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

Sat Jul 11 19:25:43 UTC 2015

I do not believe that it is available on either BARD or BookShare.  However 
it could be, since they don't need my permission to make it available. 
Currently it is only available as a Kindle book.  I know there are problems 
with access for some people.  I am trying to get it available from other 
sources in other formats, but it's slow going.  I will let everyone know 
when that happens.

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: Gerardo Corripio via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2015 10:56 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Gerardo Corripio
Subject: Re: [nagdu] picking breed, gender, and influences from others

  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

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