[nagdu] owner training was Amount of walking

[Jewel S.]

Wow, Julie! That does sound like a lot of work, but a really awesome
thing at the same time. I don't understand, though, why you say your
next dog is 25 years away? I'm sure Monty won't be working 25 years,
will he?? *giggle* It sounds like you have kept the other two as pets.
That's awesome. I hope that by the time my first guide dog retires
I'll be in a house, wher I can keep my retired pup. I get so attached,
I know I won't want to send him into retirement somewhere else. Right
now, I live in an apartment with a two-pet limit. I have my sweet
kitty, and my roommate has a nice miniature poodle.

My only concern with going to guide dog school is that I do have bad
days once or twice a month. What if that bad day falls on a training
day, and I can't do the classwork? I'm not sure when I'll be going,
but I'm calling the Seeing Eye back today, to restart the application
process (We had put it on hold due to a possible neurosurgery), and
I'm hoping by the end of summer, as warm weather suits me much
better...I'd hate to be in New Jersey in the winter. I'm a Southern
Belle for a reason!

~Jewel


On 3/12/10, Julie J <julielj at windstream.net> wrote:
> 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
>
>
>
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