[nagdu] Matching - Gary's question

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Gary.
You asked how matching happens at guide dog school.  I've been to GDB and
TSE, and they both did it pretty much the same.
Like Nicole said, it starts with the home interview.  The person who comes
observes your pace and orientation, and your home environment.  Do you
live in the country or the city?  Do you walk fast or slow?

I have found it very helpful to write a letter for the trainers and send
it in with my application, or at least before I show up. I try to write
down everything I think is pertinent about my lifestyle, like how long my
commute is, how I usually travel (by bus and taxi, for example), how much
I get out, and what characteristics I would like my dog to have, and what
not.  For example, I always that I strongly prefer a smaller-sized dog,
and that I prefer mellow to high-energy.

When the person shows up at the school, the trainer does Juno, with the
trainer holding the harness.  The trainer tries to show you the pace and
pull of dogs they have in mind for you.  They see how hard you correct.  I
suspect they pay attention to things like how loud you talk, and how
forcefully you express yourself.  They might watch you interact with
"practice dogs".  They talk to you again about what you want and need.
Then, on Dog Day morning, all the trainers for your class get together,
slap each other around, put all the names into a hat, say stuff like "No
one wants Fluffy, so we'll give him to that troublemaker Tracy", or
possibly just discuss the dogs and students and decide which will go best
with which.
It's kind of a traditional game to keep the dog name secret until sometime
after lunch.  Sometimes they haven't decided until around lunchtime, but,
when I got Echo, I had discussed possibilities with my instructor before I
even came out, so I knew I was getting a small black lab, but I didn't
know her name until after lunch on Dog Day.

And that's how it's done, as I understand it.
Tracy