[nagdu] Why I decided not to owner train.

[Raven Tolliver]

Nicole,
GEB definitely showed us how to work on separation anxiety, and we
worked on it there. But personally, I found that I had to start over
again once I landed in Michigan. And it made sense. My dog was in a
strange place, where I was the only person he knew. Without thinking,
I left him in my room to go eat dinner, just in the dining room, the
night after we returned. After a while, the Golden Guy started
barking.
And the next morning, I just took a shower and left him in my bedroom.
Ten minutes in the bathroom, and I heard frantic scratching at the door.
My mother brought The Golden Guy into the bathroom because apparently
he had been howling very mournfully. Oops!
My family had tried to calm him but as soon as they opened the door to
my room, he dashed for the bathroom and wanted in.

Yes, I dealt with testing, too, mostly at the training center. I think
some of it is that we have to prove ourselves as adequate
leaders/providers. The dogs want to see if we really measure up to the
role, and if it is really even us that they should be listening to.

About the health of dogs, I was not knocking on program dogs
specifically. It is common for pets today, no matter where they're
from, to have health issues. I was only saying that I could never get
a naturally-reared dog from a program, and since I want my next guide
to be, a program is obviously not an option.
Kibble has certainly changed, so has water quality, air quality,
vaccine schedules, electronics in the home, and I don't know how long
flea and tick poisons have been around. All of it has sent dogs and
people downhill.
Too, a lot of people used to just feed their dogs table scraps, which
was generally healthier than kibble in earlier decades. Nowadays, I
think most people's table scraps are probably just as bad.




On 9/23/14, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hahaha. Be careful; they know when you're not paying attention. Although
> Lexia does not go after kibble on the floor, I would not put it past her to
> ignore a steak. I can't really practice food refusal with her, though,
> because she knows that she is being set up. Also, she does not go after
> things that are not on the floor, so it really is not that big of an issue.
> 	And, yes, I know about the whole bringing home a bouncy, puppy-ish
> dog to other animals. The family pet dog, who was about seven, was quite
> disgusted when I brought home Lexia.
>
> Nicole and Lexia
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of debby phillips
> via nagdu
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2014 8:36 PM
> To: Raven Tolliver; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide
> Dog
> Users; crazymusician at shaw.ca; nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why I decided not to owner train.
>
> Wow, you are so right! Our household was sent into topsy-turvy mode the day
> Neena came home.  My retired guide is quiet, very laid back, obedient most
> of the time.  Our cat is 16 months old, still an adolescent himself, and a
> rescue cat at that, so he's a very laid-back quiet cat, unless he isn't.
> (Smile).  So this young bouncy, joyful dog came bursting into the life of
> our house.  She is much better but there are times when she blows my mind.
> A year from now, she will be a totally different dog, though I know she'll
> have relapses into goofy Goldenness.  She's my fourth Golden and I just
> can't help myself, I just love them, even when they try my patience.  Like
> today at lunch.  I walked in to the break room at work, and over to a table
> to join a friend of mine.  Suddenly Neena was attempting to grab something
> off the table.  She got a sharp reminder about how that's against the
> rules.
> Lol.  Fortunately my friend is okay with dogs, and Neena didn't get
> anything
> she shouldn't, much to her disappointment, and she got in trouble besides.
> I don't think it turned out to be worth it.  She'll be good about that now
> for a few days, then she'll go backward and do it again.  Sigh.  But
> eventually this too shall pass.  She's lying here on our deck
> snoring.    Peace,    Debby and Neena
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.co
> m
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/ravend729%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Raven
"if God didn't make it, don't eat it." - John B. Symes, D.V.M.
http://dogtorj.com