[nagdu] Questions About Guide Dogs

Wed Aug 31 03:15:40 UTC 2011

In some countries the blind person does use both cane and dog together.  
In the U.S. this is only done very seldom and for specific reasons.  If 
you need to teach the dog to turn in at the third driveway it can be 
helpful to use a cane to show the dog exactly where you want him to 
turn.  Once the dog understands the cane wouldn't be used anymore.  I 
think some programs also have the handler check the location of the edge 
of the road when working sidewalkless.  I will sometimes get my cane out 
when the dog is trying to communicate something that I'm just not 
getting.  This was more frequent in the beginning.  I haven't done this 
in some time now.

A dog will take you around obstacles so you don't trip on them.  If it 
isn't possible to go around he will stop.  You first use your foot to 
check out what's there.  If that doesn't find anything then a hand out 
to check for overhead obstacles can be useful.

At the very first it may feel a bit awkward as you find your rhythm with 
the new dog, but it shouldn't take very long at all before the two of 
you move easily and safely together.  Maybe dancing is a good analogy.  
At first with a new dance partner you don't move as smoothly together, 
but it doesn't take very long before your movement together is fluid and 
effortless.

HTH
Julie

On 8/30/2011 9:38 PM, Tatyana wrote:
> Do you use a cane and  a dog? A cane for me now is  like a  part of me 
> so I can't think to leave it and have a dog as the only helper. How to 
> deal with curbs and bumps, not stumble?
>
>> Hi Larry,
>>
>> Yeah, these guys are great in what they can be taught. Given 
>> patience, time, and some training tricks you're likely to learn at 
>> guide dog school and pick up along the way here and elsewhere, a 
>> dog's ability to learn new skills is amazing.
>>
>> I do think it's important to discuss the differences in orientation 
>> with a dog versus with a cane. While you will use many of the same 
>> skills, such as finding landmarks and using environmental clues to 
>> determine where you are in space, the landmarks and clues you use 
>> with a dog will of necessity often be very different from the ones 
>> you use with a cane. A cane will give you a lot of tactile landmarks, 
>> and you get a very in-depth idea of your very immediate surroundings. 
>> This way, you can know that you turn into the second driveway after 
>> the third mailbox on your right. Or, you can know that just past the 
>> bench at shin level, there is a trash can, and just past that you'll 
>> find a bus stop pole. These kinds of things aren't as easy to do with 
>> a dog. Since your dog will treat things in your path as obstacles, 
>> you can't very well use them as landmarks, so you have to use other 
>> things, such as the change in acoustics (for instance, are you under 
>> an overhanging roof or not), changing in pavement texture, and the 
>> like, not to mention estimating distances to things. As time goes on, 
>> you'll even learn to use things like your dog's reaction as 
>> environmental clues unfamiliar routes. Strange but true. I think 
>> someone said that with a dog, you've got more of a macro view of your 
>> surroundings, where using a cane gives you a micro view, or a more 
>> detailed view. Some people don't care about that, while others may 
>> well feel very lost without all of the very immediate tactile 
>> information one gets from a cane. I say there's a place for both. 
>> Sometimes the close-in tactile world is a great tool for teaching 
>> your dog something new, but sometimes that same view gets in the way 
>> and slows you down. I'm sure I'm not explaining this well at all.
>> -- 
>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>>
>>
>>
>> On Aug 30, 2011, at 9:48 PM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
>>
>>> My neighborhood is very walkable as well.  My mobility is pretty 
>>> good.  I like working with my Holly for a few reasons.  We can move 
>>> really fast and not have to worry about bumping into anything.  For 
>>> instance, I have to transfer busses often.  I try to run to catch 
>>> the next bus and bump, bump, bump!!  I would have to have a head 
>>> like a musk ox to survive all of those posts I bump into.  And a 30 
>>> foot cane to hit them in time to stop!  I haven't hit 1 post with 
>>> Holly!  Also, Holly is just a great companion!  I forgot, she also 
>>> will go around those cars who insist on sticking out in stopped 
>>> traffic and finding those curb cuts quickly.  And she also finds the 
>>> push button lights and now, the sheltered bus stops! I'm trying to 
>>> think of a way she can find the bus stops that are not sheltered.
>>> Intelligence is always claimed but rarely proven!
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>> for nagdu:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/buddy%40brannan.name 
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> nagdu:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/tagriru%40gmail.com 
>>
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/julielj%40neb.rr.com 
>
>