[nagdu] Critical blind people

Sun Aug 1 03:18:31 UTC 2010

Hi Hope-

Just read your post.  Please tell me how you pronounce your dog's name- I'm
intrigued.  Also, wondering if you could give me some pointers on how you
trained your guide to find the largest stall and sinks. I've not found a
good enough way yet. It's a gamble to see if she'll find the stall each
time, and finding the sink is rare.
Either way, thanks for listening.

Cathryn (& Abby)

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Hope Paulos
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 10:14 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

I agree, Jenine. I was at several conventions, and when I told my dog to 
"find the elevator" (no matter where I was in the particular hotel) she'd 
immediately take me there. I didn't have to say "left" "right", etc. She 
automatically took me there. And this could be from  *anywhere* in the 
hotel... I also trained her to find the largest stall in the restroom, the 
sink (restroom) and paper towels (just below the dispenser). Now it's a 
matter of teaching her to find/follow lines and not cut in front of people. 
<grin>
Hope and Beignet
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Susan Jones" <sblanjones11 at sbcglobal.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 9:59 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

>I find the "find" command invaluable, and use it often, especially for 
>trash
> cans, elevator buttons, stairs, doors, etc.
> Susan & Rhoda
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Jenine Stanley
> Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 8:18 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people
>
> Wow, I'm amazed at how many of you have encountered the sentiment that
> having your dog find common things, like entrances, elevators, etc., is 
> too
> hard.
>
> This is not a GDf brag by any means but this concept of using the dog's
> vision and training to help you find things being too much is so foreign 
> to
> how I have been taught for the past 20 years that it boggles my mind.
>
> My first group of instructors at GDf told us that we could teach our dogs 
> to
> find just about anything if we used the method we were taught and started
> slowly. We were encouraged throughout class to have the dog find things 
> and
> finding entrances and exits was part of every day work. Finding stairs,
> elevators, escalators, etc., was as well. During class we have the dogs 
> find
> our rooms, not because GDF thinks we can't  but because it does help to
> instill that find command. I use this constantly in hotels where I want 
> the
> dog to return to my room.
>
> We, and when I say we, I mean students, teach the dogs to find "my seat"
> which is either an assigned seat in the dining room during class, or any
> seat I might vacate and leave things at, such as in a meeting. I don't 
> even
> have to leave my things there necessarily.
>
> The hard part about this type of work is allowing the dog to do it, make
> mistakes and get it right. You do have to offer the dog a little support 
> at
> times and not over correct if he or she gets it wrong, but wow, it's a way
> of working with a dog that maximizes both of your abilities and if you 
> have
> the least problem with hearing or orientation, this skill can be 
> invaluable.
>
>
> I've heard one instructor say that the find command doesn't work because
> people too often misuse it, asking their dogs to find things that aren't
> there or facing one direction and asking the dog to find the door out of a
> room without knowing where it is.
>
> My answer to this is that either the people he has seen don't understand 
> how
> the command works or aren't reading their dogs well, or the dogs have 
> never
> been taught the command and what is expected of them. Dogs and people who
> have been taught the find command and know how to teach it in a variety of
> settings, usually get it. I can be facing the back wall of a room and ask 
> my
> dog to "find outside." He may turn a couple times or do a circuit of the
> room until he recognizes the door out but he will find it. This is
> especially helpful in large open spaces like exhibit halls.
>
> Now, this year in Dallas, Swap found getting out of the exhibit hall very
> challenging some days. So did my wallet but that's another story. <grin>
> There were often crowds, but not necessarily huge crowds, around the
> entrance so when I asked him to find outside, meaning the way out, he 
> would
> do a circuit of the room and end up at a booth we liked, always a 
> different
> one, but usually not necessarily close to the exit.
>
> Well, DUH, Jenine, why not try some positive reinforcement when he does 
> get
> it? A little food reward paired with the GDF praise "Good outside!" worked
> wonders. E
>
> I can't even imagine why other blind people or other handlers would
> criticize using these commands, unless it's for the reasons espoused by 
> the
> instructor. If my dog just isn't finding something, chances are it really
> isn't there or he's confused somehow. That's when I can step in and ask
> others for help, just pointing me in the right direction usually works but
> sometimes the dog figures out that the human knows best and will default 
> to
> that.
>
> The key to really getting the most out of the find command though once 
> it's
> been cemented, is to use it. Expect the dog to find things and reward
> appropriately. You also need at times to use other humans to help when
> learning new things to find, like doors, elevators and such in new places.
> No big deal though. Some dogs are better at words and finding things than
> others too. I've had the spectrum and even the ones who weren't truly word
> oriented were concept and context oriented and caught on quickly.
>
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.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/hope.paulos%40gmail.c
om
>
> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus 
> signature database 5329 (20100731) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
> 

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 5329 (20100731) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.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/cathrynisfinally%40ve
rizon.net
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
Version: 8.5.441 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3041 - Release Date: 07/31/10
06:34:00