[nagdu] Concerns with training Centers in General

[Danielle Cyclorama]

Of course official NFB does not condemn dog use, but I would say that 
there are some prejudices. Note that most of my experience with NFB members are with young adults and teenagers, so they theoretically should not see cane use as superior the way some older members might have previously been used to. I have been criticized for my use of both a folding cane and a dog. It definitely was the minority of the NFB members I have encountered, but it was prevalent enough to make me uncomfortable and to question if I really wanted to be a part of the organization. I say this not to criticize the NFB, but to point out that such attitudes do in fact exist among younger members. 

Does anyone know what the policies of the centers are concerning non-guiding service dogs. If someone use a cane but had a seizure alert dog, would that dog be prohibited from any locations. A bit more complicated is if someone had a dog trained for both guiding and another task. Would someone be able to have their cross trained dog with them if they used their cane but needed the dog for, say, balance? I think knowing this answer could tell us a lot about center policy. 

Danielle and Thai
Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 3, 2015, at 10:36 PM, Aleeha Dudley via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I disagree that there should be someone who can retrain a team. The centers job is to teach independence. You are responsible for handling your dog. There is no way a person could be knowledgeable about all the schools and their training methods. You are taught to manage your dog at school. Call the school for assistance. 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Sep 3, 2015, at 8:33 PM, larry d keeler via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> My biggest concern is when in training centers, whether NFB or state run,
>> there seems to be a shortage of people who understand dogs,. Not only the
>> dog but also the bonds that form between dogs and handlers. Also, O and M
>> instructors seem to lack the knowledge or don't know how to adapt the
>> training to include dogs. When a friend of mine went to the training center
>> over in Kalamazoo which is state run, she ran into handlers that in my
>> opinion shouldn't have been in charge of themselves let alone they're dogs!
>> One was snatching food, knocking folks over and whining a lot. She couldn't
>> bring it to meals because she really couldn't control it. The training
>> center didn't seem to know how to deal with the problem so, they just had
>> her lock her dog in as much as possible and seemed to ignore it. The point
>> is that maybe if centers could have a person on hand who could help retrain
>> or reeducate the team, maybe things could have went smotother for everyone!
>> As far as NFB, I really never thaught about it until about 2010. I got
>> invited to a chapter meeting and liked what they presented. When I went, I
>> was leery because I'd had Holly for a year or so. I had heard from older
>> members of NFB as well as the other organization and even sighted folks that
>> NFB was anti dog. Even now from non dog users who are younger I get folks
>> who don't understand about how they work. I was asking my good friend who
>> moved to Iowa about what he thaught of the whole NFB training center dog
>> thing. He had no idea why we couldn't keep them crated up all day long! He
>> said that the building is quite small and why would you need a dog to help
>> you around in there! I couldn't really argue that because unfortunately for
>> this stand, I've been known to get around just fine with or without a cane.
>> I did mention the differences in cane versus dog travel and also about the
>> bonds we develop as a team. He wasn't really impressed. He was not being
>> discriminatory on purpose but, he is certainly ignorant of how dogs work. I
>> did bring my dog to the first chapter meeting and another guy who I knew
>> oused a dog left his at home. I asked him why and he told me he didn't know
>> if people would accept the dog. I told him if they didn't they could all get
>> hanged! Well, I found out about nagdu and that dog use was getting a lot
>> more respect than it used too. But, it has become obvious that we have som
>> work to do!
>> 
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