[nagdu] new guide dog user with questions

rhonda cruz rhondaprincess at gmail.com
Mon Aug 13 13:26:25 UTC 2012


 hello wellcome to the list. i'm rhonda. and  you are doing your best.

 keep up the great work.
 it takes time.

  i've had my pioltdog for 2 years.
 and she tryes and tests me some of the time.

  take baby steps.



On Aug 13, 2012, at 5:59 AM, Ramona Davidson wrote:

> Hello, I’m new to the list and new to being a guide dog user. I have
> some questions that may seem stupid, but remember, I’m new at this.
> 
> First off let me start by introducing myself.
> I’m Mona, I have a 4 year old son, and a yellow lab named Ismael who I
> received on July 4th from the seeing eye. We have only been a team for
> about 6 weeks.
> 
> Here are my questions, sorry this will be kind of long.
> 
> Is it normal in the beginning, to want to check for the curb when
> walking down a side walk, to make sure the dog did not veer in to a
> driveway, parking lot, or out in the street? I often find myself
> stopping, asking him to turn toward the street, and tapping my foot
> out to find the curb, when I do find it I tell him good boy and ask
> him to go back in the direction we were going. Will this type of
> behavior ruin him?? I’m fairly sure after I grow to trust him I won’t
> continue this behavior but for now I need it for my since of mind. Am
> I just confusing him? Should I quit doing this?
> 
> How do you all deal with negative responses regarding corrections from
> outsiders? I was at pet smart with a friend recently, and had to
> correct Ismael for bad behavior. He was distracted with other dogs,
> treats, people, and toys. He was running me in to objects left and
> right, lunging this way and that and sniffing everyone and everything.
> I had given him a few verbal corrections and that didn’t work so I
> went to a one handed leash correction. My friend who was with me
> flipped out and started saying that if only I could have saw his face
> when I did that and how I was over reacting and that I was mean. I
> told her I wasn’t going to argue about it in the store but when we got
> in to the car I would be glad to explain a few things to her. Her mood
> was less than pleasurable from then on out. As soon as we got in to
> the car I explained to her that his behavior was unacceptable, she
> tried making excuses, it was crazy in there and you can’t really
> expect him to not act like a dog she said. I told her, well that would
> be true but we were in this very same situation not more than two
> weeks ago during training and he made it in and out of the store
> without one single verbal or leash correction.  And there were as many
> distractions if not more. He knows how to act and he’s testing me.
> Obviously she didn’t care to hear it. I also explained to her that he
> cannot decipher between when it’s safe to have distractions and when
> it’s not and even though it wasn’t like I was crossing a street, he
> was running me in to shelves people and other animals, and had I let
> him get away with it next time it could be during a more dangerous
> moment like crossing a street. She said she understood but she hasn’t
> been the same towards me since, I also told her that if she couldn’t
> handle me correcting him that I would have to back off from her for a
> while because I couldn’t have anyone interrupting me and what I have
> been taught. Did I handle this situation right? Was I over the top? I
> pushed her away, and I’m sad about that but maybe it’s for the best? I
> even showed her the video we got from the school but honestly, it
> leaves much to be desired.\
> 
> I also have a 4 year old son, I’m working hard at not letting them
> bond right off because we are so new, but he’s already attached to
> him, sometimes when he’s sitting beside me he just stares off at my
> son like he’d rather be with him, I don’t know what to do. It doesn’t
> affect our partnership or his work unless my son is walking with us.
> But when I’m walking just him and I without my son his guide work is
> flawless. I’m still trying to figure out if when we are walking my son
> makes him nervous, or if he’d rather take commands from my son. This
> stuff is so confusing. And it’s not that he just doesn’t want to work
> for me when my son is with us, he does, but I can tell a noticeable
> difference in his guide work.
> 
> I’m sorry this has already been so long; I have so many questions and
> hate to bombard everyone with them in rapid fire succession
> 
> Thanks in advance, Mona.
> 
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