[nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?

Wed Apr 13 18:59:30 UTC 2011

OMG!  I t hink I remember Mitzi doing that once or twice, too.  In front of
people who couldn't stop themselves from snickering out loud.  Yup!
Embarrassing!

She finally did grow up and get past the total distracto-dog phase, and even
when she is more interested in other things, she's pretty good now at
keeping part of her mind on her job, at least.  So I don't have to go around
muttering, "Leave it! Forward! Good girl! Leave it! Forward! Good girl!"
like I used to.  Actually I think I kept on just doing it from habit for
awhile until I noticed that there was no point because the dog was going
forward already and hadn't stopped to investigate something she needed to
leave.  I wonder how often she thinks to herself what an idiot she has for a
handler.  /grin/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of GARY STEEVES
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 11:03 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?

Hi Sarah:

Sorry, I've been away so am way way behind on my emails. Bogart is from a
school in Oakville Canada called Canine Vision Canada which is the dog guide
program at Dog Guides Canada. They also have hearing dogs, service dogsand
other alert dogs trained there. Oakville is a suburb of Toronto if that
helps to know where it is. In my class of 8, six were poodles. they tend to
have one poodle class a year I think. So far from that class one lab was
returned because she was a mismatch and worked to slowly with much anxiety.
She has since been placed with a different person. Just recently, Byran,
Bogart's brother, was returned to the school. The girl who had him really
wasn't suitable for a guide dog if you ask me. She didn't even really like
dogs but seemed to be pressured into the whole thing. she had other physical
issues that made her weaker as well so had issues controlling the dog. If
Byroan   was like Bogart he would require an assertive/strong handler to
keep him focused. Bogart is still a challenge at times to keep focused but I
know that and don't let it bother me, just try to keep him on task. He is a
great guide and has rarely ran me into anything besides the odd person.
However, when he is looking all around he has actually walked himself into
the odd thing. How embarrassing!

Gary

----- Original Message -----
From: Sarah Clark <goldflash9 at sbcglobal.net>
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011 7:34 pm
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>

> Hi Gary,
> What school is Bogart from?  Were there many poodles in 
> your class?
> 
> Sarah & Miguel
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "GARY STEEVES" 
> <rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca>To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the 
> National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 4:44 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
> 
> 
> >
> >Hello:
> >
> >Yes, my school did say that this was the case. Generally all 
> the poodles that went out in my class were older than their lab 
> counterparts. Bogart was almost 20 months when I got him. I'm 
> not sure what maturity  means. I certainly have seen him 
> calm down over the past year.
> >
> >today was our first day at work after I was away for 9 days and 
> he was left with my boss, her husband and their 2 dogs. He seems 
> to b  coping just fine. A bit distracted guiding but, hey, 
> he is a poodle afater all. Hopefully my boss will be able to 
> look after him again when I go to hawaii in May.
> >
> >Gary
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Sarah Clark <goldflash9 at sbcglobal.net>
> >Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 8:30 pm
> >Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
> >To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog 
> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> >
> >>I was told by someone at one of the schools that poodles tend to
> >>mature more slowly than the labs, so they tend to stay in their
> >>puppy homes longer and they take longer to go through
> >>training.  Has anyone else heard this?
> >>
> >>Sarah & Miguel
> >>
> >>----- Original Message ----- From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney"
> >><tamara.8024 at comcast.net>To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the
> >>National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> >>Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 6:07 PM
> >>Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
> >>
> >>
> >>>Rox,
> >>>
> >>>Way to go Laveau!
> >>>
> >>>So Mitzi poodle was trained in terms of having the skills down
> >>by 18
> >>>monmths, but I chose to let her go to 24 months before I
> >>considered her
> >>>graduated.  She did do some full working trips and handled
> >>it very well, but
> >>>I didn't want to put a full-time guide dog burden on her
> >>because I was
> >>>concerned about her maturity and how much it might strees her
> >>and how that
> >>>might affect her future work...
> >>>
> >>>Then again, I was 8very* aware that my poodle pup was burdened
> >>with a total
> >>>newbie self-taught -- and still working on it -- handler, so
> >>asking her to
> >>>take full respsonsibility under those conditions seemed a bit much!
> >>>
> >>>Reviewing that period of our lives together now, I'm thinking
> >>that I could
> >>>have let her work progress with her knowledge much more
> >>rapidly, assuming I
> >>>knew what I know now.  And what I hope to know by the time
> >>I do it all over
> >>>again in a few years.  /smile/
> >>>
> >>>She was still really, really puppy at 18 months, though, and it
> >>was tough
> >>>for her to work for long periods without showing signs of
> >>having had too
> >>>much...  One reason I keep thinking dobie is that they do
> >>seem to "grow up"
> >>>more quickly than poodles, while having some of those same
> >>character traits
> >>>I really adore in Mitzi.  Even mellow poodles like Mitzi
> >>are wound pretty
> >>>tight, much like their curls.  /lol/
> >>>
> >>>Of course, Mitzi has DD hooked on poodles, so I may find myself
> >>doing the
> >>>whole poodle thing all over again, just 10 years older.
> >>I'd better start
> >>>catching up on my rest!  /grin/
> >>>
> >>>Tami Smith-Kinney
> >>>
> >>>-----Original Message-----
> >>>From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-
> >>bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> >>>Of The Pawpower Pack
> >>>Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 4:43 PM
> >>>To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> >>>Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
> >>>
> >>>Steve,
> >>>
> >>>I totally agree with you here.  Bristol was a program
> >>trained dog
> >>>issued at 18 months.  She was very matured and retired due
> >>to medical
> >>>reasons.  The dog I had gotten before that was issued at
> >>24 months and
> >>>was very immature.
> >>>
> >>>I start formal harness training around 12-14 months and 
> usually my
> >>>dogs are finished between 18-20 months.  My border 
> collie, Gracy
> >>>didn't really grow up until she was 4, and she retired when 
> she was
> >>>7.  Laveau was born mature, I think and she guided me
> >>around Boston
> >>>(which was a totally new city for her) when she was 15 months
> >>old and
> >>>her work was flawless.
> >>>It really just depends on the dog, I think.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>Rox and the Botanical Barkers:
> >>>Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
> >>>"The only problem with troubleshooting is, sometimes, trouble 
> shoots>>>back."
> >>>http://www.pawpowercreations.com
> >>>pawpower4me at gmail.com
> >>>AIM: Brissysgirl
> >>>
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> >>>
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