[nagdu] guide dog schools with poodles for allergies

Tue Jun 4 17:47:40 UTC 2013

Hi All:

As many of you may recall I'm one of those who has harnessed the skills of the poodle. :)

First, I agree that people can still be alergic to poodles but working in health care I like the belief that people have and the fact that Bogart does not shed.  I will always have poodles but I do agree that they are not  for everyone. Bogart is my first guide dog but from my comparisons with those who have labs he is a bit of a handful to handle at times. With the poodle comes a certain personality, boldness and perhaps a bit too smart. These are good qualities but it means when working him you have to be prepared for his belief that he can guide you, check out  that  pigeon and get the attention of that nice lady walking towards us. Maybe he can, maybe he can't but I have to keep reminding him that his number one focus is me. Not lots of leash corrections with that skinny poodley neck, but a lot of talking and using of words and tone to keep him involved.

I had talked with Lucas from Seeing Eye and they were looking at a way of getting a sample from a couple dogs they had in mind for you and being able to have the person get tested to see if they were allergic to those particular dogs. (don't know if they test the dogs to see if they are allergic to us as well)

I hate generalities so if she decides to pursue poodles then she should talk to the head trainer at that school and be very honest about her lifestyle and her personality. My thought is that with a poodle you need to be very patient, firm and soft, and really trusting. It is good to let them figure things out with only  friendly prompts from the handler.  I'm sure this can be true of any dog but from what I gather poodles are a special breed.

Gary

]----- Original Message -----
From: Jenine Stanley <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 05:22:52 -0600 (MDT)
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools with poodles for allergies

Thanks Steve, 

This is what we tell people, that even Poodles can produce dander that's
allergenic. They do also shed, granted far less than other breeds, but they
do shed. For that matter, so do we, and all mammals with hair or fur. 

People often mistakenly want Poodles thinking they will be more acceptable
by the public because they are hypoallergenic or don't shed and hence will
be more tolerable in private cars and homes and such. They don't realize
that Poodles take a certain type of handling and life style and don't always
fit the person's abilities. 

I know that I am not a Poodle handler. They generally are way too much dog
for me to manage, as would be a shepherd or collie. I'm a retriever person.
Knowing that helps me when it's time for a new dog. 

Yes, there are exceptions to every breed type but generally, Poodles aren't
for everyone. I applaud those on this list who have had repeated successes
with them. 

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com
http://www.twitter.com/jeninems

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Steven Johnson
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 9:39 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools with poodles for allergies

Leader no longer trains poodles, and ceased their poodle breeding as poodles
have been proven to not be hypo-allergenic contrary to popular belief. 

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jenine Stanley
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 1:28 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools with poodles for allergies

All, 

GDF does train Standard Poodles for people with allergies. The wait though
from completion of application to class is around 1 year to 18 months. We do
offer ownership upon graduation in most cases. 

The other schools that I know of that train Poodles include of course Pilot
Dogs, Freedom Guide Dogs, Guide Dogs of the Desert and possibly Leader still
trains a few Poodles but not sure on that one. I can't speak for anyone
else's ownership policies. 

HTH

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com
http://www.twitter.com/jeninems

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darla Rogers
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 2:15 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools with poodles for allergies

Dear Janice,

	None I know of other than Pilot in the United States.
Darla

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Janice Toothman
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 8:31 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] guide dog schools with poodles for allergies

Hi Everyone,
I have a friend, who wants a poodle because of allergies. What guide dog
schools besides Pilot offer poodles? If possible what is the schools
ownership policy?  Thanks.
Janice

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