[nagdu] Figuring out what I need in a dog

Brandy Pinder bdpinder at gmail.com
Mon Mar 3 15:52:46 UTC 2014


Raven you always say what I am thinking more gracefully than I can. 
Jewel, I echo raven. Most dogs will be friendly. I am a handler that is very stringent at the beginning. Family can say hi when the dog is under control in the first introduction. For a few months after that little to no interaction and no interaction from strangers. Slowly I begin to allow controlled interaction. For instance after giving a massage if the client has asked I will allow them to pet her as long as she remains where I told her and in that position. I feel this helps because of course I can't control what the public will do. By teaching her yes you are being patted hut your attention needs to be on me this helps when people sneak in pets on the subway etc. Raven gave a good brief description. It's hard when you have a dog that doesn't work out. Most dogs could adapt to what you are describing. Unfortunately you received one that didn't and now have that feeling of its going to happen again. I had three dogs in a row that didn't work so when I came to gdf I had many requests. It all worked out. Hoping the best for you! Keep us posted. 

brandy pinder
Alumni Council -  second vice Chairman
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc® 
and America's VetDogs®, The Veteran's K-9 Corps Inc® 
Providing "Second uSight"® since 1946

371 E. Jericho Turnpike smith town ny 11766
Cso: 866-282-8047
Email: brandydp at verizon.net
Cell: 304-685-4499

> On Mar 3, 2014, at 10:39 AM, Raven Tolliver <ravend729 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Oooh! Get a golden!
> Let me start off by saying a few things, then I'll rewrite your needs
> in a way that flows well.
> First, all of these dogs are going to be friendly, they should be
> anyhow. Whether a dog greets people or not is up to you. You will be
> the one to manage your dog and teach it self-control.
> Second, most dogs, especially these ones, are trainable to small
> tasks. I've trained out of control shelter dogs to pick up toys and
> put them in a waste basket, and those dogs are far from guide dog
> material for one reason or another. You can train a dog to do
> anything, you just have to have patience and persistence, and be able
> to gauge your dog.
> Lastly, here is one way you could express what you need in a dog:
> I need a dog that walks slowly, is energetic with an off switch, and
> has low distractibility. I would like a dog that does not have a
> strong food drive. Also, I need a dog that is comfortable with
> university, city and country travel.
> Hth.
> --
> Raven
> 
>> On 3/3/14, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> As it gets closer to time to relinquish my current guide dog, Faye,
>> back to the school, I am thinking about what kind of dog I need and
>> want. Maybe you guys can help me figure out what to ask for.
>> *I need a dog that doesn't get bored walking slow, but also doesn't
>> get distracted at these slow speeds.
>> *I need a dog that is trainable (to other small tasks, like standing
>> still to help me stand up off the floor), but isn't overly food-driven
>> *I need a dog that's soft enough to give me emotional support, but
>> tough enough to handle city and university walking
>> *I need a friendly dog, but one that isn't going to great everyone
>> s/he comes across.
>> *I need a  dog that will take city or country walks all in stride,
>> particularly going off-trail hiking.
>> *I need a dog with lots of energy for working around a university, but
>> not so much energy that I can't relax on the weekend.
>> Maybe I've just described what I need myself, but I don't know how to
>> take that and write it in a way that makes real sense to instructors
>> and the school. Any advice?
>> Thank you all for your support and help so far. I don't know what I'd
>> do without this group.
>> Yours,
>> Jewel
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Raven
> 
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