[nagdu] How does your dog help you?

Tue Aug 26 23:33:56 UTC 2014

Dan, 
My dogs help me by... 
Guiding me around stuff in my path, stopping at changes in elevation, all the usual guide stuff. 
Alerting me to the arrival of a bus or cab, alerting me to someone calling my name. Alerting me to fire alarms, alerting me to door knocks, and other sounds. 
Retrieving items I drop, pulling or pushing baskets of lauddry or other items, emptying the dryer. 
Helping me up when I fall, help me walk and centering me when I start to fall
Waking me up in the morning, and alert me to stuff going on in my house— the latest was a broken toilet. 
Keeping my feet warm, making me laugh, making my life about a billion time easier and more enjoyable. 
Now, if they could only do the dishes and make tea I'd be over the moon. 

 Rox and the kitchen Bitches: 
Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
Pawpower4me at gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 26, 2014, at 6:00 PM, Dan Weiner via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello to all.
> Well I thought this would be a fun question for the list.
> I was talking by Skype with a Russian partially-sighted lady who speaks good
> English and she asked me how my dog helped me and why can't I do the same
> things with a cane.
> 
> I gave her an answer which I don't think convinced her very much, not that I
> really want to convince but it made me think that that would be fun to see
> how people on the list answer that question.
> I told her I would ask on the list and see what people say.
> I said that my dog takes me around obstacles, stops at steps and curbs,
> finds things for me, helps me keep walking in a straight line and generally
> I felt made me safer and more efficient.
> I said that when it's working out well with the dog it is the closest
> feeling that I can come across to walking as a sighted person since I
> remember that a little bit from being akid, though I will say the memories
> are fading--lol
> 
> I also explained intelligent disobedience.
> 
> So if you all have nothing better to do, right answers  to that question and
> maybe we will all learn a thing or two about each other and our experience.
> I also wrote that since I only hear out of one ear that I veer terribly and
> I  walk straighter with a dog who keeps me on the straight and narrow.
> 
> I suppose I must like it after all, I've been doing the dog thing as a
> friend of mine calls it for twenty years--lol
> 
> 
> Yours,
> Dan Weiner'
> 
> dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amber M via nagdu
> Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 3:19 PM
> To: Valerie Gibson; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users
> Subject: How does your dog help you?
> 
> Hi Valerie and all,
> I would like to say a few things here, because, like Nicole, I chose not to
> give certain information, a to avoid extra information cluttering my
> questions, and be because I did not initially think that that information
> was relevant.
> When I first talked with the breeder, and even now, we are not sure and were
> not sure whether or not I was going to actually get to keep her. Right now,
> my husband and I are still discussing whether or not he thinks it's feasible
> for us to take this on.
> Also, in respect to my work schedule and it being compatible with me
> training, unfortunately, I do not get to choose my work schedule. And, if I
> waited until I had the "right schedule quote, I wouldn't get to train at
> all. I normally only work 40 hours. When I did meet with this breeder, I had
> no idea whether or not I was going to get to keep a puppy, and even if there
> would be the right puppy. I had already signed up for these hours, and I was
> not able to back out of them. The policy for overtime states that if you do
> offer to work it, you must do that regardless, so I was not in a position to
> cancel. Had I known for sure that I was going to get to keep a puppy, even
> for a short amount of time, I would not have taken those hours.
> Now, I am spending the mornings with her, and taking her for walks, and
> playing with her, before working in the afternoon.
> In fact, the other evening, after I got off, at midnight, I will add, we
> went for a walk that lasted probably about an hour and a half. I did not
> even get back and get us back in bed until 130.
> So my commitment to this, is not really a question. Working with her the
> same kind of hours somebody else, who isn't working, or who is in school,
> but isn't in class as many hours as I am actually working my job, is not
> feasible. But, working with her in general, and being able to devote my free
> time to her, is very feasible.
> She is very eager to learn, and so I mentioned a few things that I am
> wondering about, or worried about, there are many things that we have worked
> on and have been pretty successful with, that I did not mention. So it is
> not as though we have not spent any time together or done anything
> productive yet.
> Amber
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>>> On Aug 26, 2014, at 1:16 PM, Valerie Gibson via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> Personally i would have planned my puppy around my schedule, not the other
> way around.  Since you'd already signed up for hours, it might have been
> best to wait until another litter is born.  Excitement to start training is
> understandable, but since you're dealing with a young pup that will be a
> service dog one day, socialization and all the puppy requirements from you
> will have to be more structured than if it were a family pet.  
>> 
>> I'm not saying you can't do it now, but only that this seems to have been
> rushed into. 
>> 
>> I had a golden oppertunity to get a puppy from a litter before Zion's.  I
> didn't though, because I knew that I couldn't devote the amount of time
> needed to him at that time.  When I did get him, it was still a bit of work
> to deal with him and school, but I got him at a time where i could schedule
> my work around him. If I'd not been able to do that, I wouldn't have gotten
> the puppy.
>> 
>> So, that's my bit on that.
>> 
>> Anyway, what's done is done. Let's move on.
>> 
>> As ar as the whining goes. clickers really only work for barking, at least
> in my experience.  Understand that your dog is very young still and might be
> scared of being taken away from her littermates.  I think the best thing to
> do with young puppies is ignore them when they start whining.
>> It teaches them that scarey things are going to happen, and they need to
> cope with it.  If you're constantly giing her attention, she is, in the end,
> getting what she wants.
>> 
>> Once she realizes that whining is getting no response from you, she will
> stop.  This will happen slowly and obviously not over night, but it needs to
> be conistant.  In a pack, dogs will ignore a dog that's seeking undeserved
> atttention, unless that dog puts the pack in danger.  When the dog quiets
> down for 10 to 20 minutes, then go and, very calmly, say hi.  One thing to
> remember is your aditude must be the complete opposite as her's in this
> case. so if she's excited or scared, you need to dish out equal, or more,
> calmness and tranquility.  I hope this make sense, but how you react
> nonverbally will send all kinds of messages to your dog, even if its not
> message you want to send.  
>> 
>> Hope this helps.
>> 
>> Valerie
>>> On Aug 26, 2014, at 8:14 AM, Amber M via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Deanna,
>>> Yes, she is a poodle puppy. I am trying not to use corrections. And 
>>> honestly, the whining is not nearly as bad as it was when we first 
>>> started. This morning I was able to make breakfast without much 
>>> noise. :-) Thanks, Amber
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Aug 26, 2014, at 9:55 AM, Deanna Lewis <DLewis at clovernook.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hi Amber,
>>>> Good to hear from you. Is the puppy a poodle? How old is she?
>>>> I think it's a good idea to let her whine a bit while she is in her
> crate. Try to ignore her as much as possible.  Pascal used to whine while he
> was in his crate. A technique a trainer taught me was to put the leash on
> your dog while they are in their crate. If the dog is quiet, praise them.
> Then, if the dog does whine, give a small correction.  The biggest downside
> is that you have to be right next to the crate. This worked wonders on
> Pascal, so hope it can help you too.
>>>> Deanna and Pascal
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amber M 
>>>> via nagdu
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 9:40 AM
>>>> To: Cindy Ray; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide 
>>>> Dog Users
>>>> Cc: Tracy Carcione
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] An update on the owner training situation
>>>> 
>>>> Hi Cindy,
>>>> As I told Tracy, I normally will not be working that many hours. I took
> on those hours before I knew I would find a puppy. I had planned to meet
> with the breeder, but she had not said whether she planned to bring puppies
> with her or whether we were just going to meet and talk. So, then she said
> she would bring some, but I had already signed up for those hours. With my
> job, we are required to work hours that we sign up for. So I was kind of put
> in a impossible situation.
>>>> Amber
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>> On Aug 26, 2014, at 8:52 AM, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I think I'd have to agree. How are you actually going to have the time
> for this training thing. If I were working 80 hours a week, I would wonder
> how you get any rest at all. That's two regular weeks of work in one. YIKES!
> I would think letting her whine while you are doing dishes, using the
> restroom, etc. would be fine. If you answer her when she whines, then she
> knows that will work for her. That's just my common sense talking, not
> really based on knowledge.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Cindy
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Aug 26, 2014, at 7:32 AM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I don't wish to be discouraging, but, if you're working 80 hours a
> week, do you have the time required for puppy-training?  I understand it can
> be quite time-intensive.  Maybe you would be wise to wait until you're
> working a bit less?
>>>>>> Tracy
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Amber M via nagdu" 
>>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 8:22 AM
>>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] An update on the owner training situation
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>> I am sorry I have not written recently, but there has been a lot
> going on. I worked 82 hours last week, and since I wrote last, have met with
> both a trainer and a breeder. The breeder that I'm met with happened to have
> three puppies that she thought might be good for the task. She brought them
> and I met with them, and picked one that I really liked. She has allowed me
> to keep her for a couple of weeks to see how things go.
>>>>>>> I have a few questions.
>>>>>>> One-when you are taking a puppy that is only three months old out to
> do business, how can you keep them from eating sticks and mulch that might
> be bad for them and still let them do what they have to do? I have multiple
> times taken her out to do business and found her with a stick in her mouth.
> I know that she is going to need to chew on things. I can't keep her away
> from it, because these are scattered around the grass where I live. It is
> not that I am deliberately taking her near a place where that is easy to get
> to.
>>>>>>> Two-when I am not able to be with her, I have been putting her in her
> crate. I have made it clear that this is not a punishment. I never yell,
> never push her roughly, or do anything that I think would make it a bad
> experience. She has eaten in there several times, and I am doing this to
> reinforce that being in her crate actually equals a good thing. But my
> question has to do with her whining. I have tried clicking in treating for
> quiet, and then walking a little further away, or staying the same distance
> away, but letting the time be a little longer, but ultimately, I do not have
> the time to sit there for a long extended period, and she can't stay focused
> on the clicker for that amount of time anyway. So I am just wondering if I
> am wrong for having to let her wine a little sometimes because I have to go
> to the restroom or because I have to cook dinner or because I have to
> actually do the dishes etc.?
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> Amber
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
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>>>>>> 
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