[nagdu] The Differences in Dogs and Canes

[Sheila Leigland]

very interesting post. Walking with a dog is so different than a cane 
that as much as you want a dog, it is still an adjustment.
On 6/29/2013 12:46 AM, Raven Tolliver wrote:
> 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!
>