[nagdu] Wanting to Chase all moving animals, especially small ones...

[Julie J.]

Hannah,

I think the struggles you are having with Princess stem from a 
discrepancy between what you expected and what you got.  It could be 
that what you expect is absolutely within normal parameters for a guide 
dog and Princess isn't trained to that standard.  Or it could be that 
what you are expecting is not attainable or not at this point in the 
partnership.  Either way, it's clear that you are not happy with her 
level of guiding.

If it helps I think everyone had ideas of what a guide dog would be like 
before they actually got one;  marvelous, ease of travel, less getting 
lost, safer, faster etc.  I'd also bet that most of us had some 
surprises in the first year.  I know for me I seriously underestimated 
how much the dog would think on his own.  that sounds silly.  It's true 
though.  I never anticipated all the give and take that would be 
involved.  I never thought I'd stand on the corner and have discussions 
with the dog about which direction we'd be going.  I thought I'd say 
left and the dog would go left.  While that's generally true, there are 
a million exceptions to why it isn't exactly true.

Do you have friends with guide dogs in your area?  It might be helpful 
to visit with some people in person and see how they work with their 
guides.  Email isn't always the best means of communication.  We do tend 
to talk about the more positive aspects of having a guide, although I 
have noticed a trend in the past few years to be a lot more honest about 
the less pleasant bits.

I guarantee you that each and every guide dog handler has had their 
share of struggles, especially in that first year or so.  Monty, bless 
his heart, was a distracted horror for the longest time.  In the very 
beginning when I was still training him, he used to bounce up and down 
when he saw another dog.  I mean literally bounce up and down like 
TTigger. He used to pick up all sorts of crap off the sidewalk, trash, 
sticks, bugs, a snake once...oh and the dead bird.  I remember walking 
round and round at the park with him so we could come to an 
understanding about the squirrels.  Now he's pretty good about the 
squirrels, rabbits and cats, but if one gets within two or three feet of 
us, he will make a lunge for it.   They usually don't get that close, so 
it's a compromise I'm willing to live with.   He doesn't pick up stuff 
anymore and he's 99% better about other dogs.  It took work to get there.

My experience is different though because I owner train.  I expect 
nothing in the beginning.  You were expecting a fully trained and 
trustworthy guide and you didn't get that.  I think the question now is, 
what are you willing to do? There are lots of options and people have 
made many suggestions. I hope you find the path that is right for you.

all my best,
Julie