[nagdu] re mitsi's age

[GARY STEEVES]

Hello Tami:

As I am getting closer and closer to not just my first guide dog, but my first poodle experience I am curious how old Mitsi is now? You talked about her calming down and, as you might imagine, I am wondering when this happened for her. I have heard that it takes about a year to get the team working really good together but since you did owner training I'm not sure how your time frame has worked out for you.
 Right now I am looking at a possible match in May so it all could be happening real soon. I'm both very excited and rather anxious. The anxiety just comes from the unknown and wondering how I will adapt  to the changes in my life with  a new companion.




----- Original Message -----
From: Tamara Smith-Kinney <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
Date: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:54 pm
Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>

> Joy,
> 
> Yeah, it's finding that balance that I will probably always have 
> to watch
> myself on.  As Mitzi leaves her juvenile nonsense more and 
> more behind, it
> is much easier for me to trust her and be guided without having 
> to coach
> myself, but I still find myself lecturing me in my mind as we go 
> along./smile/
> 
> I am so sorry about Belle.  *Hugs*
> 
> Tami Smith-Kinney
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On Behalf
> Of Joy Relton
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:19 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative
> 
> Hi Tracy,
> 
> You make some good points that I have also experienced. The 
> other thing that
> I have found is that sometimes I have been known to push to far 
> forward on
> the dog's side so that he/she isn't really given the full range of
> decisions. That's why I try to play a few sounds tracks in my 
> mind, like,
> "follow the dog" "make sure that there's tension in the harness" 
> and "have
> faith in your dog's abilities as well as your own".  Almost 
> like I can hear
> those words being spoken by my instructors in the past. (grin)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On Behalf
> Of Tracy Carcione
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 9:15 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative
> 
> 
> It's been a while since I've had a new dog, knock wood, but I 
> think that
> what I do to encourage initiative is to encourage the dog to 
> make decisions
> when we get into a situation, and show him that I'm willing to 
> go with his
> decisions once he makes one.  At first, this can involve 
> standing somewhere
> and saying Hup-up in a cheerful way, and sometimes some gentle 
> handwaving to
> suggest possibilities.  I've even found myself giving that 
> wonderfullymystic GDF command "Find the Way!" In my experience, 
> this kind of thing
> requires me to work my dog on my own quite a bit.  Standing 
> still and
> waiting for the dog to figure out a challenge seems to drive 
> sighted people
> buggy.  Even if I explain before we set out that I am 
> trying to teach the
> dog that he can figure things out without much help, when the 
> situationcomes up, the sighted person barges ahead saying "Oh 
> come on; this way."
> So, instead of the dog learning that he can make decisions, he 
> learns that
> if he waits, someone will go ahead and he can follow them.  
> Not the
> conclusion I want.  Someone told me that her dog would look 
> around for a
> sighted person to follow, if the dog felt her person was 
> confused.  That's
> initiative too, but not the kind I want. So, for me, it's really 
> importantto work with my dog alone in the beginning.  Maybe 
> other people have better
> control of their sighted partners than I do, but for me they can 
> be quite a
> hindrance to team-building.
> 
> In the beginning, and not much after either, I wouldn't expect 
> the dog to
> figure things out if I was facing the whole wrong way or 
> something. An
> experienced dog can sometimes figure that out, but really it's 
> my job to at
> least aim in the generally right direction. Although once, at a state
> convention banquet, I had to step out, and I pointed the way I 
> thought we
> should go and told Echo "Outside!"  She led me the other 
> way than I pointed,
> around the table and to a clear aisle, and then took me to the 
> door.  I was
> very impressed.  Just like in the Seeing Eye dog books!
> 
> I may have messed up Ben's initiative a bit by not trusting his 
> decisions.It's hard for me to tell when he's going around 
> something and when he's
> going to sniff something, especially in suburbia, where the work 
> is less
> challenging and he gets more distracted. Luckily, Ben has lots 
> of confidence
> and initiative, so I haven't made a complete hash of things. Tracy
> 
> 
> 
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