[NAGDU] Trip journal

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Wed Oct 26 15:11:19 UTC 2016


Yeah.  Our 2-year anniversary is Saturday, and I still have stuff to work on
every time we go out.  Sometimes I think it's time to throw in the towel.
But they seem like fixable problems, if I can only figure it out. But it's
sure not what I signed up for.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via
NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 11:02 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Cindy Ray
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Trip journal

I think it wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't been so good in every other
respect. He is such a treasure. But it is fun having him around. Having him
and the other two dogs is the reason I'm  not getting another dog, plus I
think the school invests too much in the teams to get a dog when I'm not
doing any more with the dog than I was with Fisher the past few years. I
can't imagine starting over again like you have been with Krokus. 

Cindy Lou Ray
cindyray at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 9:34 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Trip journal

Cindy, it seems to me you gave working with Fisher a good try, then, after
long reflection, decided you couldn't work with him anymore.  When a dog's
problems are actually hurting you, it's time to quit, IMO, unless they can
be fixed very quickly.  So don't beat yourself up about it.
Tracy



-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via
NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 10:06 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Cindy Ray
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Trip journal

Maybe you need to really wait until the dust settles then. LOL. He has sure
stretched your imagination, hasn't he? I wonder if I got another dog what it
would be like. Fisher was great except for the dog distractions. I couldn't
afford to have him pull me down anymore. It hurts too much. He didn't want
to quit though. Now that I have had time to think about it (a year) I think
that maybe I was too hasty, and I miss working with him. He misses it, too.
So write down the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then when you have gotten
away from it a little bit, that is when to rate. In the heat of the moment
you won't give a very objective response.
Cindy Lou Ray
cindyray at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 8:38 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Trip journal

Cindy, you and Julie J seem to agree on this.  I don't think I could really
give a completely objective rating, anyway.  But, like last night, Krokus
was bad starting out, then did well all the way until we reached home, then
scavenged something, which made me really annoyed.  If I'd rated that trip
right away, it would have been a 2, even though most of it was actually
good.  Krokus, the dog who guides on a bell curve.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via
NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 9:02 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Cindy Ray
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Trip journal

What if you rate how you feel at the end of the trip rather than how he did.
For instance, if he started out sniffing a bunch and you wanted to choke
him, and then he picks up speed and starts doing lots of things right, then
how do you feel at the end. Or if he does something really special even
though some of the trip has you feeling a little nonplussed, how do you
feel. I am wondering if the rating of your reaction to the trip would be
better. Not sure, of course.
Cindy Lou Ray
cindyray at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 7:38 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: [NAGDU] Trip journal

I was grumbling to a friend about my problems with Krokus, and she suggested
I keep a trip journal.  I write down the trip, some of the highlights and
lowlights, and give it a rating.

It seems kinda useful, so I mention it to the list.  I can look back at the
last few days and see any patterns, and record what's working and what's
not.

I'm not sure about the rating, though.  Krokus tends to be a slow starter.
He screws around when we're starting out, then he gets in a groove and is
good.  So the first part of a trip could be a 2 or 3, then the rest could be
a 7.

Then I ask myself, what's my scale?  Really, my expectation is that a guide
dog would attend to guiding most of the time, only sniffing or getting
distracted a little bit.  So is that a 5, average, or a 9, with 10 being for
outstanding behavior, like a traffic check?  When Krokus actually goes a
whole trip without balking or sniffing, I'm so amazed I give him a high
rating, but I think I'm inflating his grades a bit.

Anyway, there it is, for whatever it's worth.

Tracy

 

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