[nagdu] Poodles

Tue Aug 5 20:59:49 UTC 2014

And if it matters any... Tami's poodles don't make my eyes water, burn
and itch and me sneeze like mY Leone and my cat do. I can relax around
her poodles.

Debbie and Leone

On 8/5/14, Tami Jarvis via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Danielle,
>
> I started looking into poodle guides because my then-husband was
> allergic to every dang thing. He was also one to pull the allergy card
> and expect others to take responsibility for his health without
> expecting him to take steps himself. Sigh. It became pretty obvious, at
> least from my viewpoint, that he was pulling the allergy card in
> discussions of guide dogs and that he was pretty obvious in thinking the
> allergy card trumped the blind card because I was just using blindness
> as an excuse to get a dog to torment him... I ended up divorcing him,
> but I was still intrigued by what I had learned about poodles.
>
> My current husband really advocated for another poodle for the
> nonshedding and because he thought another Mitzi would be just great. I
> couldn't argue that another Mitzi wouldn't be just great. The things I
> would change about her involve poodle-specific things beyond her
> control, like the grooming time and expense and the dance we have to do
> to keep people's hands off of her sometimes when she is giving her
> back-off look, which people think is just adorable. Poor girl. I was
> thinking a dobie would have many of the traits I like about my poodle
> but wouldn't have to put up with so much unwanted attention because the
> back-off look would have an entirely different effect. I also thought it
> might be refreshing to try having a guide without what I call the
> "poodle nonsense factor." When it comes down to it, though, I kinda like
> the give and take and the communication about what's going on around us
> and how we ought to approach it (or go around it or whatever). Dobies
> and shepherds *look* like they are engaged in serious business when
> they're looking around at everything, so casual observers don't assume
> the dog isn't paying attention to the job. Poodles, it seems, look like
> they are off in the clouds somewhere and could not possibly be doing the
> job, so the relaxed blind person cruising along beside the poodle must
> be clueless to the danger and must be told about it. The fact that the
> pair has not run into a single thing while whizzing through a crowded
> obstacle-ridden city route does not, apparently, indicate to some people
> that the guide dog is probably paying enough attention to the job to do
> it with flair. /lol/
>
> Anyway, I think if I had been able to come up with serious objections to
> getting another poodle, especially another Mitzi, I would have put my
> foot down. I think he would have respected that decision and just
> grumbled about the extra bit of dog hair to vacuum up. Now that we have
> the additional poodle, he is already grumbling about the cost of
> grooming, because he just needs something to grumble about. He's not
> that serious about it and really likes the new pup and thinks he's
> adorable now that he has been shorn down to look just like Mitzi. /lol/
> I'm happy with the pup, who is *very* like Mitzi in many, many ways.
> Having known Mitzi when she was the wild, rebellious age he is working
> towards, I fear the future, but... That wild mustang pup was an awful
> lot of fun. /grin/ Besides, this time, I have a yard and a couple of
> dogs at home to run with him and play him out, at least mostly. Mitzi
> has taught me some important lessons about things to work into training
> before we get into harness -- like how to deal with the poodle vocal
> tendencies and how to win power struggles when the time comes -- so I'm
> looking forward to finding out how well I've learned.
>
> In other words, in my case, I'm not unhappy that I went with my
> husband's preference, since I wasn't completely firm on my other
> preference and since I seem to have gotten a really good candidate.
>
> Tami
>
> On 08/05/2014 08:46 AM, Danielle Antoine via nagdu wrote:
>> Haha! Tracy I do remember.
>> Isn't it every six weeks or so poodles need to be clipped?
>> Marty, that's sooooo cool. I don't know of anyone else who had a dog
>> guide a manual wheelchair. How is this done?
>>
>> Have any of you had a time when your family wanted to decide dog breed
>> for you? Or, pulled the allergy card to get you to be swayed? How do
>> you deal?
>> Danielle
>>
>> On 8/5/14, Craig Heaps via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Do you have to tell your Husky "mush" instead of "forward"?  :)
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Mardi Hadfield via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 11:59 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Poodles
>>>
>>>
>>>> Amber,If you want a Poodle than that is what you should go for.But
>>>> there
>>>> are certain behaviours that are poodle specific. They are extremely
>>>> smart
>>>> and you have to keep one step ahead of them.I am sure that Tami can
>>>> fill
>>>> you in on Poodle idiosyncrasies.Make sure that you are prepared for
>>>> this
>>>> wonderful breed.My breed of choice is a Siberian Husky.None of the
>>>> schools
>>>> train Huskies so I have to train my own if I want one.I have had 3
>>>> Husky
>>>> guides and they have all been wonderful guides,with Nala being the best
>>>> guide dog I ever had.That said, They shed all the time.Lots of hair.I
>>>> just
>>>> get them all shed out and it is time to start all over again.My
>>>> grooming
>>>> tools consist of a ferminator,a shedding blade ( used to shed out
>>>> horses)A
>>>> rake for pulling out loose hair that has clumped together( not the same
>>>> as
>>>> a mat), and a slicker brush.I brush my working guide every day, but
>>>> only
>>>> groom my 3 pet huskies about twice a week.Even my Belgian Shepherd
>>>> guide
>>>> is
>>>> groomed 3-4 times a week,unless I am using him. Then I will make sure
>>>> he
>>>> is
>>>> groomed well before I take him out.Needless to say, I sweep and vacuum
>>>> HAIR
>>>> all the time. Huskies are a breed that is not for every one either.
>>>> They
>>>> have a personality which does not lend it self to training unless you
>>>> find
>>>> one that
>>>> wants to please you. They get board fast, so I had to change the
>>>> training
>>>> around often.I chose my first Husky as I wanted a dog that could pull a
>>>> manual wheelchair for long periods of time and not tire.She was trained
>>>> as
>>>> a wheelchair Mobility dog first and when I became legally blind, I
>>>> trained
>>>> her to guide me. I eventually got a power wheelchair,so she did not
>>>> have
>>>> to
>>>> pull me any more. She was such a smart dog and could do just about any
>>>> thing I asked of her.She could pick up dropped Items,could find a lost
>>>> item
>>>> and many other things.She could pick up a dime off the floor and hand
>>>> it
>>>> to
>>>> me as well as guide me all day and still have energy enough to trot all
>>>> the
>>>> way home at the end of the day.I loved these qualities about her and
>>>> that
>>>> is why I have continued to work with Huskies.I definitely did my
>>>> research
>>>> on the breed as I also found out they will dig up your yard,howl like a
>>>> wolf, and will destroy your house and every thing in it, if they do not
>>>> have enough work to keep them occupied.I only trained my Belgian
>>>> Shepherd
>>>> because I could not find the right Husky to train at that time.He is a
>>>> wonderful guide dog, but is very different from a Husky.So,after doing
>>>> your
>>>> research,and finding out every thing about poodles,if you still want a
>>>> poodle than go for it!Best of luck,  Mardi and Shaman and Neechee.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
>>>> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nagdu:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/craig.heaps%40comcast.net
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nagdu:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/singingmywayin%40gmail.com
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/tami%40poodlemutt.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/debbieanne1124%40gmail.com
>