[nagdu] Considering A Dog

[Cindy Ray]

Actually, I think the instructors at TSE do teach Fine or at least some do because I've had some demonstrate it to me. Also, I've never had a problem teaching my dogs to find something. 

Cindy

On Sep 20, 2012, at 12:33 PM, Tracy Carcione wrote:

> 
> Yes, TSE takes breed preference into account.  If you say nothing but a
> shepherd will suit, then a shepherd you will get, though you may have to
> wait longer than you would otherwise.  Sometimes there are lots of
> shepherds coming into class, and sometimes not so many.
> I've taught all 6 of my dogs the find command.  Some of them are better at
> it than others, but they all got it pretty easily.
> This very morning, I told Ben to find the stairs down into the bus
> terminal, which he does all the time.  Today, he apparently saw that the
> stairs were blocked, and took me around to the escalator instead.  He's so
> smart!
> Recently, the Port Authority changed the gate my bus home leaves from, so
> I am teaching Ben to find the new gate.  It's taking some time, because
> it's in a long line of similar things, but he's doing very well.  Which is
> just to say that the things you want the dog to find may change from time
> to time, so it's good to know how to teach new things.
> 
> Kody, I'd put a lot more emphasis on a dog's skill in dodging traffic and
> dealing with crowds, living in NYC, than I would on the find command.  I
> think that TSE has some of the best traffic training you'll find anywhere.
> Ben has saved me many times from some idiot driver flying around a corner
> without looking.  TSE also has some "city dogs"--dogs who thrive on the
> craziness that is New York.  They tend to have a lot of chutzpah, and can
> be demanding to handle, but they have the confidence and initiative to
> deal with NYC.
> When we were working in Morristown, Ben was an OK worker.  The first day
> we came into NYC, he became much more focussed.  His tail went up, and he
> seemed to be saying "At last, a real challenge!"  That day, president Bush
> happened to be in town, right by where we were working, so there were huge
> crowds milling around, turfed out of their offices by the Secret Service. 
> Ben was brilliant! and I saw that he really was the dog for me.
> Fidelco also has city dogs.  Other places do too, but I think they're more
> common at TSE, Fidelco, and GEB, and, so far as I know, GEB only has labs.
> Tracy
> 
>> Thank you for all the help/info everyone!  I appreciate it a lot.
>> 
>> I am confused, though. Pilot DOES teach "find" commands? A Facebook friend
>> of mine with a dog from Pilot told me they didn't when she was there, and
>> that (plus the lack of subway training, being in Columbus) is one of the
>> only reasons it moved down from the top of my list.  But if they DO teach
>> 'find" then I'll consider them again.
>> 
>> I was wondering re: TSE - do they take breed preference into account if I
>> said I wanted a German Shepherd? I know they still breed them, but I
>> wasn't
>> sure if you could specify on the application.  Also, I find it interesting
>> that they teach you HOW to teach "find."  Has anyone had experience doing
>> this? How well did it work?
>> 
>> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 11:01 AM, Tracy Carcione
>> <carcione at access.net>wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi Cody.
>>> Welcome to the list.
>>> The Seeing Eye has very nice shepherds.  They're generally smaller than
>>> Fidelco shepherds.  I work in NYC, and used to live there, and I think a
>>> smaller dog is a big plus.  Much easier to keep out of the way on buses,
>>> subways, and in small, crowded restaurants.
>>> TSE does not teach the find commands, but they will teach you how to
>>> teach
>>> it, which is in some ways better, and they will help you with it in
>>> class.
>>> I live in Jersey, and it was good for me to work in Morristown, which is
>>> similar in traffic and crowds to my town.  We went into NYC at least
>>> twice, and my trainer changed the usual routes so that I could work my
>>> dog
>>> around where I usually go.
>>> Their follow-up is excellent.
>>> First-timers have to stay in class for 4 weeks.
>>> I'm not sure how long the application process takes; I was leisurely
>>> about
>>> it because I was waiting for my previous dog to be ready to retire.
>>> Tracy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> *Kody Keplinger*
>> http://kodykeplinger.com
>> 
>> author of:
>> *THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) - an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for
>> Reluctant Young Readers.*
>> *AVAILABLE NOW!*
>> *
>> *
>> *SHUT OUT - available September 5th!*
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> 
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