistake again.  Tracy said it, not all dogs
> make it as
>>> guides.  I kept Wanagi as we did bond, right from the start.
> She is still
>>> very special to me.  I hate that I have to retire Nala.  As much
> as I loved
>>> Lily, my first guide, Nala is a much better guide and she really
> loves her
>>> job.  I have continued to work her only because she does not
> want to retire
>>> yet.  But I know that when the weather here gets hot, she will
> not be able to
>>> work.  I am going to try out a german shepherd tomorrow.  I hope
> this dog will
>>> work out.  If I were able to walk and use a guide dog, there
> would have been
>>> several dogs that I tried out that would have worked.  Finding a
> dog that can
>>> keep up to my pace with the wheel chair and remain in the right
> position
>>> next to the chair, is not easy.  I am spoiled,as Nala was
> perfect from the
>>> very beginning, when I got her.She learned very fast and really
> enjoyed
>>> working.  The first time I took her on the bus, she went up on
> the lift ,just
>>> like she had been doing it all her life.  In the time period of
> 4 months,she
>>> was a finished, trustworthy guide dog.  This time is not so
> easy, as I just
>>> can't seem to find a dog that even wants to work, let alone keep
> up with me
>>> and stay in the correct position.Things would be much simpler if
> I could get
>>> a program trained dog,but I just can't be away from my home and
> other
>>> animals and my business for 4 weeks.  So I will keep looking for
> that so far
>>> allusive dog.  I know that I will find it , I just hope it is
> soon.  I love
>>> Huskies and for me they make a good guides, but I am open to
> other breeds,
>>> if that dog can do the job for me.   Have a great day,  Mardi
> and
>>> Nala,semi-retired
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
> info for nagdu:
>>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/habnkid%40
> aol.com
>
>
>
>
>
>>_______________________________________________
>>nagdu mailing list
>>nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for nagdu:
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/anastoff%4
> 0wi.rr.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/jlcrane%40alltel.net
>