[nagdu] How does your dog help you?

Wed Aug 27 00:36:40 UTC 2014

I will never forget the day I got lost on campus and my dog took me to
a building near by that we had identified as a landmark.

Obviously it is good to have good O&M skills and try not to get lost,
but when it does happen in a relatively familiar place, it was
definitely a huge help.

Sofia

On 8/26/14, Larry D Keeler via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Well Dan, dogs certainly do that. But also they provide companionship, alert
>
> you to others who might be trying to sneak up on you, ad percieved
> protection in bad neighborhoods and alert us to folks at our doors. Those
> things are not emphasized but they are usually there. No, I'm not talking
> about dog aggression or exsessive barking or anything like that for those
> who might think so. For example, Holly wags or pulls harder when family
> members or friends are about. She will also let me know by moving closer to
>
> me or other body language that someone strange is about. A couple of barks
> tell me someone is at the door or more disturbing, at my window. And, in
> some neighborhoods folks see Holly and just leave me alone. Finding things
> such as dorrs, elevators and bus stops and light poles for crossing the
> street are also a big help.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Weiner via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> To: "'Amber M'" <thetraveler87 at gmail.com>; "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National
>
> Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 7:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How does your dog help you?
>
>
>> 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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