[nagdu] owner training was Amount of walking

[Julie J]

Jewel,

I trained all three.  There was a pretty big gap between dogs two and three 
where I did seriously consider going through a program.  I started the 
application process, but then found Monty instead.  I definitely prefer 
owner training.  It's a lot of work though.  I'm not sure what I'll do for 
my next dog, but since that's 25 years away I'm not going to think about it 
right now. *smile*

I looked at a lot of dogs and chose Monty because he was the craziest.  LOL 
Okay, not really! I would call and talk to the person in charge of the 
various dogs care with general questions.  I wanted to know what sorts of 
things the dog had been exposed to, how they reacted, how they got along 
with other dogs, cats, horses, and anything else.   I asked every sort of 
question I could think of because I wanted to get a general idea of the dogs 
personality.  I screened out a lot of dogs just by talking to the care giver 
on the phone.  When it came to Monty though, there was absolutely nothing 
the woman said that made me concerned about his potential.  The thing she 
said that still sticks in my mind was, "He's just really, really comfortable 
in his own skin."  That really pretty much sums it up.

Picking a dog is the most difficult part.  It's about 3/4 questions, meeting 
the dog, testing,  more testing and then you end up using the other 1/4 of 
the process which is your gut feeling.  Once you find a great dog it's all 
pretty comparatively easy from there.

Owner training does definitely allow for more flexibility in the way the dog 
is trained, equipment used, how specific situations are worked and just 
about everything else.  I'm not sure about a closer bond though.  Not having 
a dog from a program I can't compare.  I will say that dog's one and three I 
have a very close bond with, but dog two and I never clicked.  We get along, 
she enjoys time with me and all, but it isn't the same.

Do you know when you'll be going to get your dog?  There are guide dog 
handlers on the list with additional disabilities, including nerve damage. 
I'm sure if you have questions that someone would be happy to talk about 
their experience.  We do love to natter on about our dogs! LOL

Julie