[nagdu] preparing for my first guide dog

Ashley and Landon Coleman amc05111 at gmail.com
Mon Jun 23 02:39:39 UTC 2014


Rachel,
Be patient with yourself and your new dog. Things are going to be 
perfect over night. I've been working with my dog for four years, and 
sometimes my dog, will just try to do all he can to drive me mad. Most 
of the time we work great together. At first your dog will try to test 
you to see how much he can get away with so be confident in what you say 
to your dog.

Listen to your instructors, they know what they are doing. If you have a 
question, ask your instructor.  Don't feel like any question is a stupid 
question. If you have a question, ask it. You wont know the answer until 
you do.

Congratulations and good luck with your new dog! I hope you keep us 
updated on your training progress.

I've done enough writing, teaching and planning for one night. Grin. I'm 
taking myself off to bed.
Ashley and Landon, who is asleep on his bed.




On 6/22/2014 10:17 PM, Elizabeth Campbell via nagdu wrote:
> 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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-- 
Thank you
Ashley Coleman

Blinkie Chicks
Social Media Manager
http://www.blinkiechicks.com/





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