[nagdu] Questions About Guide Dogs

Thu Sep 1 04:08:34 UTC 2011

Hi Shannon,
Thank you very much for your story. I'm now reading all e- mails and just
trying to absorb all that interesting and useful information that people
share here on the list. Yeh, I think there's a difference   between  when 
you are
transitioning to a dog being an advanced cane user or as  being   depend on
others. Perhaps if you didn never  use a cane you  adopt an idea to trust a
dog
mor smoothly. But it may have a negative results too. I have a friend who
walked only with help of others, holding an elbow,and when she got a dog all
were concerned how fast she walked and  she relied  too much on a dog. One
day,
she was on a road too close to a traffic going along, while she needed to
keep
closer to a side. Not sure how it could be, but she was told that she was
too close to a traffic and it was unsafe situation. As for me, I also
preferred  in past
to walk with someone but now I'm more independened and walk in my
neighborhood
and catch a bus to a store. But I can not  imagine myself using metro, going 
to
D.C. or something. So it took time to me to transit from  a depended on
others to a cane user,  and with a dog, kind of I would  need to do it vice 
versa.

Sorry for confusing writing, my head already should explode soon from 
checking grammar. Thanks again.

> Hi Tatyana:
> My name is Shannon and I have a German Shepherd guide.  She is my first
> guide. I've had her for five years and a few months.
>
> I wanted to respond to your message because I thought I would have a lot
> of difficulty with the transition from cane to dog.  Or, maybe I did have
> difficulty with the transition from cane to dog.  I am a good cane user.
> I love my cane, and still love my cane, and I definitely use it in places.
>
> I think it took a while for me to automatically trust the dog rather than
> to want to reach out with my cane and feel.  My automatic response was to
> want to use a cane to reach out and feel things.  It took a couple of
> months definitely.  I learned the hard way a couple of times.  I was in a
> place where I was sure that I knew exactly where the curbs were.  Well, I
> was a little farther away from the building than usual, and I told my dog
> to go forward, and she wouldn't, letting me know that she thought there
> was a curb there and she wouldn't move until I found it with my foot.  And
> I didn't believe her.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I dropped her
> harness and figured that I would lead her past whatever was causing her
> not to move.  Well, quite unknown to me, the there was a step there that I
> didn't know about because it was in a different part of the path than I
> usually walked, and so I tripped down the curb.  I remember it hurting a
> little. I probably had heels on because I was walking to work.  I twisted
> my ankle a little. So that was a wake-up call that really helped instill
> in me the need to pay attention to my dog.  She did her job right.  I just
> wasn't paying attention.  So, I don't know how many new users do something
> quite as dumb, but it was a good lesson for me.
>
> I also remember being at a camp like a summer camp, for a networking
> weekend, where there were paths among grass, and some of the paths weren't
> that wide.  I had only had my dog for a month, and I was used to working
> in regular streets and sidewalks, and in airports and buildings (because
> of my job), but I hadn't had very much experience working her in a setting
> where there were irregular paths scattered among grass.  I honestly just
> used my cane to find the paths and lead my dog.  I got some negative
> feedback for doing it, too, from other people at the camp.  They asked if
> I had gotten a guide dog for a pet or if I was planning to use it.
>
> Today, being more experienced, I don't know if I'd do it the same way.  I
> haven't been back to the same place so I can't evaluate it.  For a long
> time, though, I carried a telescoping cane in my backpack, or my
> briefcase, or my purse, and if I felt nervous or frustrated, or if I
> wanted a landmark to make me feel better, I used my cane and led the dog.
> I don't remember how often I actually used the cane and led the dog, but I
> can tell you that for me, in the beginning, I felt a lot better knowing my
> cane was somewhere I could get to it. So you may want to consider that to
> see if that would make you feel more comfortable.  Also, the other
> important thing to know is, I'm not the only one who does this.  I didn't
> know that at the time.  I sort of felt like I must be weird or something.
> The truth is, since then, I have known other people who choose to use
> their canes in some circumstances and their dogs in others, and it's
> really about what works for you.
>
>
> SHANNON L. DILLON
>
>
>> From: tagriru at gmail.com
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:02:41 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Questions About Guide Dogs
>>
>> Dear Buddy,
>> You are explaining well about macro and micorview. Frankly I can't
>> imagine
>> that I totally rely on a dog and not use my cane. It's something very
>> different and obviously it takes time to retrain brain from micro to
>> macro.
>> I would like to hear stories from somebody who had difficulties with such
>> a
>> transition. And thank you all again.
>> Tatyana.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 10:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Questions About Guide Dogs
>>
>>
>> > 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!
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>> >
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>>
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