[nagdu] bigger dogs was School Applications

Meghan Whalen mewhalen at gmail.com
Thu Sep 8 21:17:18 UTC 2011


Yes, from the time I brought him home, I took him pretty much 
everywhere.  He was expected to lay quietly under the seat on the bus 
next to Kirby, I did obedience at the bank, in the mall, at the bowling 
alley...everywhere.  I had a definite advantage in that he got to see 
how Kirby behaved for the first nine months of his socialization.  I am 
sure she helped more than I will appreciate until I attempt to raise a 
puppy without the assistance of an already trained guide.  Hopefully 
that is nothing I need to face for many many years, though.  Dayton 
could hold a very solid down/stay anywhere by the time he was six months 
old whether Kirby was along or not.  He actually turns, sits and scoots 
himself under bus seats now which is incredibly convenient when I am 
trying to settle myself, my purse and whatever else I have with me.  I 
still make a habit of doing obedience with him in highly distracting 
environments like grocery stores, airports etc just to keep him super sharp.

You are correct in that he is a beautiful dog.  His left ear never stood 
up, so he is lopsided which just adds more character!

Meghan

On 9/8/2011 3:32 PM, Tami Kinney wrote:
> He is a big boy! Bet he's gorgeous. Can you send him over to teach Mitzi
> the magic of super compression? /grin/
>
> One reason for my general plan to start with a "baby puppy" -- I'm
> thinking that 12 weeks is about right -- is so that I can start on the
> curling up and staying safely under a seat when they're still young and
> impressionable -- and when they want the safety. Mitzi sees all that
> "under" "tuck" etc nonsense as an imposition on her freedom. She's
> figured out in general that she needs to consider her safety in her
> placement among human crowds and furniture, and she's gotten good at
> that. But sometimes I would like to have the process be a little less
> busy... It seems that if the dog felt safe from having had that
> protection when it was a young pup and intimidated by the big world,
> then as an adult it would be more likely to choose the safest  place and
> be happy squishing into it. Sounds like that worked with Dayton. /smile/
>
> Were you doing his public socializing back when he was very young, too?
> And the obedience in that context? Those are other considerations for me
> that I think would be easier starting with a younger pup. While they're
> still more naturally dependent and malleable. Then you have a good
> foundation laid for when they grow into their rebel teens and start to
> get all independent and self-determined. /lol/ Mitzi was just starting
> that part of her youth when she came to me, and it made things very,
> very interesting. Her early months running with a large pack of varying
> ages and family members was a great foundation in a lot of ways, too.
> But bringing her toward that extreme level of etiquette for the human
> world we expect from our guide dogs was, well, something. /smile/
>
> Tami
>
>
> On Thu, 2011-09-08 at 13:02 -0500, Meghan Whalen wrote:
>> Dayton is quite the master of compression.  He is 72 lb of still-growing
>> German Shepherd, and he is on his way to 28 inches at the shoulder.  I
>> think he will probably top out around 85 lb, but I'm not sure.  I have
>> had him since he was 12 weeks old, and when he was small, I taught him
>> that if I said, "Put yourself away", it meant he had to crunch down all
>> little.  He can still fit into a rectangular laundry basket just to show
>> off if I ask him.  His first flight was on one of those little airplanes
>> with 1 seat on one side and two on the other.  Everyone was convinced he
>> wouldn't fit under the seat in front of me, but he did a fantastic job
>> of disproving that theory.  I think that since I taught him the "put
>> yourself away" thing when he was little purely for the cute factor, he
>> now understands that little spaces are meant to be fit into.  Sometimes
>> I find him taking up less space than my little 47 lb Kirby did.
>>
>> Meghan
>> On 9/8/2011 11:57 AM, Julie J. wrote:
>>> Both of my dogs are lab mixes.  Belle is a mystery, maybe Greyhound,
>>> but I really don't know.  Monty is lab and Boxer mix.
>>>
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>> That must be a poodle thing!  Holly and for that matter Pez can curl
>>>> up extremely small!
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Julie J."<julielj at neb.rr.com>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 11:55 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] bigger dogs was School Applications
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Tami,
>>>>>
>>>>> It's interesting that Monty is much easier to fit into small spaces
>>>>> than Belle ever was.  Belle is 24 or 25 inches at the shoulder and
>>>>> about 75 pounds.  Monty is like 27 inches tall and 85 pounds.
>>>>> However he curls up. Belle is not an adept curler.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't think I could work with one of the tiny guides that are so
>>>>> popular these days.  Well tiny to me.  To everyone else they are
>>>>> normal sized! *smile*  I really enjoy my big and tall dog.
>>>>>
>>>>> Julie
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 9/8/2011 10:45 AM, Tami Kinney wrote:
>>>>>> Yup. So I do like hearing from Pilot grads to learn more about their
>>>>>> interactions with that program and the dogs they get. In the guide dog
>>>>>> world at large, they seem to have a mixed reputation these days. In
>>>>>> another 4 or 5 years? Who knows! Also, since I don't have a medical
>>>>>> reason for a poodle, I may not even then be able to get one through a
>>>>>> program, depending on supply and demand. I'm also watching Guide
>>>>>> Dog of
>>>>>> the Desert out here, since I guess you can get a poodle from them just
>>>>>> because you want one, if you're willing for the extra wait. The people
>>>>>> with a medical need for one will, naturally, take precedent. Still,
>>>>>> it's
>>>>>> an interesting new avenue to consider... I honestly do want to
>>>>>> owner-train again, but one needs to have a lot of factors in place
>>>>>> to do
>>>>>> that... So I like watching options evolve. Of course, another
>>>>>> reason I'm
>>>>>> interested in Pilot is because they do produce some dobie guides. They
>>>>>> are my strong second choice, except at grooming time when I'm
>>>>>> mournfully
>>>>>> emptying my wallet to pay the groomer. /smile/ Then of course, I am
>>>>>> reunited with my freshly shaved and cleaned and very happy poodle and
>>>>>> can't imagine why I would want anything but her! /smile/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I did finally meet a young giant schnauzer, watching him follow Mitzi
>>>>>> around -- after she poodle slapped him into submission. He was ten
>>>>>> months, still not neutered, so I guess she wanted to be sure he
>>>>>> understood the rules. He adored her for that, which totally cracked me
>>>>>> and everybody else up. The owner was well informed about the breed,
>>>>>> so I
>>>>>> got a lot of good information. Then I noted that the pup was leaning
>>>>>> against me at a little above mid-thigh and still had another growth
>>>>>> spurt or two in him before he was done with skeletal growth and
>>>>>> started
>>>>>> to fill out.,.. Oh, that's why everybody was going on about the
>>>>>> size of
>>>>>> his feet. Yikes! Well, some poodle guides get pretty big, as do some
>>>>>> doodle guides... I love big, big dogs, frankly, but... Where do you
>>>>>> put
>>>>>> all that when you're trying to ride the bus? There's a new doodle
>>>>>> guide
>>>>>> user here with a big fella, so I need to break down and ask her. I
>>>>>> can't
>>>>>> figure out what to do with my 55-pounder that's really satisfactory.
>>>>>> She's all legs. So when the bus or train is crowded, even in the
>>>>>> Honored
>>>>>> Citizen (ha
>>>>>> !) section, I spend my ride time feeling troubled about all the poodle
>>>>>> leg I have to keep up with to keep them safe, while I"m pretty sure
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> poodle with all the legs wishes I would just let her relax a bit and
>>>>>> just stop fussing.  /lol/ Unfortunately, when she settles down safely
>>>>>> and starts to relax, there go the legs! And then the nose and ... I
>>>>>> should have got it figured out by now, I really should have, but now
>>>>>> when I see a good example of any breed that might be considered as a
>>>>>> guide dog, my fist thought is how to fit it on the bus! /lol/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> And I do enjoy watching the labbies at work. Especially the yellow
>>>>>> ones,
>>>>>> since they're about the only dogs I can pick up manners and behaviors
>>>>>> and movements of, as well as the golden eyes because of the
>>>>>> contrast. /smile/ It's really easy to see why they are so numerous,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> why the goldens are and the mix of the two. They always seem to be
>>>>>> just
>>>>>> so ... easy. Comparatively. /smile/ A yellow lab user who was quite
>>>>>> taken with Mitzi, jokingly offered to trade dogs not too long ago. I
>>>>>> found myself thinking that one over. The lab was younger than Mitzi
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> about a zillion times less busy. Sweet personality, still some
>>>>>> 'tude out
>>>>>> of harness, playful. Certainly a good guide still learning not to
>>>>>> be too
>>>>>> strong for the handler, but obviously by now pretty easy and they work
>>>>>> together in an interesting way as a team that appears to work really
>>>>>> well. But compared to my adored and adorable poodle guide, just
>>>>>> totally
>>>>>> laid back. Would I like a taste of the quiet life, I wondered? Nah...
>>>>>> When I'm ready for the quiet life, then I look forward to having
>>>>>> such a
>>>>>> lab or that mellow -- in my view -- lab type. But for now, I'll stick
>>>>>> with the wild and crazy poodle life. /smile/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Besides, the poodle would drive my friend crazy in no time. Teehee.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tami
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, 2011-09-07 at 18:38 -0400, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
>>>>>>> Of course, if you want a poodle Pilot is the place sence they
>>>>>>> actually breed
>>>>>>> them there instead of waiting for donations.  However, I think
>>>>>>> that the
>>>>>>> doodles are donated.
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>> From: "Tami Kinney"<tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
>>>>>>> To:<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2011 5:28 PM
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] School Applications
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Gary,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Turns out there are a bunch of people with dogs from Guide Dogs
>>>>>>>> of the
>>>>>>>> Desert here in Oregon. Not all are poodles or doodles, but they
>>>>>>>> do seem
>>>>>>>> to have some good poodle lines these days. Still a long wait for a
>>>>>>>> poodle, but the handlers with GDD dogs all seem really happy with
>>>>>>>> their
>>>>>>>> experience. And with the trainer that seems to work with many
>>>>>>>> grads in
>>>>>>>> this area. So it's fun getting to learn more about that program,
>>>>>>>> which
>>>>>>>> is pretty small still. Except for GDB, it seems like I have
>>>>>>>> learned a
>>>>>>>> whole lot about the programs east of the Mississippi, because that's
>>>>>>>> where so many of the guide dog users I know are from. Huh.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Anyway, I don't know what the wait for GDD is with other breeds, but
>>>>>>>> they still say to plan for about a year for a poodle. Apparently,
>>>>>>>> though, you don't *have* to have a medical need for one; however,
>>>>>>>> you
>>>>>>>> will have to wait longer, This from the poodle and doodle users
>>>>>>>> around
>>>>>>>> here. Anyway, that's the scoop.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Tami
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Wed, 2011-09-07 at 12:38 -0700, GARY STEEVES wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hi Meranda applied at 3 schools. I was looking for a poodle so was
>>>>>>>>> limited in which schools could help. I got my paperwork into all
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> schools in August or september and got Bogart in the following
>>>>>>>>> may. I
>>>>>>>>> also had heard back from guide dogs of the desert and would have
>>>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>>>> accepted into a fall class with them which would have been about
>>>>>>>>> a year
>>>>>>>>> waiting. When applying for a poodle I had prepared myself for
>>>>>>>>> such long
>>>>>>>>> waits so was happy with how quick it was.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> My suggestion is to look at which schools meet the majority of
>>>>>>>>> the needs
>>>>>>>>> you have and what you find important and apply to them. It is
>>>>>>>>> always
>>>>>>>>> good, if possible, to talk to grads from different programs to
>>>>>>>>> get their
>>>>>>>>> feelings on the school as long as you remember that  everyone is
>>>>>>>>> different so their impressions will vary as well.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Gary
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>>>> From: Julie McGinnity<kaybaycar at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>>> Date: Monday, September 5, 2011 2:57 pm
>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] School Applications
>>>>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>>>>>>> Users"
>>>>>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hi Miranda.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> When I was applying to schools, I applied to more than
>>>>>>>>>> one.  I took
>>>>>>>>>> the one that accepted me the quickest.  I am a student and
>>>>>>>>>> was at the
>>>>>>>>>> time I went to get a guide dog, so I needed somewhere that
>>>>>>>>>> could place
>>>>>>>>>> me in the Summer.  It all depends.  I got an interview
>>>>>>>>>> in a month and
>>>>>>>>>> a half or so, and then I went to  class 2 months after
>>>>>>>>>> that.  I think
>>>>>>>>>> it usually takes longer though.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I did call to check on my application, so I know it's not
>>>>>>>>>> abnormal to
>>>>>>>>>> call and check on things.  It is also easy if you can email
>>>>>>>>>> someone in
>>>>>>>>>> admissions to ask them the status of your home interview--if it
>>>>>>>>>> has
>>>>>>>>>> been planned yet...  I don't there would be anything wrong
>>>>>>>>>> with this.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Good luck!
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 9/5/11, Cindy Ray<cindyray at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Well, all I can say is if they don't, call again. First of
>>>>>>>>>> all, I suspect
>>>>>>>>>>> that sometimes these things go slower because of vacations and
>>>>>>>>>> the like.
>>>>>>>>>>> Sometimes they send trainers and the trainers are also
>>>>>>>>>> training dogs and the
>>>>>>>>>>> like. I think it would nbe helpful if they would let us know
>>>>>>>>>> some kind of
>>>>>>>>>>> time line.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>>>>>>>>>> info for nagdu:
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>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> -- 
>>>>>>>>>> Julie McG
>>>>>>>>>>    Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member
>>>>>>>>>> in Opera
>>>>>>>>>> Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of
>>>>>>>>>> Guiding
>>>>>>>>>> Eyes for the Blind
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
>>>>>>>>>> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
>>>>>>>>>> life."
>>>>>>>>>> John 3:16
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>>>>>
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