[nagdu] The matching process

[Shanna Stichler]

Hi Julie,

I had a lot of the same concerns as you when I chose Diamond, except 
more-so because I was purchasing her from a breeder across the country.I 
knew what temperament/drives in my next dog I wanted, but what I 
would've called a high-drive dog, my breeder would've termed medium 
drive. She is at the higher end of medium, but if I'd insisted on a 
high-drive dog from her kennel, I'd have gotten more dog than I could 
deal with. Whereas, if I'd chosen a dog from a school, I'd have insisted 
on high drive.

I also sent a long list of traits I wanted because the breeder had never 
had a guide dog handler for a client before. I'm sure she thought I was 
the most demanding, particular customer she'd ever had. :D

Once we both felt like Diamond and I would be a good fit for one 
another, I did have a few people I know and trust see the dog for me, 
provide some video, etc before I put any money down for her. Both of 
them called me later and told me that "that's your dog." And it's true 
*smile* I think part of the reason is that, even though Diamond is much 
more dog, she and I have built up such a good rapport that I almost 
never even take out my leash. Also, I didn't worry about pace and pull 
discussions with the breeder because I didn't know how much that would 
make sense to her, but I was pretty clear about how much work and other 
physical/mental stimulation the dog would receive. I think too, that 
when training one's own dog, it's possible to kind of customize pace and 
pull, simply because you're showing the dog what pace/pull you like from 
the beginning. So that's how the matching process worked for my last dog.

Shanna and Diamond