[nagdu] [nagdu Professional Guide Dog trainer need
Julie J.
julielj at neb.rr.com
Sat Jun 14 17:41:28 UTC 2014
Patty,
I am currently having my dog trained by a private trainer. she is doing
extremely well. I will have her back mid August. she will have been
with the trainer for a year.
If you are wanting a guide right away, I'm not sure this is the best option.
I started with a puppy. I had looked off and on for a couple of years for
the right breeder. For various reasons none of them worked out. I had just
about given up when I found the right one.
The puppies were only a month old then. So I waited for a couple of weeks
so I could go look at them and pick mine from the litter. a couple more
weeks before Jetta could come home with me. I had her for a week and then
took her to the trainer, where she's been ever since.
If you were to start with an older dog, it could shorten the time, but there
are trade offs for doing that. You won't know the exact history of the dog.
You don't know the extent of socialization and training the dog will have
received. There are dogs who can have lived in a backyard with little
variety in their life and still turn out to be excellent guides, but they
are rare.
Most likely if you start with an older dog you can count on spending a few
extra months working on basic skills and intense socialization, that dogs
raised to be guides would have gotten at a much earlier age.
I'd plan on 3 to 6 months to find the right dog, either a puppy or an older
puppy or adult. A puppy is going to need a year to grow up and attain basic
skills and the socialization needed. An older puppy or adult can probably
get this part done in 3 to 6 months. then add in the guide training, so
maybe another 3 to 6 months.
Of course all those are just guesstimates. Monty was an older puppy when I
got him. It took me 14 months before I considered him trained well enough
to be considered a fully trained dog. Belle was about 9 months old when I
got her and she was fully trained in one year. I got Jetta at 8 weeks old
and she will be working as a fully trained guide at 14 months old, so one
year of training. Because she will be so young, I won't be working her all
the time. I plan on alternating between her and Monty to ease her into full
time guiding and to ease Monty into retirement.
I know of a couple of owner trainers who have found a dog in only a few
weeks and had the dog trained in 4-6 months. It can be done, but I
wouldn't bank on that time frame.
I'm very happy with choosing Meghan to train Jetta for me. I am also beyond
pleased with how well Jetta is doing. I would recommend Meghan to anyone
considering this route. However if the time frame is really important to
you, I think you'll be frustrated and disappointed.
HTH
Julie
-----Original Message-----
From: Patricia Homan via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2014 10:52 AM
To: 'Alyssa' ; 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] [nagdu Professional Guide Dog trainer need
Hi All:
As some of you already know, My beloved Levi, My beautiful golden girl
passed a way suddenly 2 days ago.
There are no words now for me to describe how I field at this time.
specially I guess not knowing the exact Couse.
All I know is that she is gone, and we will never be together again.
Now all I need is to get a succesor dog as soon as possible. I miss my
independence and freedom that I field I can only get with a guide dog. I am
now considering different options and schools but an option that I think I
would like to explore more at this time is to get a professional guide dog
trainer that could train a dog specially for media understand there is some
people on the list who have done so. and even think there is someone who
professionally does this. World you guys please, please get in touch with
me.
call or write to me if you would like of list as not to colder it.
Thanks
Warm Regards
Patty
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alyssa via nagdu
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2014 2:45 PM
To: Abigail Bolling; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide
Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] I have some advice I would like to share.
There is a clip for the harness handle? Where would I find this?
Alyssa
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jun 12, 2014, at 12:43 PM, Abigail Bolling via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> personally, I try to always try to have a cane in my purse. I am thinking
> about getting one of those clips you can put on your harness that will
> hold a cane on the harness handle!
> There are always going to be situations puppies will not be comfortable
> working through, troubleshooting them with a cane can sometimes help your
> dog be more comfortable walking through that situation later.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Abby and Jada
>
> Wright Statue University: Social Work, Psychology, Biology
>
> “Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart and just let the
> music play.” (Julie Anderson Diamond)
>> On Jun 11, 2014, at 2:09 PM, L Gwizdak via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Brandon,
>> The old NFB philosophy about cane vs dog use had alot to do with the
>> NFB's philosophy on what makes us independent. People use to think a
>> person wasn't really being an independent traveler if they were relying
>> on a dog's eyes as opposed to being wholly dependent on your own wits
>> with the white cane.
>>
>> Things are different now as there are more and more people in NFB who
>> have a variety of needs and abilities. I have never felt unwelcome in
>> any NFB activities because of my dog. As in any other group of people,
>> you'll find people who don't like dogs and make no bones about that.
>> That's just life. But there is nothing in current NFB philosophy that is
>> anti guide dog. The NFB does feel strongly that people should retain
>> their caning skills to the best of their ability. Right now, I am
>> between dogs and am using my cane for several months as I recover from my
>> recent surgery. I do and go to everything I do wioth a guide dog.
>> Keeping up with cane skills is essential. You never know if your dog
>> gets sick or injured and you have to use a cane. You never know if you
>> suddenly find yourself without your dog due to retirement of the dog, it
>> becomes disabled. You still need to carry on with your life and that
>> includes getting from Point A to Point B.
>>
>> Good luck in getting your dog.
>>
>> Lyn who used to have Landon
>> "Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is
>> like asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brandon A. Olivares via nagdu"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> To: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>; "NAGDU Mailing List,the
>> National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2014 10:26 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] I have some advice I would like to share.
>>
>>
>> May I ask what this former philosophy was? I’ve not been familiar with
>> the NFB long enough to really be in the loop on such matters, and am
>> curious why dogs might not have been as accepted as they are today.
>>> On Jun 9, 2014, at 12:27 PM, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I don’t know. Maybe I missed something. Everyone who can ought to have
>>> good cane skills; there are clearly people who cannot. My ex-husband had
>>> as good of cane skills as he could with his hearing loss; it created
>>> problems when he didn’t have a dog. Most of us aren’t going to have a
>>> fall back dog if the dog gets sick. As for the NFB’s philosophy, that
>>> ship has pretty much sailed. We aren’t back in the 70s and 60s or even
>>> 80s and early 90s anymore, so I should think we should let the former
>>> cane dog controversy go to bed. Sure, there are still vestiges of it;
>>> but it isn’t an NFB thing. The use of dogs has , in general, increased
>>> since the time of the former philosophy, though the NFB always had to
>>> accept dogs, for instance, at conventions. Some of us as individuals are
>>> less tolerant than many others in the public maybe, but it is still not
>>> a part of the NFB philosophy, and many folks have changed their minds on
>>> the issue. I, for instance, used to think much as that former philosophy
>>> dictated. But I truly believe that a person needs to be independent in
>>> whatever way it is possible and that most of us should become as capable
>>> of using a cane as we can in the event of problems that we would rather
>>> not thing of occurring.
>>>
>>> Cindy Lou Ray
>>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>>
>>>> On Jun 9, 2014, at 11:14 AM, The Pawpower Pack via nagdu
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Dan, I'm going to agree with you here. I'm deafblind with some pretty
>>>> severe vestibular issues which cause my balance to be very bad. If I
>>>> did not have a dog, I'd need to be with a person all the time. I
>>>> cannot use a cane because if I don't use a dog, I use a walker.
>>>> I usually have 2 dogs— one semi retired and one young whippersnapper.
>>>> If one gets sick I have a fallback. I also know my resources and have
>>>> things like paratransit that I can use to go where I'd need although
>>>> it'd be slower and way more awkward.
>>>> If blindness is your only disability, I do think it's important to use
>>>> your cane from time to time. But also to understand that for some of
>>>> us, that's just not reality.
>>>> It doesn't make anyone better than anyone else much like me using a
>>>> sign language interpreter does not make me any less able or less of a
>>>> person than someone who can hear.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
>>>> Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
>>>> Pawpower4me at gmail.com
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>>> On Jun 9, 2014, at 11:00 AM, Dan Weiner via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Oh well, you guys are very competent cane users and I certainly
>>>>> give you credit.
>>>>>
>>>>> I however will not mince words in my experience a dog is far
>>>>> superior to the long white cane.
>>>>>
>>>>> Having said that, I know that different people use different tools
>>>>> well but I will tell you that the most active times of my life
>>>>> were made possible because of my using a dog and my motivation,
>>>>> both go together of course--smile
>>>>>
>>>>> The training I received with a guide dog and my interaction with
>>>>> the dog as well as my high motivation made my travel experience
>>>>> pretty awesome.
>>>>> I surmize that some of my fellow federationsists like to downplay
>>>>> the
>>>>> benefits their dogs have given them because they feel shy about saying
>>>>> too
>>>>> much in praise of a dog because maybe it would undermie or
>>>>> contradict
>>>>> federation philosophy in some way.
>>>>> .
>>>>> I however am not ashamed to say that I went to Japan and studied
>>>>> there for almost two years with my Labrador guide, Evan, and
>>>>> negotiated very crowded conditions and got all around Tokyo.
>>>>> The fact that I knew I would be able to go around people and
>>>>> obstacles, etc.
>>>>> and just the thrill of getting out there and letting Evan do his
>>>>> work made me actually want to get out there and do things.
>>>>> I used a cane before that of course, but had been getting
>>>>> increasingly dependent and worried due to traffic conditions and
>>>>> my hearing loss on the left side, as well as my tendency to get
>>>>> massively disorientated or is it disoriented due to veering.
>>>>>
>>>>> My independent travel with a dog as compared with my independent
>>>>> travel with a cane is about a ratio of five to one, maybe ten to one
>>>>> to be blunt.
>>>>>
>>>>> And of course, keeping cane skills up is a great idea,I'm not
>>>>> arguing with that....but what I am saying is there are some things
>>>>> I just can't do with a cane or do them very badly that I can with ease
>>>>> do with my doggies.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yours most sincerely,
>>>>>
>>>>> Dan the man, Parker the dog
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Gary
>>>>> Steeves via nagdu
>>>>> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2014 10:28 AM
>>>>> To: Leonard Stamper; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association
>>>>> of Guide Dog Users
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] I have some advice I would like to share.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi:
>>>>>
>>>>> I think we all agree that keeping up cane skills is important on
>>>>> several levels. First, it gives us all a sense of security
>>>>> knowing that, as much as we love our dogs and the job they do, we
>>>>> know that we could get around without them. It is very different
>>>>> using the cane and dog but doable.
>>>>>
>>>>> The other reason is to give confidence to those around us. I was
>>>>> shocked on saturday when i had to get a certain intersection where
>>>>> my band was setting up to play at an outdoor street festival. My
>>>>> girlfriend asked how i was
>>>>> going to do it with out bogart? I was sort of shocked since i'd been
>>>>> in
>>>>> this band 6 years before bogart showed up and i'd got to many of
>>>>> these types of gigs. Yes, i admit that navigating metro stations
>>>>> is a bit more challenging with cane over dog but on the other
>>>>> hand Iwas able to get to the bus stop in under 2w minutes from my
>>>>> house, a time that bogart could never compete with. :)
>>>>>
>>>>> So just mjade me realize that i needed to reassure Susan that my
>>>>> cane skills are just as d as they were before. I actually try to
>>>>> plan a day full of errands all over the city when I take bogart to
>>>>> the groomers to make me keep my caning up to date.
>>>>>
>>>>> Good advice and thanks for sharing with us.
>>>>>
>>>>> Gary
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On June 8, 2014 12:55:22 PM PDT, Leonard Stamper via nagdu
>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone hello everybody this is Leonard again. I had
>>>>>> a thought I would like to share, especially with new and
>>>>>> potential god dog users. I know from experience when you first
>>>>>> get your dog you Thelda came in the closet and probably will
>>>>>> forget it exists. But here is a nugget of valuable information
>>>>>> for you to think about. As we all know a guy dog will only work
>>>>>> for so many years. Also, your life will still have to go on after
>>>>>> that dog retires. I believe it would be a great idea, if everyone
>>>>>> would get out the pain and just use it every once in a while just
>>>>>> to keep your skill set shop enough that something was to happen
>>>>>> to your dog, or here she has to retire you would not be
>>>>>> housebound or taking your life in your hands when you travel.
>>>>>> Just thought I would share that everybody, and your doggies stay safe
>>>>>> and God bless.
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>> c%40sh
>>>>>> aw.ca
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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