[NAGDU] Staying together

Thu Sep 1 14:55:56 UTC 2016

Tracy,

I was going to suggest a bungie cord, but maybe not. /lol/ I wonder if 
you could do some work with Krokus to teach him to clear for a second 
person when your husband is going sighted guide? I've never tried such a 
thing, but it might be possible. I think I would include a specific 
command for the dog, at least at first, though I guess the dog can tell 
if someone is holding your arm or not. Hm...

I do teach my dogs to locate people by name, specifically my husband and 
the friends I go about with. So if we get separated by choice or 
accident, I can generally get back to them. They can see me coming, 
though, so that helps.

I'm planning to teach Loki a "walk beside" command this fall when my 
friend and I start up our weekly dog walks again. Before, Loki was in 
training, so we went out ahead so he could be large and in-charge and 
learn to be the guide. Now it's time for some of those little 
refinements, like not leaving friends in the dust in the middle of a 
conversation. /lol/ It's trickier with my husband, since he has a lot of 
foot pain and walks slowly and at nothing like an even pace. Loki is 
still distracted when we go with him, though he's getting better. The 
spouse is distracted by Loki, so I need to work on both of them. /lol/

Bells would help you track each other, but I would feel too silly 
wearing bells. I've tried teaching my husband to jangle the car keys so 
I can track him, since that's a more natural thing to do. If a place is 
noisy and crowded, though, it's still tricky to keep track of the sound.

If you come up with a good solution, let us know.

Tami

On 09/01/2016 07:21 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU wrote:
> Hi Rachel.
> Usually, I want him to follow me.  One of the great advantages of having a
> dog is that, in big, open spaces, the dog can look around and lock in on a
> destination and zoom over to it.  I guess we can try sighted guide, and see
> how it goes, if the man is willing.
>
> Really, it would all be so simple if he got his own dog, but he's not
> interested in that option for now.
> Tracy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rachel Grider via
> NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2016 10:12 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Rachel Grider
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Staying together
>
> Since he is your husband, linking arms or holding hands would be totally
> acceptible. Someone else, maybe not, but there is always sighted guide. I
> personally don't like cited guide because I don't like feeling that I am not
> in control of where I am going, but I think in this case where it is only
> being used for two blind people to stay together, it may be a good solution.
> I will link arms with my  sighted mother sometimes when we are in a crowded
> area just to stay together, but she is the only person I will do that with
> because she is my mother.
>
> Another thought: could you go behind your husband and give your dog a follow
> command? If someone is showing me where to go, like for example if I am in a
> store and someone from customer service is helping me find things, I can go
> behind the person with my dog and tell her to follow. The same thing if I am
> in a large group of people walking somewhere and there are people in front
> of me in my group. I don't like doing that often, But it works in some
> cases.
>
> http//www.rachelgrider.com
>
>> On Sep 1, 2016, at 06:29, Jody Ianuzzi via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hello Tracy,
>>
>> Why don't you walk cited guide. Or you could  walk arm in arm.  That would
> be acceptable even if you both could see.
>>
>> JODY
>>
>> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>>
>> 50 Years of STAR TREK
>>
>> "Live Long and Prosper."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Sep 1, 2016, at 8:22 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>>>
>>> My husband Jerry uses a cane, and I of course use a guide dog.  My
>>> husband has lost a lot of vision, and we are having trouble staying
>>> together when passing through big, open spaces, like fancy hotel
>>> lobbies or the bus terminal.  Either Krokus gets into a groove and
>>> Jerry can't keep up, or Krokus starts screwing around and Jerry goes
>>> off ahead.  Sometimes I grab Jerry's hand and pull him along, or we start
> calling loudly to each other.
>>> Neither one feels very dignified.
>>>
>>> Do people have methods that work to keep a cane user and a dog user
>>> in contact?  I've heard some people wear a bell, but does that really
>>> work, in an open, noisy environment?
>>>
>>> I'd like to figure out something that works, and doesn't make us both
>>> feel ridiculous.
>>>
>>> Tracy
>>>
>>>
>>>
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