[nagdu] Shepherds and the ocean

[Merry Schoch]

FYI Wayne,  Those mid 70's Marion speaks of are at night!!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion & Martin" <swampfox1833 at verizon.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 8:28 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Shepherds and the ocean


> Wayne,
>    Greetings from the sunchine State, although the sunshine has been of 
> the liquid sorts, of late! First of all, I wanted to find out where in our 
> beutiful state you will be staying! If somewhere near us, we wouldn't mind 
> connecting!
>    As for your question about German Shepherds affinity to the water, as a 
> afficionado of that breed, all I can say is "It depends!" My current pup 
> tolerates the water, at best! I can coax her in and she seems to enjoy the 
> swim while in - or perhaps her enjoyment is in the failure to drown - but 
> as soon as I stop the coaxing, she is out of there! On the other hand, I 
> had a Shepherd that would literally body surf! I once lived on an island 
> in the West Palm Beach area where I was on the Intracoastal Waterway and 
> two blocks from the Atlantic. My dog, Mike, and I spent a lot of time on 
> the beach. He was playing in the surf one day when a larger than usual 
> wave came toward him. As he turned to flee the large wall of water toward 
> the beach, the wave picked him up and brought him to the shore! He turned 
> and looked at me with this startled look on his face as if to say, "What 
> the heck was that all about?", then turned back to the Atlantic to give it 
> another try! He would paddle around offshore until he found a wave to 
> bring him in! I think I have pictures around here of Mike body surfing!
>    I hope you enjoy your stay in our fine State! Bring lots of sun screen! 
> I personally recommend Coppertone Sport SPF 45! The temps are currently 
> lows of mid-70s and highs in the mid-90s. We are getting showers nearly 
> every day, but they generally only last for an hour or so! Have a blast!
>
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Wayne Merritt" <wcmerritt at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "gsdguides" <gsdguides at yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 10:15 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] Shepherds and the ocean
>
>
>> Greetings all. Gucci and I will be traveling to Florida this weekend
>> for a family vacation. We'll be staying with my parents, brothers, and
>> older brother's family in a large house, which from what I've herd is
>> more like a resort. It belongs to a friend of the family. Whenever
>> Gucci and I travel to my parent's house in Dallas for holidays and
>> such, her eating habits go down. I've learned that since there's more
>> activity in a larger space, she feels that she has to explore and
>> check things out. When feeding time comes, invariably she won't eat
>> all of her food. Often she skips meals altogether. I've learned that i
>> have to put her food down, leave for 30 minutes or more, come back and
>> if she hasn't eaten, then take her out like normal and then just wait
>> till the next mealtime. She'll likely spend much of next week on a
>> bedchain or leash given the new environment, the niece and nephews
>> running around, and the increasing amount of activity. So, my
>> questions are these:
>>
>> 1. How can I get her more comfortable with the environment?
>> 2. What should I know when taking her to the beach and the ocean, or
>> do sheperds even like to get in the ocean and on the beach? I know
>> most Labs love the water, but I don't know about shepherds?
>>
>> I think I know how to make her more comfortable with things, but want
>> to see what others have to say on this type of situation. If things go
>> well, we might get this opportunity for the next few years, of going
>> to the beach house that is.
>>
>> Many thanks as always,
>> Wayne & Gucci
>>
>> -- 
>> My blog:
>> http://wayneism.blogspot.com
>> My websites:
>> www.wayneism.com
>> www.whitecaneday.org
>>
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>
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