[nagdu] Hesitant on stairs

Sat Sep 14 15:04:15 UTC 2013

Ian,

Hey! Welcome to future dogdom! It's a switch from the cane and 
definitely a learning process at first, like everything else. But well 
worth it! I was a fairly new cane traveler, too, but I had picked up a 
bunch of tips to practice for guide dog use. Then I ended up 
owner-training my current poodle guide, which really put demands on my 
O&M with the cane until she was ready to take over. Then I got to teach 
myself to actually use her as a guide, which was an adventure.

So it seems that people who lose their sight as adults have balance 
problems, at least at first, due to lack of the visual horizon. So I was 
relieved to learn I was not the only one who couldn't walk downhill or 
down stairs without getting dizzy. With the cane, the adjustment just 
took practice. Then I was using my dog at last and walked up a small 
hill, turned around and nearly fell flat on my face! I had to sit down 
and it took me forever to get down that stupid little hill! So I started 
practicing on down slopes to try to get myself over that. I guess with 
the cane as a point of reference to the ground, I didn't have too much 
trouble with balance that way. But with the dog, I didn't have that, so 
I really had to work it. I had some of that same feeling on down stairs, 
too, at first, especially on unfamiliar stairs. It can help to use the 
railing with my free hand, but they are not always easy to find and 
reach. I don't have that sense of vertigo any more, usually, unless I've 
just lost more vision and have the stupids. Sigh.

Let's see... Some other techniques I started practicing with the cane to 
prepare for dog use included going curb to curb and stopping with my 
toes on the edge, then finding the turn I want. And remembering to tell 
myself "right" or "left" because I'm iffy on which is which half the 
time. Turns out my dog knows real right from left right, so I am saved 
there. /lol/ I found that way of navigating good for general 
orientation, too, even though people may think you are daft for going to 
the curb instead of turning at the sidewalk intersection.

The real difference is all the things a guide dog takes you around that 
you would otherwise find with your cane. So if you navigate by all the 
stuff you tap along the way, that can be a real adjustment at first.

Best in getting your dog!

Tami

On 09/13/2013 11:14 PM, I. C. Bray wrote:
> Not to laugh at people having difficulties, but I honestly have my fears of
> stairs with a dog too.
>
> It's not th100 stairs you navigate successfully... it's the ONE you don't!
>
> My can skills UP stairs are great.  I have balance, and am fortunate enough
> to be able to climb, climb, climb.  It's the going down that bothers me.
> I even hesitate at the last step still, and will check with my cane to make
> sure I'm on the very last step... as opposed to the second to last step...
> which I usually will find the hard way.
>
> It doesn't help, that I'm 6 foot 2 and 250 lbs.   I can't help that I'm a
> big guy, but man... 7 inches vs 14 inches on an ankle is huge when you'r
> one-eighth of a ton!
>
> Would practicing stairs with a cane help with a dog??  Should I wait til I
> get the dog and then do stair drills with him/her?
>
> Ian  C. Braye
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 11:31 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Hesitant on stairs
>
>
> : Hi Minh.
> : I doubt she's afraid of the stairs.  I think she's picking up on your
> : hesitancy, and being cautious with you.  Dogs can be very sensitive to
> their
> : partners.
> : I don't know your dog, so don't know how best to encourage her to keep
> : going.  Some like sweet talk, and some get the message better with a firm
> : Hopp up.  They're resilient though, so you could try the firm approach
> once,
> : and see how it goes, since you're already trying sweet talk.
> : Better a little hesitancy than that other new dog trick of jumping over
> the
> : last step.  I hate that one!
> : Tracy
> :
> : ----- Original Message -----
> : From: "minh ha" <minh.ha927 at gmail.com>
> : To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> : Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 10:46 AM
> : Subject: [nagdu] Hesitant on stairs
> :
> :
> : > Hello all,
> : >
> : > I hope everyone and their furry little friends are doing well. I have
> : > a question about working down stairs. As I mentioned in an earlier
> : > post, there are about a million and one stairs all over my campus and
> : > they're not exactly all uniform and safe. I've noticed that Viva is
> : > becoming very hesitant and slow whenever we go down stairs, no matter
> : > whether they are outside or in a stair well. This is just going down
> : > mind; she practically rockets whenever we're walking up. I don't have
> : > the greatest balance and I get very hesitant walking down the stairs
> : > myself so it's not a terrible thing that she's walking slower.
> : > However, she does this thing where she would go down a few stairs and
> : > then stop and I would have to encourage her to keep on going. I've
> : > been overflowing with praise whenever we're going down the stairs and
> : > it seems to help, but she's still very cautious. Is she somehow
> : > sensing my own hesitancy and going slower to help me or is she scared
> : > herself? Also, I'm only hesitant at the top of the stairs when we're
> : > getting ready to go down, but once we're actually on the stairs, I'm
> : > fine. I want to help her get rid of her fears because I don't really
> : > want her to be afraid, but it would really help with congestion as
> : > well.
> : > Thanks,
> : > Minh
> : >
> : > --
> : > "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
> : > recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
> : > but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
> : > their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
> : >
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