[nagdu] picking breed, gender, and influences from others

[Gerardo Corripio]

  Side note of seeing your book in the signature: is it available on 
Bard or Bookshare?

El 11/07/2015 07:52 a.m., Julie J. via nagdu escribió:
> I can see both sides to the choosing your dog concept.  I have picked 
> all of my dogs because I have owner trained or had them privately 
> trained.  Three turned out great and one was a learning experience.  I 
> don't think her breed was the problem though.   She just really didn't 
> want to be a guide dog. You wouldn't have that issue with a program 
> though, or I'd hope not.
>
> I am very picky with breed, gender and temperament.  With that said I 
> still have to be flexible.  This last time around I had wanted a red 
> Doberman male.  I ended up with a black Doberman female.  I guess you 
> have to decide what you'll compromise on and what you won't.   To me 
> focus and work ethic are of paramount importance.  Also my husband has 
> mild allergies and requested a short haired dog.   I researched a ton 
> and then some more first on breeds and then breeders.
>
> But one of the huge benefits to going through a program is that they 
> know their dogs and should be able to  match you up with one that 
> suits you. This eliminates a lot of time researching breeds, 
> evaluating dogs and learning what traits best suit your lifestyle.  
> They are supposed to be making the dog choosing and matching process 
> easier and less problematic for you.
>
> I still say the hardest part about owner training is picking the dog 
> to start with.  If you start with a solid dog, the training is still 
> work, but not a nightmare.  You can start with a mess of a dog and 
> come out with a guide.  It's just that the process will be 
> exponentially more time consuming and difficult.  If the program does 
> a good job of selecting quality dogs and matches them well, the rest 
> will fall into place pretty handily.
>
> All that said, if a poodle is what you want and no other dog will be 
> quite right and you'll always wish you had the poodle, then I say ask 
> for the poodle.   If you're always wishing your lab was a poodle, 
> you'll never be truly happy with your lab and the partnership and work 
> will suffer.
>
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is 
> now available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> -----Original Message----- From: Raven Tolliver via nagdu
> Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2015 1:31 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Raven Tolliver
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] picking breed, gender, and influences from others
>
> As someone who was and will always be picky about breed, I agree that
> you shouldn't pick a breed because it's cute. However, if you truly
> feel that a certain breed's general temperament is more suited to you,
> I would make the request.
> Three years ago, I got my first guide dog, and I asked for a golden
> because I have always appreciated how down-to-earth, compliant, and
> loyal they are. The goldens I met who were pets were very low-key,
> very out-of-my-face, and minded their own business in the house. Of
> course, I understand now that some of that is crocked up to the
> family's training, but I think the breed's ease of trainability plays
> a major role as well. And goldens are definitely not as stubborn as
> other breeds used for guiding, which is a big plus in my book.
> I didn't have to explain the case for my choice to the school I
> attended. I simply asked for a golden, and they obviously found that
> one of their goldens was a perfect match for my pace, personality, and
> handling skills.
> So if you think a certain breed is cute or cool-looking, don't request
> that breed for that reason. Do research on the temperament,
> energy-level, and behavioral tendencies of that breed to see if it
> will meld with your own energy level, temperament, and personality.
>
> To give a good example, I adore one of the most feared and hated
> breeds, the pitbull. I love how slick their coat is, their
> musculature, their cute brick heads, wide muzzles, ease of
> trainability, and willingness to please. However, I will likely not
> have one as a pet up the road. Most of them are extremely high energy,
> and the kind of smart that can get them in trouble. Honestly, the last
> thing I need is a high energy dog in my house. They are great to work
> with for a couple hours, but to live with that energy 24/7, I'm not
> interested.
>
> So if you think you want a particular breed, understand that it is
> okay to be picky within reason. Also understand that requesting a
> certain breed could mean a long wait time. The majority of guide dogs
> are labradors, and when you decide on a different breed and go the
> guide dog program root, you could be waiting a while. That was not the
> case for me, I applied in March, and got into a June class. But that
> doesn't happen so soon for everyone.
>
> Ask yourself why you want one breed over another. What specific
> behavioral and temperamental traits do you like about poodles? What do
> poodles have to offer that other breeds don't? Do you think you could
> work with a labrador or another breed? Why or why not?
> Those are just the questions I think you should ask yourself if you're
> considering requesting a specific breed.

-- 
Enviado desde mi lap
Gerardo J Corripio Flores Psicólogo, Terapéuta Reiki
Saludos desde Tampico, Tamaulipas México