[nagdu] re mitsi's age

Wed Feb 17 21:37:21 UTC 2010

Hi Gary:

What school will you be going through or are you doing your own training.

Just curious.

Cheryl Echevarria
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "GARY STEEVES" <rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:26 PM
Subject: [nagdu] re mitsi's age

> 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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