[nagdu] Dogs and snow

[Jennie Facer]

I don't know if this has been asked before, so sorry for the repeat question
if it is one.  For me and both of my guides I have had, both of them only
could walk short distances without getting snow or ice in the pads of their
feet.  My second guide does a little better, but not much.  I guess the best
thing to do is put boots on her, right?  Where can I get some good ones that
are both sturdy and comfortable, or is there such a thing?

Thanks a lot,

Jenn and Delilah

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of RELTON30857 at COX.NET
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 9:04 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs and snow

Please remember that dogs are worked prior to class so even getting a dog in
April doesn't necessarily mean the dog hasn't been worked in snow. You are
right about the January class though. I got Belle in January 2003 and we had
plenty of snow. In fact, when I came home to Northern Virginia we had a snow
storm that dropped 27 inches on us. This gave us lots of experience
traumping on covered sidewalks and going up over large banks at curbs. I
think that the main thing a user needs to remember is that you have a
trained dog. You work together as a team and try to stay within the normal
guidelines for safety for all pedestrians. If your comfort level or sense of
direction doesn't make you too anxious to walk on the edge of the street you
may try another method. Obviously each situation requires you to use your
best judgment. You must trust and follow your dog though or your team isn't
worth anything.

Joy and belle SEI Grads  

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 9:10 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Dogs and snow


Someone said something about Leader dogs, and other dogs from schools in
snow country, having an advantage because they'd been trained in snow.  I
used to think that too, until someone pointed out to me that only half the
dogs had actually worked in snow at the school.  My Ben was trained in New
Jersey, but he came in sometime in April and left in September, so he
probably did not work in snow before I got him.  The only way to be sure a
dog had experience with snow work would be to go to class between December
and June, I think.  A friend of mine says that the people in the January
class at TSE are really serious about getting a dog.  You'd have to be,
because you'd have to be willing to be out in truly nasty weather.

I had 5 dogs from GDB in California before switching to TSE, and they all
did just fine in snow, despite never working in it before.  They'd all seen
it though.  Four of them were raised in snow country, and the family of the
one who wasn't made a point of taking her up to the mountains to experience
the cold white stuff. Tracy



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