[nagdu] what is a good guide dog handler?

Thu Dec 9 14:50:55 UTC 2010

The only reason I seriously discourage my dog from drinking out of toilet 
water is the fact I visit many folks where Miss Payton gets the run of the 
place and some folks clean their toilets better than others, some use those 
tank-based "cleaners  at every flush" packages.
Doug: Does the queen of England have a royal flush?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 6:35 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] what is a good guide dog handler?

> 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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