[nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation

[Nicole Torcolini]

What the guide dog schools want to know is that you can get around safely
and that you are not just going to sit around and do nothing all day. Most
schools do in an home interview or have you send in a video. They have
requirements for the routes, such as it has to include stop light
intersections and stop sign intersections.
At GDB, the routes are not too long. If you needed to, you could probably
write it down or something. Once you start going alone, there are usually
trainers posted along the route; they are mostly there to try to distract
your dog to give you practice with getting your dog to focus, but they will
also help you if you need it.
As long as you do well most of the time, they will pitch in and help when
needed. I usually did rather well with listening to the traffic; however,
one day it was so hot that Lexia was dancing in place while we were waiting
to cross the street, so one of the trainers just told me when it was safe to
cross.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
starmy22 at gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 3:07 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation

Hi,
Oh ok.
I have a question: I'm going to be moving out to california.
Are the guide dog training schools out there more spacific as to what
criteria they are looking for?
I  understand one of them says that you have to have a mobility instructer
or some one send in a referral.
Are there any guide dog training schools out in that particular area that
don't have requirement?
I hope to hear fromyou soon.
Sincerely,
John Sanders


-----Original Message-----
From: Raven Tolliver
Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 1:28 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation

Hi John,
Every school is perfect for someone. You will get any number of loyals or
graduates recommending the school where they got all, most of, or their most
recent dog. People will recommend the Seeing Eye, Guiding Eyes, GDB, Pilot,
Leader, GDF, GDA, and so on. While all of those schools have their
advantages and upsides, I can think of pitfalls for all of those programs.
The bottom line: you need to decide on the school that sounds or seems
perfect to you. How do you do that? Consider what factors are important to
you. But wait, this is your first guide dog, so maybe you don't know what
those factors are yet. That's fine. Here are some factors for you to
consider and research.
location of program, ownership policy, dog training methods used, length of
formal guide training, average age of dogs issued, dog breeds offered,
length of student training, in-home training offered, special needs training
program offered, graduation ceremony, puppy-raiser contact, veterinary
assistance fund offered That is not an exhaustive list by any means. I'm
certain others will contribute. But those are some of the more important
factors when considering a guide dog school.
I personally chose Guiding Eyes because I needed the financial assistance
with veterinary costs at the time, and I felt it important to receive a dog
that was trained in New York. Also, I wanted an adult dog, specifically a
golden retriever. GEB was perfectly able to satisfy my requirements.
The same things might not matter to you. You might not care which breed you
get, or how young your first guide dog is. You might want ownership upon
graduation. Or, you might need in-home training for your circumstance. It's
up to you to research what each school offers, and as you find things you
like, write them down and try to find a school that has those things. That's
how I went about it.
Visit school's websites and click around. Call admissions and ask questions.
Put emails out on this list about specific schools once you become
interested in a few. It's far easier to answer questions about specific
schools than it is to make a suggestion to a person we know absolutely
nothing about.
I hope this helps. Good luck on your search.
--
Raven

On 2/17/14, starmy22 at gmail.com <starmy22 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
> My name is John.
> I'm 28 years of age.
> I'm considering getting a guide dog.
> I have a quesiton: what are some  good guide dog schools that you 
> could recommend for some one who is getting there first guide dog?
> I hope to hear from you.
> Sincerely,
> John Sanders
> _______________________________________________
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> om
>


--
Raven

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