[nagdu] dog adaptability and expectations

[Martha Harris]

Hi Michelle,
BLIND Inc. is a 6-9 month program, depending on the skills someone has going 
in and when he/she and the instructors feel the student is done learning. I 
have to crate her, center rules. It is where we use the cane 8-4:30. We have 
two breaks and lunch, so she will have an hour out of the crate to relieve 
and work a little.

Martha

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Michelle" <m-johnson at bigpond.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 6:08 AM
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nagdu] dog adaptability and expectations

> Hi Martha,
>
> Please don't crate the dog for eight hours of each day. That's just cruel. 
> Four or five hours maybe, but not eight hours. How long will you be at 
> Blind Inc for? I'm only wondering because eight hours for one day probably 
> won't hurt, but for more than one day, I'm sure the dog won't cope.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Michelle
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Martha Harris" <latinanewschic at gmail.com>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 11:41 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] dog adaptability and expectations
>
>
>> Hi Everyone,
>> I have been working with my lab Dee since November of last year, and in 
>> May, I will have her for six months. I am going to BLIND Inc. where she 
>> will be crated for 7-8 hours per day. However, I will walk as often as I 
>> can to the center, which is 1.3 miles or so each way, plus work in the 
>> evenings and on weekends. Many guide dog users say I will "ruin the dog," 
>> and it is not good to make a dog change routine so drastically because it 
>> takes six months to a year to become solid. However, I think learning the 
>> discovery method will help us be a more solid team because I will be able 
>> to travel with confidence to familiar and unfamiliar places. Is it 
>> expectations preached by the guide dog schools because they don't believe 
>> blind people can handle sudden change? Is it that some guide dog users 
>> have less confidence in themselves and don't believe change is good for 
>> them or their dogs, or am I way off base thinking like this?
>>
>> Martha
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