[nagdu] Adjustment from working with a king to a dog

[Julie J.]

Liz,

I think what you're asking is somewhat dependent on trusting the dog. 
that's tough in the beginning, because you don't really know the dog all 
that well.  Is he goofing off or is there really something he's taking me 
around?  It gets better after the initial 6 months or so, once you really 
mesh as a team.

However, the dog will always take you around things.  You will get new 
information, but some of the things you are used to with your cane are going 
to be gone.  You can get your cane out to check things out if you need to. 
However using the cane and dog continually together would be cumbersome and 
rather defeat the point, I think.

Some of the information you are used to getting from your cane, you won't 
need so much when working the dog.  I veer pretty bad  with my cane, so I 
find myself shore lining more than most people or checking for the edge more 
often than is probably strictly necessary.  a dog will keep that line for 
you quite easily so you don't need to worry about it.

If you really like the information you get from your cane and don't want to 
give that up, then don't.  Dogs are not for everyone.    Is there some 
particular reason you are looking into getting a guide dog?  I'm just 
curious.  It might also be helpful to spend some time with someone who uses 
a dog.  then you could get an idea how a seasoned team works, what a guide 
dog can and can't do and how the guide dog handler works through particular 
travel situations.  You can compare this with how you use your cane and 
maybe it will help you decide if it makes sense for you.

I was out with a good friend of mine who was also my cane travel instructor 
once upon a time.  He's a very, very, very good cane traveler.  Some things 
that surprised me a bit about the difference between his advanced cane use 
and my guide dog use were that I got lined up for street crossings faster. 
I could weave through tables, fountains, flower pots and other assorted 
stuff on the sidewalks or outdoor restaurant patio areas much more quickly. 
Finding a particular room in a hall of rooms was faster for him at first. 
Once I had been to a particular room once or twice, my dog would pick up on 
it and skip the others making my travel faster and more direct.   Finding 
specific things like the table with the coffee and cookies at the back of 
the room was easier for the cane user.

Best of luck in whatever you decide,
Julie


-----Original Message----- 
From: Elisabeth Clark via nagdu
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2014 10:33 AM
To: Buddy Brannan ; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users ; ntorcolini at wavecable.com ; nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Adjustment from working with a king to a dog

Hi guys,
I haven't got a dog yet, but have done several walks with a few
dogs through three different schools and am looking at getting a
dog.

One thing I don't understand is the fact that I feel most
confident with my cane vs the confidence I have while walking
with a guidedog.  I feel that my cane gives me more feedback on
my surroundings and I can sense the unevenness of the ground
better than what I can with a guidedog.  I also know they try to
pull you around obsticals, but I'm not good with following a dog.
With my cane, I can use the tapping technique and echo location
to get around obsticals and find that much easier.  Did any of
you experience the same problem?

Cheers, Liz.

Sent from my Braillenote Apex.

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