[nagdu] Returned From The Seeing Eye

Wed Jul 27 05:03:58 UTC 2011

    Hi Bob,

As others on the NAGDU list have said, it will take time to build confidence 
in your dog.

I am glad that you are trusting your dog the more you work with him because 
that is a crucial part of the relationship.

I made the transition from a cane user to a dog handler after my purse was 
stolen and someone tried to follow me home. These were two separate 
incidents, but they made me think that a dog would help me regain my 
confidence and my sense of security, which is definitely true. I am now 
working my second Seeing Eye dog, a wonderful yellow lab Golden retriever 
cross from the Seeing Eye named Gabe.

I was in my late 30s when I decided to get a Seeing Eye dog, and I don't 
regret my choice in the least.

It sounds like you are on the right track. Remember,the more you work with 
your dog, the more confidence you will have in one another.

Take care.

Liz

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Martin" <robert.martin at cfu.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Returned From The Seeing Eye

> Good Afternoon folks,
>
> I've found the comments resulting from my inquiry of a couple of   days 
> ago very interesting and the varied  perspectives have been helpful.  My 
> reason for asking about canes is that I'd like something relatively light, 
> perhaps collapsible, in order to solve occasional problems of orientation 
> especially in instances in which Nick encounters and obstruction and seems 
> unable to figure out how best to get me around it or when we overshoot a 
> turn or when he takes a wrong intersecting sidewalk and I need to help him 
> reorient. I recognize the need for a great deal of trust in the dog and 
> this was initially something of a challenge during my training but my 
> confidence in him is growing daily.  He does, however, make mistakes some 
> of which I contribute to and since he doesn't always know where I intend 
> to go I recognize that there are times when I will need to give helpful 
> instructions. Right now we're working on what will become routine routes 
> to work and on the campus where I work and there are lots of walks that 
> intersect that confuse him.  I'm learning to give him time to work things 
> out for hmself but there are some things he can't work out because he 
> doesn't know where I need or want to go.  I'm confident that with a GPS 
> and some kind of light cane there will come a time when I can go almost 
> anywhere.  Thanks again for the helpful comments.
>
> Bob
>
>       - Original Message ----- 
> From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 10:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Returned From The Seeing Eye
>
>
>> No, no, you don't need to know your neighborhood to have good cane 
>> skills, you need to be able to problem solve. That's what Bob?? is doing.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf Of dmgina
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 11:30 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Returned From The Seeing Eye
>>
>> When I got my first dog it was mandatory to know my area. If I had not, I 
>> would have not gotten my dog.
>> If it is required to have good cane skills, then you need to know your 
>> neighboorhod.
>> Dar
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jul 26, 2011, at 6:53 AM, "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" 
>> <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Maybe it's me but I found the "I hope you know your neighborhood" 
>>> comment a bit insulting.  Even if he doesn't, for any number of reasons 
>>> so what? We all must learn new things all the time.
>>> To answer the question, you can heel your dog and use a cane when you 
>>> want to check things out.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>>> Behalf Of dmgina
>>> Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 10:13 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Returned From The Seeing Eye
>>>
>>> Dar here,
>>> Welcome home.
>>> One of the concerns I would have if you use a cane all the time, is your 
>>> dog will become sloppy on the job.
>>> Since you are trying to figure out the problen not letting the dog do 
>>> what he is trained to do.
>>> Deciding what is best, and you trusting the dog.
>>> I hope you know your neighborhood?
>>> Dar
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Jul 24, 2011, at 6:30 PM, Robert Martin <robert.martin at cfu.net> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> HI,
>>>>
>>>> Late on Thursday afternoon I returned to Iowa from three and a half 
>>>> weeks at The Seeing Eye In New Jersey.  I am now the partner of a 
>>>> sixty-pound Golden Retriever named Nick who is a very mellow and 
>>>> exceptionally friendly dog who also seems to be a very good worker.  If 
>>>> I learn to be as effective as he is, we should have a wonderful 
>>>> partnership.  We have lots of learning and getting acquainted before us 
>>>> but I think we're well matched and well trained.  I was enormously 
>>>> impressed with the instructors and the staff at the Seeing Eye.  Like 
>>>> everyone I was apprehensive but quickly realized that I was in 
>>>> excellent hands and although I made this decision somewhat later than 
>>>> do most people, I do not regret it for one minute.  I will probably be 
>>>> calling on all of you for advice from time to time and I'm confident I 
>>>> will continue to benefit from the experiences of all of you.
>>>>
>>>> For the moment I have one questions.  It's quite an adjustment to move 
>>>> from the kind of information one receives from a cane to that which one 
>>>> receives from a dog.  I was told   that there is sometimes a benefit 
>>>> from coupling the work of the dog with the occasional use of a cane to 
>>>> figure out what kind of obstacles  the dog is trying to cope with or to 
>>>> get a better sense of orientation to an unfamiliar site.  Can any of 
>>>> you suggest what kind of cane you may occasionally use in conjunction 
>>>> with your dog?  Does a good collapsible cane work well for such 
>>>> situations where a cane might be appropriate?  Any advice will be much 
>>>> appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Bob
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> 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/dmgina%40samobile.net
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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/rebecca.pickrell%40tasc.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/dmgina%40samobile.net
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/rebecca.pickrell%40tasc.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/robert.martin%40cfu.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/batescampbell%40charter.net
> 