[nagdu] Changing the rules when you get home (was I'm back)

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Thu Aug 22 15:20:26 UTC 2013 

I usually change the rules when I get home, if I find the school rules 
aren't working for me.  I say, give the school rules a fair try, because 
they may have some real value, but chuck them if they don't work for me.
One example is what I think of as the TSE pirouette, a maneuver for opening 
a door and going through it with the dog.  I gave it a fair try at the 
school, but shortly after I got home I went back to the way I'd been doing 
things and totally forgot it.
Another example is that, many years ago, GDB taught that I should heel the 
dog off of a bus.  I did that, until I stepped into a hole, or smashed into 
a pole right outside the door--I'm sure both these things happened--then I 
decided it was a stupid thing to do and have worked the dog off the bus ever 
since.
IMO, while many of the rules I've been taught in class do have value, some 
others seem to have been made up by people with no practical experience in 
the world I live in, and I will use my good judgement to decide which are 
which.
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sheila Leigland" <sleigland at bresnan.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 3:11 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] I'm back


> hi lyn well stated. I know a handler that goes out of the way to do 
> everything differently than the school trains to do. I do know that some 
> things work better for some dogs than others but the principles are still 
> the same.
> On 8/21/2013 11:41 AM, L Gwizdak wrote:
>> Hi Chantel,
>> I don't think Jenny said that ALL Pilot grads were idiots. LOL! I've seen 
>> my share of poor handlers since 1971!  they came from all schools.  Part 
>> of what I've seen is that grads will sometimes decide that the school is 
>> full of crap when the school asks you to do things in a certain way when 
>> you get home with a new dog.  the grad blows off the school and does 
>> things as they please - not realizing that the school tells you things 
>> because they do really know better what has worked and not worked for 
>> grads when they get home.
>>
>> At TSE, EVERYTHING done has a purpose!  Even the simple things like going 
>> to the dining room for meals.  At lunch time, all the employees and 
>> guests have lunch with us during the week.  For us students, they have us 
>> come in after the staff and guests are already eating and they are seated 
>> near the door in the first section of the dining room.  We are required 
>> to work our dogs past these tables with people eating at them.  This 
>> arrangement sets up a situation that we will find when we go to 
>> restaurants.  Every day, we are practicing how to work the dogs in a 
>> restaurant type setting.  In lecture, our dogs are in harness and lying 
>> quietly at our feet.  This is like if wwe were at a meeting we would go 
>> to when we get home.
>>
>> I do think some schools are more thorouogh in some things than other 
>> schools.  I see that some other schools do not place a premium on getting 
>> dogs out of the way when we are sitting in a meeting where we sit at 
>> tables. Some of the dog users just let their dogs lie on the floor in the 
>> way where they get tripped over.  The Seeing Eye is a real stickler on 
>> this issue of making sure our dogs are out of the way - under chairs or 
>> the table where they will not be tripped over.
>>
>> But many problems are from lax handling by new users AND long-time 
>> handlers because they don't think about what they are doing.
>>
>> Lyn and Landon
>> "Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
>> asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chantel Cuddemi" 
>> <jawsgirl87 at gmail.com>
>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 11:59 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] I'm back
>>
>>
>>> Jenny,
>>>
>>> I am a Pilot grad, and I went through the achievement walk twice, and I 
>>> had
>>> to stay for extra training.
>>>
>>> So, are you saying that all Pilot grads are idiots? Pilot's name is 
>>> engraved
>>> on Motley's harness.
>>>
>>> Chantel and Motley.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Snow White 
>>> Dove
>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 2:20 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] I'm back
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I got Shasta at Pilot.
>>>
>>> I was and am astounded by their training of their dogs and their 
>>> students.
>>>
>>> I know they have a fowl reputation.  but when I was there, I saw why.
>>>
>>> There were a couple of women ther that never should've gotten their dogs
>>> because they didn't have to go through the full achievement walk to
>>> determine whether they are fit for a dog.
>>>
>>> Basically what I'm trying to say, politely, but truthfully is, that the
>>> reputation of Pilot is marred only by the idiots they let go home with 
>>> dogs
>>> they sshouldn't have giving to people.
>>>
>>> For any questions on the details of this opinion.  Please email me off 
>>> list
>>> so as to not clutter the list.
>>>
>>> I just have to say this.  Pilot is, in my opinion, being considered a 
>>> less
>>> than desirable school ecause of the idiots that are seen because they're
>>> obviously not suited to have a dog and Pilot's name is on that harness.
>>>
>>> No one sees Pilot on the harnesses of those who handle their dogs well 
>>> and
>>> just blend in.
>>>
>>> Anyway, I'm done gushing over my experiences.  Please don't feel 
>>> offended by
>>> anything I might have said.
>>>
>>> If I've overstepped my bounds with the moderators.  Please know that
>>> apologize.
>>>
>>> Jenny
>>> On Aug 19, 2013, at 7:34 PM, Marsha Drenth <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Jenny,
>>>> congratulations!
>>>> What an interesting name..Where did you get Mr Shasta? I don't remember
>>> what school you apply to. Sorry.
>>>> May you both have many years of wonderful working relationship 
>>>> together.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Marsha drenth
>>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>>>
>>>> On Aug 19, 2013, at 7:02 PM, Snow White Dove <jlperdue3 at gmail.com> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Wanted to write to tell you all that I finally did it.  I know
>>> Cynprobably let you guys know already, but I figured I'd write myself.
>>>>>
>>>>> I came home August 9th with an English Black lab named Shasta.
>>>>>
>>>>> He's a wonderful worker and has a great personality, but boy I wasn't
>>> sure of the personality part in the beginning or whether I could handle 
>>> him
>>> at all.
>>>>>
>>>>> If he had not been on leash I think he'd have bounced off the walls 
>>>>> all
>>> on his own steam.
>>>>>
>>>>> He settled down, and things are pretty cool now, but being 19 months 
>>>>> old,
>>> he's a chewer.  I've had him on leash since I got him, and everything 
>>> was
>>> fine till I got home with my brand new leather leash which he chewed in 
>>> half
>>> in a perfectly streight line in two seconds flat.
>>>>> Needless to say, I was embarrassed to call the school to order a new
>>> leash, but more embarrassed when the head trainer answered the phone. 
>>> He
>>> was cool about it, well for him, and said to give him a couple of weeks 
>>> to
>>> get more leashes as theyn were out.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm hoping they'll just give me a new one, but I don't think I'll be 
>>>>> that
>>> lucky.
>>>>>
>>>>> Also, he appears to be a dog, but is a beaver.  He eats anything 
>>>>> wooden
>>> outside, and I can't seem to break him of it.  I've said no, leash
>>> corrections, drop it and removed sticks and twigs from his mouth.  ug.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hope to hear from you guys soon.  I just did a mass delete before I 
>>>>> wrote
>>> you all, so if you wrote me about Shasta, please forgive me and send it
>>> again.
>>>>>
>>>>> Have a great day.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jenny
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
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>>
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