[nagdu] owner training

[Julie J.]

Matt,

I have always started obedience training along with socialization and 
house manners right away.  My last two dogs were older puppies when I 
got them.  They both needed to start from the very basics, like 
housebreaking and learning their name.  I think beginning training right 
away is also beneficial because it doesn't let bad habits get 
established.  It also provides structure, order and leadership to the 
dog.  I think dogs moving from one home to another need an extra dose of 
leadership, which they view as security.

A dog in the 1.5 to 2 year range will have a fully developed temperament 
and personality.  With that age what you see is what you get for the 
most part.  With very young puppies I think it's harder to figure out 
what the adult personality will be like.  Or perhaps it's just because I 
don't have as much experience with young puppies as I do with adults?

With your experience with previous dogs and your comfort with a cane, 
you should have a solid foundation to begin owner training.   Like I 
wrote to Cindy, owner training isn't anything extraordinary, it's just a 
lot of work that requires a load of patience and perseverance.

Julie


On 12/9/2011 8:32 AM, Matt Diemert wrote:
> Julie,
> Facinating insight thus far.
> I have actually worked three guides, my first for 10 years, my second for 2
> months, and my third for three years.
> I think, I was contemplating looking for an adult dog, by that I was
> thinking somewhere between 18 and 24 months? Very good point about some sort
> of return clause for the first few weeks.
> I'm a very good cain traveler, so I feel comfortable with the idea of
> orienting a dog to doing things like stopping at down and up curbs, and
> navigating around obsticles.
> I assume that after choosing a dog and becoming familiar with his or her
> ways, that obedience sit, stay come, down and up would be a proper starting
> point?
> Regards:
> Matt D.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Cindy Ray
> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 9:23 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] owner training
>
> Actually, Julie, I find this interesting and would like to know more about
> it myself. I doubt I would ever actually train a dog to guide because I
> don't feel motivated to do that, but it would carry over into enhancing the
> training a dog already has or, for that matter, training another dog just to
> be livable and fun. Hope that doesn't trivialize what you are doing and
> saying because I don't mean it to.
>
> Cindy
>
>
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