[nagdu] tall dogs was Dog Breeds

[Julie J.]

I've never worked a dog shorter than 24 inches, so I can't say if I would 
have problems with my balance with a small dog.  I can most definitely say 
that the taller height of Monty is much, much more comfortable for me, 
physically.  I can't even put my finger on it exactly to be able to describe 
the difference.

And like I said before I live in a very small town in a rural community. 
There are no busses, subways or anything like that here.   I do a lot more 
travel in rough terrain than I suppose the average guide dog user does.  I 
find with a bigger dog that if I step awkwardly or stumble and inadvertently 
pull the harness handle sideways, I am not pulling my dog off balance.

It's just what I like and what works for me.  I can definitely see the 
benefits of working a smaller dog.
JMHO
Julie



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Angie Matney" <angie.matney at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 3:01 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] tall dogs was Dog Breeds


> Hi Tracy,
>
> Yani is a mid-sized dog. I was told she was 23 inches at TSE, but I think 
> she is taller than that now. I would say she's 24 or w4.5 inches. I didn't 
> really have trouble walking with Glaze, but when I "test-drove" a friend's 
> tall male Lab, I immediately noticed a difference. I feel this with Yani, 
> too. As I said in my last post, she's loooooong, and that took some 
> getting used to! But I don't find it difficult to fly with her. We have 
> flown on three trips, including the one home from class. She manages to 
> curl up and get herself out of the way, evdn though she's long.
>
> I could work with another dog Glaze's hight (22 inches), but I would not 
> want towork with a dog shorter than that. And I prefer Yani's hight. It's 
> interesting to hear the reasons for others' preferences.
>
> Angie wiht Yani
>
>
>
> -original message-
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] tall dogs was Dog Breeds
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> Date: 02/09/2009 2:03 PM
>
> Hmmm.  I strongly prefer small dogs.  Ben is 21.5 inches, or he was last
> time he was measured.  He spends a lot of time under bus seats, or in
> smallish taxis, or in small restaurants.  I want a dog who's easy to keep
> out of the way and fit into small places.  I have never noticed any
> balance trouble with small dogs, and I've had 3 in a row.  Yesterday we
> were out walking, and hit an icy patch.  I had to kind of lean back and
> use Ben's counterpull to not lose my balance.  He's small but he's strong,
> and he did it just fine.  But if I'm doing a lot of walking on rough
> ground, like hiking in the mountains, I like to have a stout stick for
> balance.  I have weak ankles.
> And you should see Ben when we fly somewhere!  He curls up under the seat
> and goes into stuffed animal mode.  He barely moves.  It's wonderful.
> Anyway, I really love small dogs.  It's a strong preference I state when
> I'm applying for a new one.
> Tracy
>
>
>> Dar,
>>
>> Monty is about 27 inches tall and 82 pounds.  Belle is 24 inches tall and
>> 75
>> pounds.    So no small dogs here! *smile*
>>
>> I much prefer Monty's height.  It is so much more comfortable when 
>> walking
>> with him.  The pull is almost entirely straight forward, instead of
>> forward
>> and down.  I'm not sure I'm describing that so it makes sense.   I do 
>> also
>> feel more steady on ice and uneven surfaces with him because I can use 
>> him
>> for balance if I need it.
>>
>> I haven't taken him many places that have required him to fit into small
>> spots yet.  I'm anticipating that it won't be that much different than it
>> was with Belle.  although she is a bit smaller, he is better at curling
>> up.
>>
>> I don't fly or do that much traveling that it will be a frequent ongoing
>> issue.  I do much, much more walking in rough, off road conditions.  So
>> for
>> me the bigger dog is very much appreciated.
>>
>> JMHO
>> Julie
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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