[nagdu] what is a good guide dog handler?

[Julie J]

Tami,

I wish I could figure out the allure of toilet water.  There is a bucket in 
the kitchen with fresh water, but if given half a chance they will both 
drink out of the toilet.  It's not something I endorse, but I don't get bent 
out of shape about it either.

I'm using BioGroom coat conditioner/finishing spray on Monty.  It's the one 
for everyday use.  It's doing a really good job at keeping his dry skin 
under control.  If I don't condition him often enough the poor dog looks 
like he's been in a snow storm.  If I add more fat to his diet he has 
digestive issues. *sigh*  Someday I will find the right balance.

Julie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 11:35 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] what is a good guide dog handler?


> Julie,
>
> Oh, my heavens!  My guide dog taught the other dog about the joys of 
> toilet
> bowl drinking.  /lol/  We keep the toilets clean, and everybody flushes
> twice to keep the dogs' drinking water clean.  We also give them clean 
> fresh
> water in their very nice clean drinking bowl in their proper eating and
> drinking area.  Every now and then, one of them will actually drink out of
> it.  The best, though, is when they find muddy rain water!  Yum!  They
> prefer it a bit on the stagnant side, but we police the yard to make sure
> that doesn't happen.  There's gotta be a line somewhere.
>
> I feed high quality food that the dogs do very well on, both in health,
> energy and coat quality.  I give them dental treats and get Mitzi's teeth
> brushed every few groomings with the spa treatment.  When her coat is 
> short,
> I go over her with a damp washcloth before we go out to work to be sure
> there's no visible dirt on her or anything like that.  When her curls 
> start
> to grow, I'm lucky if I brush her half as much as I'm supposed to. 
> /smile/
> Why I keep doing this, I don't know, because then the curls get ahead of 
> me
> and can start to tangle, so I have to use three brushes to gradually work
> the layers of beginning snarls out of her coat without having to just yank
> on her.  Poor kid.  Sometimes I use a grooming spray or some approximation
> thereof to keep tangles at bay and to make a good full comb out easier on
> both of us.  /smile/
>
> During the muddy season, I threaten to give her a bath between groomings,
> and sometimes I even get around to that.  With brushing, her curls stay
> pretty clean, and poodles tend to smell pretty neutral or even pleasant
> (when you bury your nose in the curls), so I don't have to worry a whole 
> lot
> there.  I tend to break down and give her a bath if her coat starts to 
> feel
> less smooth and the tangles start building up because dust or dirt is
> sticking to the hair.
>
> Off leash play?  You bet?  The ground in the fenced in dog park here is
> hard, holey, etc., etc., so I prefer a place where she can run safely --  
> and
> I can walk safely -- without getting fined.  I do try to avoid areas near
> traffic, and have been mostly able to find them.  Her off leash obedience
> and boundary training have finally settled in enough that I don't fret 
> much,
> but I still don't go out of my way to put her in a position to get herself
> done in.
>
> What else do I do wrong?  My goodness, the list gets long.  /lol/  Well, I
> did take time out to learn "the rules" -- several sets, actually -- and 
> even
> the reasons for them when I could, so that I could make good decisions 
> about
> which ones to stick to like glue and which ones I could vary from as my 
> dog
> matured and settled into life and work.  With a different dog, there are 
> any
> number of things I would do differently.  The important thing is the 
> quality
> of work -- safety first! Then appropriate public behavior close behind --
> and health and happiness.
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Julie J
> Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 9:37 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] what is a good guide dog handler?
>
> I think everyone here knows that sometimes I think too much! *smile*  this
> mornings ponderings are about just exactly what makes up a *good* guide 
> dog
> handler or dog owner in general.
>
> I don't know that I have any really great answers.  I know for certain 
> that
> we all have our own ideas of what is *good* and what isn't.
>
> Sometimes my dogs drink out of the toilet.  Sometimes they eat poop in the
> yard.  I let Monty run off leash.  this year I used cedar bug repellant
> instead of a more toxic flea treatment from the vet. I only clean ears 
> maybe
> twice a year.  I give them baths whenever I feel like it, not on a regular
> schedule.  I never use a tie down.  rarely do I use a crate anymore.  I 
> play
> rough tug games with the dogs.  I let them wrestle and chew on each other 
> to
> their hearts content.  Belle enjoys eating grasshoppers and I let her. I
> don't brush my dogs every day.  There's probably more but I'll stop.
>
> It feels really cathartic to get all of that off my mind.  I used to get 
> way
> more caught up in doing everything the *right* way.  I used to give the 
> dogs
> baths every week.   I didn't used to let Monty run off leash.  I used to
> brush them every day.  I gave it up and decided to do what works for me. 
> I
> think we are all a lot happier with the new arrangement.
>
> I no longer buy into what everyone else thinks is good or right or 
> whatever.
> I think we all have to decide individually what works for us, our 
> particular
> dog and the situation we are in.  I'm sure that in another 5 years I will
> have an entirely different set of rules.
>
> I still don't know what is good or right.  I only know what works for me.
>
> Julie
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