[nagdu] Dogs finding things here and abroad

Raven Tolliver ravend729 at gmail.com
Fri Jun 6 18:50:07 UTC 2014


>From what I've heard from veteran guide dog travelers, it sounds like
the schools are teaching these dogs less and less as years go by.
Perhaps this is partially because of the increased demand for guide
dogs over the years.
Also, this is just a shot in the dark, so correct me if I'm wrong, but
many guides are retiring early nowadays. Too many guides are either
just not working out right out of the gate, or they retire at 5, 6, or
7 due to some illness. I blame most of the former on guide dog
schools' poor screening process for prospective students. I blame the
ladder on the myriad of poisons we are taught to expose our dogs to in
order to so-called "protect" them.
I also think that dogs are being pushed through far too early here, as
I have expressed on other threads. For instance, guide dog schools in
other countries, such as the guide dog school of Sweden only turns out
dogs between 2-3 years of age. Here, many schools are pushing dogs
through as early as 14 months, when they are still growing, mentally
and physically, and have a lot of maturing to do.
I've spoken to a woman who has trained different kinds of service dogs
and she says this is happening across the board as far as pushing
adolescent dogs through these programs to offset cost and meet demand.
Unfortunately, no one benefits from a rushed training. Dogs are unable
to practice with and learn from the professional trainers as much as
they should know in order to provide effective and extensive
assistance to their disabled handlers.


On 6/5/14, Steven Johnson via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Tracey, Leader still teaches this.
>
> Steve
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> via nagdu
> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 12:09 PM
> To: Dan Weiner; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs finding things here and abroad
>
> I had heard that Leader and GDF both teach a lot of "find the ...".  Is
> that
> not true anymore?
>
> My very favorite is GDF's "Find the Way", with it's marvellous mystical
> connotations, as one who studies the Tao. Who better to find the Way than a
> dog?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Weiner via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> To: "'Craig Heaps'" <craig.heaps at comcast.net>; "'NAGDU Mailing List,the
> National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 12:18 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] Dogs finding things here and abroad
>
>
>> Now here is a question.
>> Having looked over the archives I see Viviana asks about the
>> differences between guide dogs here and abroad.
>> This  queery, , coupled with our thread about finding the light poles
>> or the button etc brings me to a question:.
>>
>> Dog guide handlers, users, whatever you want to say from other
>> countries tell me about their dogs being trained to find seats, poles,
>> really all sorts of things and it does seem from talking to them (some
>> of them I do trust as I've known them for years) it seems that the
>> dogs are successful at doing this and really are good at it right out
>> of training.
>> In the case of all of my dogs, they have learned but it has taken me
>> halling butt and working really hard at it to get it  to be
>> consistent.
>> This is not only the case with me but with most or all of my dog guide
>> using friends here.
>>
>> Also the web sites and literature from the guide dog organizations
>> abroad talk about the dogs being trained to find myriad things, seats,
>> bus stops mail boxes, doors (the dog putting their nose on the
>> handle), benches, many many things.
>> So, are the dogs in Europe say taught in a mmore consistent way to
>> dfind things and then why isn't it that our dogs aren't?
>>
>> Curious to hear points of view on this or maybe say, from our Swedish
>> guide dog user here as to how things aare there and opinionions from
>> everyone on this subject.
>>
>> Cordially,
>>
>> Dan and the Parker Pup
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Craig Heaps
>> via nagdu
>> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 12:01 PM
>> To: Daryl Marie; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide
>> Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crosswalk light success!
>>
>> Yay!
>>
>> I taught Chase "Find the button".  He likes that game because it means
>> treats.  But now he finds every button, even when I don't give the
>> command.
>> Better all than none, I suppose.
>>
>> He also sometimes gets locked onto the dog urine odors at the base of
>> the pole and doesn't look up for his treat.
>>
>> Craig and Chase
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Daryl Marie via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 7:10 AM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Crosswalk light success!
>>
>>
>>> Hey!
>>> Ever since training with Jenny, we have struggled with scrounging
>>> (I've posted about this).  One of her favorite scrounging/sniffing
>>> places is at the base of crosswalk light poles (where you push the
>>> button to change the
>>
>>> light).  On a whim on Monday night, I got off the bus one stop early
>>> to do
>>
>>> some work with her on finding these posts.  It wasn't pretty.
>>> Me: Jenn, find the post.
>>> Jenny (misses the post entirely and goes around the corner)
>>> Me: Not quite, my  girl.  Let's try again.
>>> We turn around, Jenny goes right past the post while I flail around
>>> trying
>>
>>> to find it.
>>> Rinse, lather, repeat.
>>> Third time:
>>> me: Jenny, find the post.
>>> Jenny finds the post but starts scrounging.
>>> Me: Good post, nose up.
>>> We take the corner again, turn around.
>>> Me: Jenny, find the post.
>>> Jenny finds the post, her shoulders right below the button, her nose
>>> is up.
>>> Me (throwing a fiesta): YAY!  Good girl!
>>>
>>> Now for the past three days, every time I ask for a post, she has
>>> found it
>>
>>> perfectly and kept her nose up!  Her tail wags even before I praise
>>> her, because she knows she's done good!
>>>
>>> SO proud!
>>>
>>> Still need a little work on scrounging in general, but this is SO good!
>>>
>>> Hope this encourages those who are struggling with distractions or
>>> scrounging that it can be done.
>>>
>>> Daryl
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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%40comca
>> st.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/dcwein%40dcwein.cnc
>> .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/carcione%40access.n
>> et
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/blinddog3%40charter.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/ravend729%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Raven




More information about the NAGDU mailing list