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

Larry D Keeler lkeeler at comcast.net
Sun Jun 29 22:09:15 UTC 2014


My hardest thing was to trust Holly. Stop, Really, Why! Yes and usually 
there was something there! Now, I mostly trust her except while passing a 
dumpster, going by the local dog marking post or anything tyo do with 
squirrels!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Jarvis via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "Elisabeth Clark" <Darthsylva94 at gmail.com>; "NAGDU Mailing List,the 
National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2014 3:55 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Adjustment from working with a king to a dog


> Elisabeth,
>
> I get the impression that the change in feedback from the environment is a 
> pretty universal adjustment, as is learning to trust the dog and go along 
> with the guidance. It is definitely a learning process for both partners.
>
> As others have said, there is nothing wrong with sticking to a cane if you 
> are the most comfortable with it. But if you think you will prefer using a 
> guide dog, then it's simply a matter of practice and patience.
>
> I use my hearing a lot to figure out what is around me while working with 
> the dog and have worked to develop my echolocation and all that. I'm most 
> comfortable and confident when I have enough of a clue what is around to 
> take an active part in working with my dog. The downside is that I am apt 
> to micromanage her sometimes because I feel like I know what is what. When 
> I am in a place where sounds are confusing or just not helpful, my dog 
> seems to enjoy getting to do her job while I just cruise along with her. 
> Once I adjust to being disoriented and clueless and just give over to her 
> guiding, I enjoy it, too. Sort of. /lol/
>
> As you get used to moving with the dog, I think it becomes more natural to 
> feel changes in direction as the dog takes you around obstacles, so you 
> know something is there. I also feel the ground more under my feet, which 
> gives me a lot of clues and helps me know where I am on a route.
>
> The dog will take you from curb to curb on the sidewalk, so that helps in 
> keeping track of where you are. I chronically forget to count blocks, but 
> I still have the sense of intersections to keep track of where I am. 
> Usually. Indoors, my dog will indicate cross corridors and intersections, 
> which also helps with navigation and orientation.
>
> I prefer navigating by noting landmarks at random intervals, so I don't 
> miss the more constant feedback from cane travel. Since I'm used to 
> navigating with dog now, I can get lost in familiar places with the cane 
> because of all the extra feedback and being distracted by all the new 
> things that have appeared from out of nowhere. /lol/
>
> hth,
>
> Tami
>
> On 06/29/2014 08:33 AM, Elisabeth Clark via nagdu wrote:
>> 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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>
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