[nagdu] German guide dog system

[Shanna Stichler]

Hi Lisa,

First, thanks for telling us about how guide dog training works in 
Germany. It sounds like you've chosen a good program to work with, and I 
hope all the best for you and Taylor.

I was particularly interested in learning how dog guides are placed and 
trained in Germany because I own a female German Shepherd who was 
imported from your country as a puppy. :) She is one of the smartest 
dogs I have ever trained, loves guiding, and is just a great dog all around.

Anyway, welcome belatedly to this list, and I hope your training goes well!

Shanna and Diamond

On 8/20/2014 9:40 AM, Lisa via nagdu wrote:
> Hello everybody and thanks for the warm welcome!
>
> I'll try to answer your questions in one e-mail, I hope i'm not 
> neglecting
> someone.
>
> So, here in Germany, guide dogs are listed as things that help blind 
> people.
> Like a cane or a braille display. I know this sounds horrible but it's 
> just
> a law on paper that makes it possible the health insurance pays for 
> the dog.
> They do pay for those other helpful things, too. But since a guide dog or
> its training is expensive, they try to refuse often. They make up reasons
> why you shouldn't get a dog just to avoid the costs. Which is why I 
> had to
> struggle so long. Health insurances in Germany are rich, really, but
> penny-pinching as hell. It's a terrible thing, in my opinion, to be so
> dependent on them when it comes to having or not having a guide dog.
>
> There are a lot of guide dog schools in Germany. I cannot estimate an 
> actual
> number but really, there are dozens. I picked one where I noticed that 
> not
> only the dog as a guide, but also a dog as an animal with needs was
> considered. Sadly, it seems like some schools only concentrate on the 
> guide
> aspects and not on the dog itself. So I was happy to find this school 
> where
> it was so balanced.
> Normally, the training phase has two parts: At first, you are working 
> with
> your new dog at a training centre and in the second part you go to your
> place with the trainer and continue training there. At the end of the
> training, there is an examination where an independent expert comes and
> watches how you and your dog work together, if the dog obeys yu and if
> everything is okay. If so, the training is over, the trainer leaves, 
> the dog
> stays, the health insurance pays and your life together starts. If 
> not, then
> the reasons are examined. So if the dog and you just don't match, it's 
> okay.
> The dog will get back to the guide dog school and you and your trainer 
> will
> start looking for another one. (Of course this could happen within the
> trainng also, not necessarily during the exam).
>
> The school I chose, however, does the whole training in your hometown. 
> So on
> September 8, the trainer is going to come to my place with Taylor. Then
> he'll stay in a hotel for three weeks and work with me and Taylor 
> every day
> until I qualify at the end.
> But still, if there are problems afterwards, the trainer can come back to
> continue the training.
> I like the idea of training where you live. I'm glad that I can stay here
> and get to know all the new things in my familiar area.
>
> And yes, I grew up with different dogs in my family. I love dogs and feel
> prepared to have one living with me.
>
> OK, this has gotten quite long. But I hope this is interesting to some of
> you. :-)
>
> Lisa
>
>
>
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