[nagdu] preparing for my first guide dog

[Elizabeth Campbell]

Hi Rachael, congratulations on getting your first guide dog. I'm sure  it
will be a rewarding experience for you.

The advice I have for you is that you are going to have some great days and
some really frustrating days when working with  your dog. Believe me, it
also happens to those of us who are working with our second or third guides.
The thing to remember is when you hit a rough spot with your dog, take a few
deep breaths and try not to get stressed out or angry as your dog will pic
up on that.
I wish you the best of luck and let us know how things go.

Sincerely,

Liz Campbell

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kristen via nagdu
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 9:06 PM
To: Rachel Becker; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] preparing for my first guide dog

Hi Rachel--

Did you used to attend Iowa Braille School events in the Council Bluffs
area? You may or may not remember me, but I think you're the same person I'm
thinking of.

Anyway, congrats on receiving your first guide soon! It is definitely an
exciting adventure. I received Corvette, a Golden Retriever and my first
guide, last summer from KSDS. The hardest part about the transition for me
was learning to trust him and having confidence that he wouldn't run me into
things or forget to stop and let me know about upcoming stairs, etc. I was
so used to feeling for those things on my own with a cane and found myself
stopping a lot or going really slow when I was first walking with him to
make sure I would be safe. You have to trust your dog in order to work as a
team and bond together.

Good luck with him/her on a college campus. I work Corvette in my high
school now (I'll be graduating this December midterm), and luckily, haven't
had much trouble with students wanting to pet. 
However, when you go to public places, often, there are many people asking
if it's okay to pet, which is a personal preference for you. (I never let
anyone, as it will distract Corvette, and sometimes, he will bring me up to
random people afterward, wanting a pet from them.) You do have to have a
response ready for them on cue, which was a bit difficult at first for me,
not knowing who they were or when they were petting to stop them.

Wishing you the best,
--
Kristen Steele


----- Original Message -----
From: Rachel Becker via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 20:13:31 -0400
Subject: [nagdu] preparing for my first guide dog

Hi. My name is Rachel Becker. I joined the list awhile ago when I first
applied for a guide dog but I'm generally quiet. I'm currently staying with
my parents in MD but I am a student at Princeton Theological Seminary in New
Jersey. I will be going into class at Guiding Eyes for my first guide dog on
July 27. *34 days*! As you can imagine, I'm pretty nervous. Any advice on
how to make the transition as smooth as possible for me and my new guide.
I've never even had a pet dog so this is all new to me. I will be going back
to NJ after class and will have about three weeks before school starts so
I'm grateful for that. What was the most difficult or surprising thing about
making the transition to working with and taking care of a guide dog?

See you in Orlando!

Rachel

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