[nagdu] Identifying dogs reaching a common ground

[Shannon Dillon]

There are also other reasons schools don't work for everyone. I didn't have a guide dog for years because I couldn't leave my work and home for a month to live in a dorm. And because i live in california my options were even further restricted by the board that, fortunately, only exists is California.

I would like to also point out that  I see some behavior out of people who attended schools that is not generally considered appropriate guide dog behavior. so training at a school is by no means assurance of having well-behaved dogs. 

i also think owner trainer needs to remain an option. can you imagine how much power schools would have if people had no option but to attend a school. schools already tend toward paternalism. at least there still remains an option for those who for whom 'a school is not an option.sent from my iPhone

On Sep 7, 2013, at 12:31 AM, Mardi Hadfield <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com> wrote:

> Bridget, I had no choice but to train my own guide as when I needed a
> guide, there were no schools that trained guide dogs for wheelchair users.I
> would not have been able to have a guide dog if I had not trained my
> own.About a year after I trained my first guide, I read an article about
> Southeastern Guide dogs training a dog for a man who used a manual
> wheelchair.I think they were the first school to start training for
> wheelchair users.My first guide was trained as a wheelchair mobility dog
> before I trained her to guide me.Lily was 13 weeks old when I got her and
> that is when her training began.I have continued to train my own guides
> because I enjoy it and also because I have chosen to use breeds that the
> schools do not train.I have chosen my dogs wisely but a few did not work
> out.They were career changed, and I had to start over. It took over a year
> to find the right dog.Shaman, my current guide was a rescue.Lili,Nala,and
> Neechee were all purchased form breeders.Lily was the only young
> puppy.Shaman was 10 months.Nala and Neechee were a little over a year
> old.Nala, my second guide was just about as perfect as a dog can be.She was
> the best guide I have ever had.I have worked very hard to make sure all my
> dogs were well socialized and well trained.I make sure that they are clean
> and well groomed when we go out.I also make sure that they are well
> behaved.Their harnesses are also clean and well maintained.I take great
> pride in my guide dogs.I once went to a Blind Convention in Phoenix,
> Arizona, and was complimented on how well behaved and how well trained my
> Siberian Husky, Nala was by a Seeing Eye Trainer, A Fidelco trainer and and
> several other guide dog trainers. A lot of time and work went into training
> my dogs. I did have the help of a private trainer on my first 2 dogs but
> have trained Shaman and Neechee  my self.I think school trained dogs are
> wonderful and I might some day get one.But I also think there is a need for
> owner trainers,especially for other types of service dogs as many people
> can not afford a school trained dog.I agree with what the other owner
> trainers have posted on this thread,and I think we all make sure our dogs
> meet a very strict standard because we know our dogs will be scrutinized by
> others for being owner trained and not school trained.Bridget, I hope this
> helps you to under stand that it is the training that makes the service
> dog,not the harness or vest or ID.The dog is trained to do tasks to
> mitigate a person's disability. If it is not trained to do the tasks that
> mitigate a person's disability,it is not a service dog. Mardi and Shaman
> and Neechee,SDIT.
> 
> -- 
> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
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