[nagdu] Hawaii

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Jordan,

That happens.  Typos and dogs making it out of training that shouldn't.  Or
just bad matches.  I've always been sort of terrified at being one of those
who gets a bad match or a dog that got graduated when it should have
flunked, but sometimes I'm impressed at how many great matches the major
programs do get right.

Owner-trainers get huffy about the term "self-trained" because we've worked
our backsides off to turn the promising pup we started out with into a guide
dog.  I'm not saying I didn't love every minute, even the bad ones, so it's
hard to think of it as work in the form of toil.  Still!  You do put forth
some effort there!  /smile/  So does the dog, at least if its worthy of
being a guide dog by nature.  And my dog has certainly taught me an awful
lot.  Still.  I was the one training her.  /smile/

Oh, also, we tend to shoot for a 100 percent success rate, since we only
have one dog to train at a time.  There's still a certain element of luck
involved in starting out with a promising prospect and actually having a
guide dog later on...  There were a few periods with Mitzi when I thought I
would have to just suck it up and throw in the towel, but I manage to come
up with solutions by the seat of my pants for a couple of unacceptable
behavioral problems.  Obnoxious scurvy cur!  /smile/  Her temperament is
terrific, though, and she eventually came around to my way of thinking.
Whew!  I like having her as a working guide, and the idea of having gone
through all that time and effort just to have a real cool pet was not one I
enjoyed.  Still.  It's the owner-trainer's decision to make, because the
owner-trainer is responsible.  Also, the owner-trainer will bear the
consequences of getting it wrong.  So there's some motivation there to make
good decisions.  /smile/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jordan Gallacher
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 11:09 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Hawaii

Oops, bad me.  Thinking one thing and typed another.   There is no better
way unless someone can think of one.  My last dog should have never made it
out of training.  Not sure what tSE was thinking.
Jordan

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of The Pawpower Pack
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 1:02 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Hawaii

Oh Jordan, I can't even begin to address all of the points in your  
message.
First of all, if you know of a self-trained dog; ie, one who has  
"trained itself," do please let me know.  If the dog had already  
trained itself, it would save me a great deal of time and hard work.
Just as an FYI, those who train their own dogs are typically referred  
to as "owner trainers," and their dogs are "owner trained" being that  
they were, in fact, trained by their owner.


Secondly, if you don't like the law as is, change it.
Dogs from programs don't currently wear harnesses that say "certified  
service dogs." and before you point out that program dogs are  
"certified" by their program, let me remind you that any  
"certification" is only as good as the paper it is printed upon.   
There is no national certification for assistance dogs.
I have seen dogs from programs, yes, even GDB, who never should have  
been issued as guides.  I have seen guide dog trainers who are so  
kennel blind that they pass their favorite dog on because they want  
this dog to graduate so badly, that they are "blind" to its faults.
If owner trainers and their dogs need to pass some certification test,  
who's going to give it?  It can't be someone from the programs because  
they won't be objective.  It's not in the best interest of programs  
for owner trainers to be out there.  I am not willing to have my dog  
"certified" by a trainer employed by a program for these same reasons.
If owner trainers have to have their dogs certified by a neutral third  
party, than all program dogs must also be certified by this self same  
neutral third party.
Who's going to pay for that?
Where are these tests going to be held?  What if you live far away  
from your nearest testing center?  What if you cannot travel to said  
testing center due to illness?

This discussion has been rehashed more times than I can count.  If  
someone can come up with a better idea which will serve everyone and  
not put undo hardships on anyone, I'd like to know about it.

Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds:
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm  
not sure about the universe."-Albert Einstein
http://www.pawpowercreations.com
pawpower4me at gmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl

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