[nagdu] To Karyn and Thane was re: my power chair comes Wednesday, what will Odie think???

[Marsha Drenth]

Hello Karyn, 

Welcome to our list. I hope you like it here. 

I'm Marsha, inbetween guides at the moment. My previous guide was from TSE. Emma is a 6 1/2 year old GSD who was retired because of health and stress issues. I'll be getting a new guide in September from GDF. the new pup will be trained for guiding, balance, and some hearing tasks. I am totally blind, with Meniere's and rapidly decreasing hearing. I'm also a full time student at Temple University in Philadelphia. I and my husband live outside of Philly. 

I'm also the moderator of the list here, so if you need anything please don't hesitate to ask at: marsha.drenth at gmail.com 

Again Welcome! 

Marsha, Moderator
marsha.drenth at gmail.com
Twitter: twitter.com/@marshadrenth 
Marsha drenthSent from my iPhone

On Aug 25, 2012, at 7:06 PM, "Karyn & Thane" <bcpaws4me at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm new on this list (but not in the guide dog community) My name is Karyn 
> (working with Thane) I am a deafblind incomplete quad powerchair user. I'm 
> not sure if this is what you were looking for, but if so hope this is 
> helpful.
> Some things to think about. I'm not sure if Odie is a program or OT guide 
> dog but I'm presenting what I think will help you to address to make this a 
> smoother transition.
> - Make sure you are comfortable with the settings and your control of the 
> chair first. This can be done using a guide cane or sighted guide.
> -I'd highly recommend gingo out with Odie using a guide cane to just 
> practice turns right and left once you are comfortable with the control of 
> the chair. This takes some pressure off of him and he can focus on just 
> learning to walk with the chair before expecting him to do his full job of 
> guiding you. It will make the transition a lot simpler.
> - If you have been working Odie ambulatory, you'll need to figure out the 
> best placement for him to avoid being hit by the drive wheel, while at the 
> same time allowing him to be in a place where there is enough clearance so 
> that he can easily guide you around obstacles
> - rear wheel drive is easier for guide dog placement, but with center wheel 
> drive a much more forward placement may be required and thus a longer guide 
> handle (especially if you also have a longer dog like I do)
> -you may need an offset handle, as well as added fasteners for a bit of 
> flexibility for making turns and making smoother transitions with obstacles 
> and close quarter turns
> 
> Karyn and Thane 
> 
> 
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