[nagdu] The Differences in Dogs and Canes

[Raven Tolliver]

Carol,
Yes, it is recommended to use your cane for patterning your dog and
familiarizing them to routes and landmarks.
Personally, I did this a lot when I returned to college with my dog.
Of course, I had massive trust issues.
The following feelings and statements are about the particular guide
dog program I attended. I have not extensively discussed multiple
aspects of other programs, so I will not make claims and comments out
of ignorance.
During my class at my program, we were advised on the first night to
start walking around without our canes. I brushed this off and forgot
all about it, till I was reminded the next afternoon, since that was
the day before we would receive our dogs. Personally, I felt naked.
All my life, I considered my cane as a part of my body. Since I was
three-years-old, I had been using a cane. I did not use it everywhere
all of the time, but to familiarize myself with any location, I
definitely used my cane at first. I still feel like the program was
faulty in that aspect. These are guide dog instructors, not mobility
instructors. They obviously were not familiar with what the cane
means, what it does, and the relationship between it and its users.
Maybe everyone wasn't so hard pressed to let theirs go, but I was
while I was in class, and for about the next three months after I left
school.
What I think they should do is have the student keep their cane with
them during the first week with their dog. The students shouldn't use
the cane because that would interfere with the dog; but when a hiccup
concerning making a turn or obstacle clearance occurs, the student
could use the cane to find out what is happening. For instance, I was
on a walk at the school, proceeding down the sidewalk, and my dog
started moving over to the right. Unfamiliar with moving laterally
with my dog, I immediately stopped, then told him forward. Again, he
started curving right. I was perplexed by this and just stood there
and asked my instructor what was going on. She informed me that the
dog was clearing the side of an outdoor enclosure, and that I needed
to follow him. Okay, that's cool, but it would have been nice to have
used my cane to figure out what in the blazes my dog was doing. Also,
for curbs, construction barrels, and so on, it would have been nice to
use my cane first, then reach out or forward with my right arm or one
of my feet to realize that I can gather the same information using a
different method.
During this incident with the outdoor enclosure, I was exposed to my
dog's sassiness in harness. If I wouldn't allow him to clear an
obstacle, he would just stop, back up, and let out a throaty sigh as
if to say: "Okay Lady, are you gonna let me do my job, or are you the
guide for this team?" This occurred more than I would like to say
after I returned to my college campus. I knew where everything was,
and he had to figure it out, and I had to somehow, teach him all of it
and still allow him to guide me. This was a great challenge. There
were angled sidewalks, forked sidewalks, places where we had to walk
in the road and follow angled paths, and plazas to cross. Whenever
turning was possible, there were always three or four options, and my
dog always thought turning right was the correct path. It did not
matter if I said "forward" or "left," the path off to the right was
his choice. Why was he so stubborn? Back at school, things had never
been this hard or challenging.
My mobility instructor was extremely understanding. She had so much
experience and had seen dozens of people through their transitions
from being cane users to guide dog travelers. She already  knew of my
trust issues before I opened my mouth or walked with my dog under her
watchful eye. She encouraged me to carry my cane, but not use it on
our first walk. That was fine; the route was simple. But as the routes
had more spins thrown in, I became more and more frustrated. I
resorted to pulling out my cane and heeling for some of the routes,
tapping landmarks and teaching him the way with my cane. My instructor
then advised me to start using my clicker, which by the way, I think
we only spent about two or three days on back at the school. That was
not long enough for it to stand out in the flurry of things I had
learned.
The clicker worked like a magic wand. He got excited when he saw it.
When he did things correctly and got a click and reward, he was
pleased and eager to do what I commanded. It made targeting and
patterning easier.
I think if my guide dog program had weaned students off the cane,
rather than telling us to just walk around without it, this trust
thing might not have been so bad. That's questionable, especially
considering I was completely unfamiliar and inexperienced with
communicating with dogs. It also would have been nice if the school
had taken the students to a college campus to get the experience of
traveling with a guide dog in such an area.
Okay, done rambling for now. I just thought it would be somewhat
valuable to share my experiences and get those things off my chest.
Phew!

-- 
Raven

Original Message:
Sent: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 05:54:10 -0800
From: Carol Osmar <osmarc at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,        the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
        <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nagdu] [nard] The Differences in Dogs and Canes

As a potential dog user, I have a question.  Is it ever recommended to
use a cane while with your dog to locate the things you mentioned, or
would that somehow undermine the trusting partnership you have with
your dog?

Carol