[nagdu] How to measure a successful guide dog team?

[Julie J.]

I think successful is different for every person.   For me success is 
being able to get where I want to go, without undue stress or 
inconvenience.  I also expect that the dog not be a bother to others 
when out in public and that he conducts himself pleasantly in my home.

Now what stress, inconvenience, a bother and pleasant mean exactly...I 
could probably write an entire book.  When working I expect that the dog 
will make safe decisions, not interupt the normal flow of working for 
personal reasons at least 95% of the time and listens to my  directions.

Julie





On 11/3/2012 9:27 PM, Cindy Ray wrote:
> I don't see how anyone could really have complete trust in the dog. I think for the most part you must, but sometimes there are things you know that the dog doesn't. Now, often you don't know what you think you do, but you do have to not trust enough to make intelligent decisions; the dog has to have just enough intelligent to make good decisions. I had wondered if Fisher and I were a good team anymore. We don't walk as much as we should, and it seems at two or three places on a walk he gets down and sniffy. Well, yesterday we were walking to our pharmacy. I had a specific way I was going there. We had learned that if you passed these three trees, went over the grass and into the parking lot, you could have almost a straight shot to the door of the pharmacy. Recently Fisher has turned way before the trees, but he has gone right to the pharmacy. Yesterday, we were walking along and I had on my scarf because it was a little cold. Fish stopped, and as I tapped my foot ahead of me a bit, I thought I heard something in front of me. It was that sound bouncing off objects. I urged him forward a little and he did not go but, rather, went to the right and crossed the grass. I wondered if I had misjudged how far we went. But he started out. Then he crossed the grassy median, so I knew we were way off from where we usually cross. He sailed through the parking lot, cars came around us, but he was paying attention, and pretty soon we were at the pharmacy's door. On the way back, he suggested left and we went there. There were some things in the grass that I tripped on a little, but I urged him on suggesting right, and finally he went back to the sidewalk. Though we don't encounter these kinds of things much, he did all of this with confidence and without hesitation. I think we may be a better team than I gave us credit for.
>
> Cindy Lou
>
>
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