[nagdu] private training was Hi there

Julie J. julielj at neb.rr.com
Wed Dec 19 20:02:42 UTC 2012 

Rebeka,

I'll answer as much as I can.  some of your questions I don't have 
answers for.

How much does a puppy from a breeder cost?
More than I imagined.  I've found a Doberman breeder that I like.  she 
does all the relevant health testing and understands the temperament 
needed in a service dog.  She charges $1200 for her puppies.  Most of 
the rest of the breeders I was looking at were $2000 to $2500.  Of 
course you can get a puppy from a breeder for much cheaper than that, 
but I'm only considering those who who do all the health testing and 
have results for several generations as well as a number of dogs related 
to my puppy who have been successful in service, therapy and other high 
level working careers.  And it turns out that Dobermans tend to be a 
more expensive breed for whatever reason.

I do not have an exact price for the training.  I will be paying by the 
month in addition to covering all actual expenses like food and vet 
care.  The final amount will depend on how quickly the dog learns and 
matures. I have been saving for this for some time.

I have known the person who will train my puppy for several years.  I 
have seen her with her dogs and I trust her.  She will be providing me 
with training reports on the progress the puppy is making.  I would 
assume that if there are problems it will be noted in those reports 
along with what is being done to work through the situation.  If the dog 
doesn't make it as a guide, it will be up to me to decide whether or not 
to keep him as a pet or find him other arrangements.  Whether or not the 
trainer provided him adequate instruction is a matter of trust.  I do 
intend to write out a contract, but I haven't started on that project yet.

The time to find the right breeder and trainer comes in the early 
morning, late at night, during commercials, and any place else I can 
find 5 minutes.  A lot of it can be done by email, then I follow up with 
a phone call if the email info looks promising.   My family knows that I 
am going the breeder and private trainer route and the general time line 
I'm hoping for, but the details of those arrangements are solely my 
doing.  If I get stuck picking between two breeders or something I do 
talk to my family, but like other decisions of this nature they help me 
work through the decision, but I make the final choice.  Also my family 
doesn't know much about dogs.  I don't think they'd be a lot of help 
with the research phase of the process.

the trainer's exact deliverable is her best effort at raising and 
training my puppy to be a guide dog. We are working together to list the 
specifics of what the puppy will be exposed to, how much training time 
the puppy will get each day/week, what specific commands the dog will 
learn and anything else we can think of.  Honestly in the end it will 
come down to trust.  I suppose she could make up the puppy reports and 
tell me my dog is just plain stupid, but I think that's about as likely 
as me learning to love sushi.  If I had even a hint of mistrust or 
dishonesty, I'd still be looking for a trainer.  I'm very happy with my 
choice.  I'm confident it will go well.

Julie




On 12/19/2012 11:53 AM, Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC) wrote:
> Julie, Tami and others,
> I'm curious how much you pay for the breeding, training and the like?
> I can understand training your own dog, but I've always heard that a private trainer was expensive. Julie, how did you find yours? What will happen if you tell him or her to train the dog to do x, and the dog doesn't learn this skill? Is the trainer at fault and how do you know if the trainer did something that went against your instructions or if the dog just can't or won't learn the skill.
>
> Where does the time to find the right breeder and trainer come from? Do you go as a family to find these people, or do you do it on your own and then tell the spouse and kids what you're doing?
> What is the trainer's deliverable exactly?
>
> Do you have money set aside for dog stuff if this is as expensive as I think it may be?
> Very curious to understand this.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tami Jarvis
> Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 12:47 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Hi there
>
> Julie,
>
> Wow! You *are* getting an early start! /smile/ I'm planning to wait
> another year, at least, to get a younger pup, so Mitzi will be 7 or more
> then... I'm like you, though. I go back and forth a lot at this point,
> since I don't absolutely have to make the decision now. /smile/
>
> I'll be looking forward to hearing about your dobie pick! I haven't
> found a breeder yet that I'm happy with, but I have feelers out.
> Starting next summer or thereabouts, I'm going to need to get serious, huh?
>
> It's confusing for me, since poodles are supposed to live much longer
> than other large breed dogs -- 14 to 20! So I don't want to be too
> conservative in planning for Mitzi's retirement. What to do? What to do?
> /lol/
>
> Tami
>
> On 12/19/2012 05:39 AM, Julie J. wrote:
>> Monty is a Boxer and Lab mix.  Belle is a lab and who knows what mix.
>> Tia was a Coonhound.  All have had their strengths and weaknesses.  I
>> have never seen a dog so aware of overhead obstacles as Miss Tia.  I
>> guess being bred to run raccoons up a tree caused her to be more aware
>> of the concept of up.  I wouldn't choose another Coonhound though.
>> Mostly I trained her because she was there and I wanted to see if I
>> could do it.
>>
>> My next dog will most likely be a Doberman, which is actually the breed
>> I have been looking for from the beginning.  I've been saving up and I
>> think I can find one this time.  a Boxer is also a consideration, but
>> I'm not finding a breeder in the Midwest that I'm satisfied with.  I'm
>> still looking though.
>>
>> Previously my dogs have come from shelters.  this time I'm strongly
>> leaning toward going with a breeder, a young puppy and I'm having a
>> private trainer raise the puppy and do the initial guide training. After
>> a lot of soul searching and changing my mind two dozen times I have
>> decided to go the route of private trainer.  I simply do not have the
>> time or energy to train another guide dog, but I'm not 100% comfortable
>> with the offerings of any of the available programs.  I'm very excited
>> about this arrangement because I don't have to put in the time and
>> effort, but I still get to choose all the important things to me
>> throughout the process.
>>
>> As of right now the puppy will be born sometime in the spring.  He will
>> go to the trainer in the summer, where he will stay for somewhere in the
>> neighborhood of 18 to 24 months.  then probably I'll travel there to
>> spend a week or so with the dog and trainer learning what I need to know
>> before I bring the dog home.  If all goes well I'll have my next dog in
>> a little over two years.  Monty will be about 7.5 then, which might be a
>> bit young for him to retire.  However I'm not sure exactly when he'll
>> start slowing down or showing signs of age related health issues, so I'm
>> planning the best I can and will probably alternate between the two dogs
>> to make the transition easier for both.
>>
>> And that is more than you asked, but there you go!
>> Julie
>>
>>
>>
>> On 12/18/2012 10:37 PM, Laurel wrote:
>>> Hey Debbie and all! Hope y'all are well, I've been so quiet on here
>>> because I've had a crazy semester at college, but that's another post
>>> under another subject line. What kind of dog is Leone, I can't
>>> remember at the moment.
>>> Also, as far as dog breeds go, those of you who owner train, what is
>>> y'all's breed preference? What kind of dog do you all have, and what
>>> are your favorite breeds to train?
>>> Laurel and Stockard
>>>
>>> On 12/18/12, Debbie Cole<debbieanne1124 at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>> ***waves her yellow lab's tail at Laurel.
>>>>
>>>> Debbie and Leone
>>>>
>>>> On 12/18/12, Laurel<laurel.stockard at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>>> Ok y'all, how many poodles do we have, I don't know. I also wanna know
>>>>> how many shepherds we have etc. I have a yellow lab. It would be cool
>>>>> also to know which are the most represented schools on here, Pilot,
>>>>> GDB, TSE etc. I'm from Guide Dogs for the Blind. This could be sort of
>>>>> fun. :)
>>>>> Laurel and Stockard, yellow lab from GDB
>>>>>
>>>>> On 12/18/12, consuelo johnson<consuelo.johnson050 at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>>>> I'm working a davenman pitcher and she is a wonderful guide.  I
>>>>>> just got
>>>>>> her
>>>>>> about a week ago so we are a new team right now.
>>>>>> consuelo
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jessica
>>>>>> Pitzer
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 7:21 PM
>>>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Hi there
>>>>>>
>>>>>> i have a black lab
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 12/18/12, John Russo<johnnyrusso at windstream.net>   wrote:
>>>>>>> Hi members,
>>>>>>> How many guide dog users have Doberman Pinchers?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of d m gina
>>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 5:49 PM
>>>>>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] Hi there
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Now that we know there are several puddles out there giggle, How many
>>>>>>> black labs or even how many yellow labs are out there.
>>>>>>> On this list.
>>>>>>> Just thought I would have fun.
>>>>>>> Tammy your address isn't coming into my address book, can you send it
>>>>>>> to me please?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> --Dar
>>>>>>> skype: dmgina23
>>>>>>>     FB: dmgina
>>>>>>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>>>>>>> every saint has a past
>>>>>>> every sinner has a future
>>>>>>>
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