[nagdu] Two-week program at guide dog schools

Tue Mar 9 20:03:48 UTC 2010

Hi

I'm headed to GDB on the 28th for a two week training. I've always tended to do a whree week class in the past because my dog gets my undivided attention.  I was concerned about the shortened schedule but hope it will work out.  I'm going for my fifth guide and simply don't have time to be gone longer then two weeks.  As was previously mentioned I thought testing phase might be a problem but then again my last guide didn't hit that phase for a full three months.  Will let everyone know how it goes.  

Rena A. Seay  Educational Talent Search   (325)677-1444 x. 3105   ras98r at yahoo.com 

--- On Tue, 3/9/10, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:

From: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Two-week program at guide dog schools
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 1:45 PM

Hi Linda.
I went through the 2-week retrain program at GDB 4 times.  For me, it was
good.  I wanted to get through it and get home to my life again.  I did
try to get someone out on follow-up pretty soon after I got home, just to
deal with any leftover issues.
That said however, I do wonder if 2 weeks is enough for a first-timer.  Is
it enough time for the new skills to be firmly set?  Is it enough time to
get a good handle on how dogs think and work?  I don't know.  I do know
that 2 of my dogs had just started the testing phase of our new
relationship when it was time to go home.  Being a retrain, I had some
ideas on how to deal with that on my own.

I'd be real interested to hear from any first-timer who's been through the
2-week program.  I think there was someone on this list who'd done it, and
was happy. If it really works, it's a great thing.  It's hard to drop
everything and go away for a month.
Tracy

> Hi Jeanette,
> That's nice you are helping that guy with his new dog.  Doesn't GDB still
> offer the 28 day course?
>
> I went through GDA's two-week course back in 1990.  Sinse that time, I
> heard
> that the California schools have to do at least 28 days.  How do the
> schools
> get around this?
>
> My own experiences were fine with the two weeks and I did feel ready to
> graduate. But, that's me.  Some teams aren't ready and need more time. At
> The Seeing Eye, our class time frames are three and a half weeks for first
> timers and two and a half weeks for "retreads" (retrainees).  If you're a
> retread and you still need more time, the option is there for you to stay
> on
> for the extra week.  I did this option when I had a dog switch after the
> 3rd
> day of training.  It turned out that the dog I got had dog aggression
> problems and I knew I couldn't use a dog with this problem. I'm around the
> blind community and other guide dogs all the time.
>
> What I do is to bring medication for the full three and a half weeks in
> case
> this should arise. It's a real pain when you don't have enough medication
> and my Mom had to get more from the pharmacy and then mail it to me at
> Seeing Eye.
>
> What experiences have others had with the two week program at GDB or other
> schools?
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeanette Beal" <bealjk at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 5:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] always taking the dog was guide dogs
>
>
>> Hi Linda -
>> I'm so bad at replying to emails, even if I do read them :). Yay for
>> finding
>> more community members on the rainbow side of life! And yay for building
>> community around you - that's super, intensely important. I just met a
>> guy
>> who seems nice who is a recent grad of the sped-up GDB program and I
>> keep
>> meaning to email him. Poor guy is overwhelmed with his 18 month old dog
>> and
>> I don't blame him.
>> I'm hoping GDB gets over this accelerated track real soon and goes back
>> to
>> a
>> longer training and longer class times option.
>> In related news to this topic, I've taken Drum to the mall on
>> super-crowded
>> days and...he pees. Granted he's tried to pee on very ugly poly-chiffon
>> or
>> poly-blend pants (white) which I can't blame him for, but the two times
>> this
>> has happened it's been real embarassing and I've been cleaning pee off
>> the
>> floor of a store I go to regularly. Luckily the store has ugly clothes
>> and
>> I've stopped patroning it and the people who work there love dogs and
>> think
>> it's endearing (?) but either way, my temperamental beast is ...a beast.
>> Jeanette
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 5:37 PM, Linda Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hey, Jeanette,
>>> Long time no hear from! (grin!)
>>>
>>> Yeah, there are just some activities that having a dog with you is
>>> quite
>>> problematic! I used to take my dog canuing - a long time ago with a
>>> very
>>> calm yellow Lab.  She happily sat in the center of the boat.
>>>
>>> We do need to consider the impact of an activity on our dog's
>>> wellbeing.
>>> Or
>>> maybe, we just don't feel like bringing our dog. I will do this
>>> sometimes
>>> so
>>> my dog will be good at home alone for short periods of time.  I won't
>>> bring
>>> him to a bar - the rare times I go to one. It's too loud and dark and
>>> people
>>> wouldn't ever know he was there to avoid stepping on him.
>>>
>>> BTW, I've met a nice blind transwoman who lives in our county.  Been
>>> getting her out of the house and into the blind community. She is
>>> losing
>>> her
>>> vision due to glaucoma and needs the support.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Lyn and Landon
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeanette Beal" <bealjk at gmail.com>
>>>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 12:34 PM
>>>
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] always taking the dog was guide dogs
>>>
>>>
>>>  I am so torn on this issue. While I got my dog for independence there
>>> are
>>>> places where he's just not going to do well; roller derby, boating.
>>>> Instead
>>>> I leave him at home for the few hours I'll be gone. This causes some
>>>> problems with arranging plans and sometimes AB people get frustrated
>>>> but
>>>> thems the breaks. I think in particular if someone is partially
>>>> sighted
>>>> (like myself) AB or sighted friends/partners forget just how important
>>>> a
>>>> guide dog is; they see the dog as a member of the family and of course
>>>> "a
>>>> working dog" whatever that ends up being interpreted as, but not as
>>>> your
>>>> eyes and ears on the road.
>>>> I think I've left Drum at home a total of  4 times since I got him 2
>>>> years
>>>> ago and each time was more out of concern for his safety than mine.
>>>> That's
>>>> a
>>>> harsh reality for me to type, but I have to take care of him too.
>>>> And he would *die* if I ever made him go to Mardi Gras. Actually he'd
>>>> probably pee on everything. He's a temperamental pee-er.
>>>> Jeanette
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Linda Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  Rox,
>>>>> Does your dog also perform hearing dog tasks while you're out and
>>>>> about?
>>>>> I
>>>>> think it is safeer for you to have your dog with you at all times.
>>>>>
>>>>> Oh, didn't know about the doggie prade connected with Marti Gras.
>>>>> Wow!
>>>>> And
>>>>> the Super Bowl parade as well?  I saw that on the news.
>>>>>
>>>>> Lyn and Landon
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Pawpower Pack" <
>>>>> pawpower4me at gmail.com>
>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>>> <
>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 6:30 AM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] always taking the dog was guide dogs
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>  Julie and Buddy are right; bringing, or not bringing the dog is a
>>>>> very
>>>>>
>>>>>> personal choice.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am Deafblind with other "invisible" disabilities.  I always have a
>>>>>> dog.
>>>>>> If I can't take her some where, such as to a private home, then I
>>>>>> don't
>>>>>> go.
>>>>>>  My dogs  have gone to all kinds of places and because I train my
>>>>>> own
>>>>>> dog it
>>>>>> is easy for me to spend lots of time preparing for, and training my
>>>>>> dog
>>>>>> in,
>>>>>> these types of environments.  I live in New Orleans and I was in the
>>>>>> French
>>>>>> quarter the morning of the Super bowl.  It was a zoo because it was
>>>>>> also
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> Barkus parade-- the dog parade for Mardi Gras.  It was chaos. My dog
>>>>>> just
>>>>>> handled it as if it were any other day.  It is physically impossible
>>>>>> for
>>>>>> me
>>>>>> to be independent without a dog or  another person by my side and
>>>>>> since
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> like my dog better than I like most people, and since she does a
>>>>>> better
>>>>>> job
>>>>>> for me than anyone else could, she always goes with me. I realize
>>>>>> this
>>>>>> choice puts me in the minority but it's just the way I have to do
>>>>>> things
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> keep my independence and my sanity.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Rox
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nagdu mailing list
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Jeanette Beal
>>>> MS.Ed Assistive Technology
>>>> Independent Consultant
>>>> Boston, MA 02115
>>>> bealjk at gmail.com
>>>> http://twitter.com/bealjk
>>>> http://bealjk.tumblr.com/
>>>>
>>>> "Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire" -
>>>> Marge
>>>> Piercy
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jeanette Beal
>> MS.Ed Assistive Technology
>> Independent Consultant
>> Boston, MA 02115
>> bealjk at gmail.com
>> http://twitter.com/bealjk
>> http://bealjk.tumblr.com/
>>
>> "Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire" - Marge
>> Piercy
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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