[nagdu] NAGDU List

GARY STEEVES rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca
Tue Aug 16 16:31:50 UTC 2011


Hi Tammi:

Well, I have a "program" dog and probably do a lot of the things you do too. When I go hiking I usually try to find places where Bogart can be off leash. I follow my girlfriend. I know that may resources went into training bogart and many more of my resources are going into further training him and keeping him happy and healthy. I've got the impression from my school that many of the rules they have, which to me seem paternalistic, are designed for people who aren't using common sense and ensure that they have minimized the risk to their dog. (or maybe don't have a lot of dog experience)  Before I ever went to our off leash park alone I went many times with my girlfriend. We were able to see that Bogart would come back regularly even without being called and came back fairly consistently when called so that allowed me to start taking him there by  myself and feeling confident that my dog will come to me. I heed the warning from the school about balancing work and play which is why I walk with Bogart every day after work for about 40 minutes with him in harness so he gets exercise and practice guiding (as do I).

I think the idea of the school programs is to provide  us and our dogs with the skills we need to continue the bonding process and match our dogs to our lifestyles.

Gary
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Tami Kinney <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 9:03 am
Subject: Re: [nagdu] NAGDU List
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org

> Rebecca,
> 
> I've been playing catch up since slightly before your post and was
> thrilled to see that other people were on the spot to explain where
> you're coming from and how valuable your observations can be. I
> certainly agree with that and am glad so many of your old 
> friends who
> know you said what I was about to say anyway. /grin/
> 
> It's been fun getting to know all the new posters lately, but 
> easy to
> forget that they are still getting to know us old timers on the
> list. /smile/ So don't worry! Any day now, I'm going to blurt 
> out some
> horrifically heretical thing I do with my owner-trained poodle 
> that just
> does not conform to guide dog school practices and rules... Like 
> findinga nice hiking trail where I can let her go off leash 
> while I follow her
> jingle and use my cane to find obstacles. Or, well, Just taking her
> across the street to the park to the off leash areas to play 
> with other
> dogs, or ... Who knows what else a rebel like me is likely to 
> get up
> to? /lol/ At work as a guide dog team, we strive to meet the same
> standards of professionalism and etiquette the schools train 
> both dogs
> and handlers to achieve, for the same reasons. But there are 
> some of the
> off duty practices and rules that I have done differently by 
> choice with
> my individual dog, knowing the risks and weighting them against the
> benefit... And I've had the luxury of training her to mitigate the
> risks, some of them anyway, and learned to find places where 
> other major
> risks are greatly lessened or not present... Since she was a 
> pup. So
> there are things I do with her in our leisure time that I would 
> not do
> with a program dog out of respect for the training and work that went
> into making that dog available for me. 
> 
> But sometimes I forget that not everybody is aware that I'm 
> talking my
> own dog, my own efforts in training, my own expenses, etc., 
> etc., so I
> toss off little things that shock people who are thinking in 
> terms of a
> program bred, raised and trained dog. /smile/
> 
> Tami
> 
> On Mon, 2011-08-15 at 12:29 +0000, Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC) 
> wrote: 
> > Yup, I had two of them. I take it some of you were displeased 
> with my post? 
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-
> bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sheila Leigland
> > Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 11:19 PM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] NAGDU List
> > 
> > Hi rebecdca has had a dog previously.
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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