[nagdu] re sighted guides

Fri Feb 19 17:13:26 UTC 2010

Hi Albert,
I use this method lots of times when I walk with friends and want to talk to 
them. One friend kept getting in m y dog's way while conversing with me so I 
learned long ago that I cannot walk with her while working my dog because 
she always gets in the dog's way. To solve the problem of my friend 
literally walking my dog off the curb, I just drop the handle and go sighted 
guide with her.  No problem.  Now with romantic interests I will heel my dog 
and walk hand in hand with them!

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] re sighted guides

> If you guide is as smart as mine, he or she will get very quickly how good
> and dependable your two eyed loved one is. They will abdicate to her if 
> not
> gently insist she take the lead. In those instances I just drop the handle
> on my harness and lead the dog by leash. It allows for those romantic
> moments and when you need to rely on the guide he is there and ready to 
> go.
> I find that this also gives definitive action to his being able to go back
> to work mode when you drop your girlfriends hand and take up the harness
> once again.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of GARY STEEVES
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:37 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] re sighted guides
>
> Hello Everyone:
>
> A question that has popped into my mind of late is how one deals with a
> sighted guide. I do a lot of things on my own which will be wonderful with 
> a
> dog. On the other hand, on the weekends especially, me and my girlfriend 
> go
> out and about doing the things we need or like to do.
>
> I'm sure this will be covered at my school but I was curious how others 
> deal
> with this. When I'm out with my girlfriend I am often holding hands
> (romantic as I am :), sometimes an elbow if we're doing more technical
> navigations like busy stores. So with a guide dog how does one still be 
> able
> to be with their partner and have their dog out with them as well? 
> Hopefully
> my question is making sense. If not, ask me more and I will clarify or 
> think
> of better examples.
>
> Thanks
> Gary
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tamara Smith-Kinney <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> Date: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:52 pm
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>
>> Tracy,
>>
>> Nope.  My sighted help is not trained!  /grin/  I
>> am as bad, if not worse,
>> than the dog at preventing myself from getting sloppy when said
>> sighted help
>> is around.  We're still trying to both build up our good
>> habits, not slack
>> into bad ones! /smile/
>>
>> I once decided to trust Mitzi's judgment on a pleasant country
>> route beside
>> a fairly dangerous roadway.  So I got to go with her to go
>> bark at a goat.
>> /smile/  I was so proud of myself for letting her guide me
>> safely and surely
>> across the grass to the safer path beyond, then I just wanted to
>> jump up and
>> down and scream.  Also, I had a heck of an argument on my
>> hands convincing
>> her that this was not what she was supposed to be doing right
>> now.  I was
>> embarrassed to be doing all of this in front of what I guess to
>> be a goat.
>> The goat did not appear to care.  /grin/
>>
>> She still pauses for a half beat to look towards that goat's
>> pasture, and I
>> automatically say, "Don't even think about it."  Which she
>> clearly does
>> before deciding to go ahead and do her boring old job.  /smile/
>>
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf
>> Of Tracy Carcione
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 6:15 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 wonderfully mystic 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 situation comes 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 important to work with my dog alone in the
>> beginning.  Maybe other people have better control of their
>> sightedpartners 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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