[nagdu] a little help calming me down please

[Lyn Gwizdak]

Hi Daniel,
Remember, this new dog isn't Scout.  Just relax and start with a new slate. 
I don't remember what Scout's problems were but I do remember you talking 
about his failure to work properly.  It was obvious that Scout didn't want 
to be a guide.

While you are at school, be sure to talk to the trainers or the counsellor - 
if they still have one - about your fears.  Talk to your trainer so they can 
take special care to get you the right dog that you can learn to trust.  The 
fact that you are willing to try again is good.  Work with the dog in the 
manner you are trained to at the school and continue that when you come home 
with the dog.

Ask any question or concern you have WHILE STILL AT SCHOOL. No question is 
stupid and no concern is unfounded.  You feel them - ask.  That way, you can 
go home with your new dog feeling confident and ready for the new working 
relationship.  Do as the trainer tells you with the dog. He or she knows 
that dog better than you do and knows how to work that dog.  Don't get lax 
in your obedience routine with that dog.  Do not deviate from what you learn 
at school.  the dog needs that continuity to feel comfortable in being with 
strangers in a strange place.  You will be the only person the dog knows and 
will need that consistancy in its life.

I wish you well.

Lyn and Landon
"Education creates tolerance towards diversity."
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel" <daniel.sweeney1 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 10:15 AM
Subject: [nagdu] a little help calming me down please


> Hi everyone,
>
>
>
> I have not been on the list in quite a long time. Some of you may remember
> me. My nam is Daniel and I had the guide dog that didn't, named Scout. 
> Well,
> Scout retired back to the school he came from back in February of this 
> year.
> I went back and forth over whether to do this all over again, but doing it
> again won over.
>
> I applied to GDB back in July, and was accepted. I leave this Sunday 
> morning
> for my 2 week training. I should be very excited and happy, which I am, 
> but
> I am also having extreme anxiety attacks. I assume this is normal, I just
> don't remember them being this bad before.
>
> Do you think it is because the last dog did not work out so well, and I am
> worried? Even while I am sitting here typing, I am shaking like a fool.
>
> I am going to the Oregon campus. It is supposed to be cold and rainy, and 
> I
> am leaving Denver, which is 60 degrees and sunny, maybe that is part of 
> it.
> Maybe it is I have been without a dog/companion for 10months, and I forgot
> what it is like to have a dog again.
>
> I have been reading everyone's post lately, and relishing in all the 
> stories
> of dogs in trash, scarfing up snippets of food, stress and massage, and
> getting the dog for more exercise. All of these things I am so looking
> forward to, with a dog that will not take me into a pond, pull me over a
> shopping cart, and most of all, walk me behind a moving truck to be hit 
> and
> knocked into a road of traffic.
>
> I have learned very much from having a dog before. I know what is not
> acceptable from the start, which is something I did not know the first 
> time.
>
> I also know that this is not the same dog, and I am going into this with
> full trust in my new dog. I will have faith in this dog and praise her/him
> from the beginning for every good move and have no negative feelings for 
> any
> unwanted behavior. I feel that enough time has elapsed to let go of the
> problems that Scout and I experienced.
>
> I guess what I am seeking from you guys is just a few words of
> encouragement. I do so look forward to talking to all of you again, and
> sharing all of my successes and funny stories in the future.
>
> Thanks for being there for me in the past, and I look forward to be here 
> for
> you in the future.
>
> May the powers that be bless all of you now, especially in this season of
> thanksgiving, friendship, sharing, and celebration of all we have in 
> common?
>
>
>
> Daniel.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Daniel Sweeney
>
> Lakewood, CO
>
>
>
>
>
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