[NAGDU] training my own again

Julie Johnson julielj402 at gmail.com
Fri Apr 7 13:24:06 UTC 2017 

My Doberman is about 26" tall and coming up on 60 pounds.  Yea!  she 
finally filled out and gained some weight.  Anyway, it's pretty 
surprising how small she can fold herself.

I think it's important to consider your comfort level working a short or 
tall dog.  Also are there other concerns that make a bigger, taller dog 
a more practical solution?  And what type of transportation is being 
used.  For example, I rarely go anywhere by plan anymore, so a dog who 
can fit in that cramped space isn't really important.  I do quite a bit 
of walking though and a dog who can steady me on uneven terrain, ice and 
snow is a serious help.  You gotta figure out what you need and want and 
then go for it.

Julie


On 4/5/2017 3:43 PM, Vivianna via NAGDU wrote:
> Sandra,
> yes, i think that the biggest boy would grow up to be to large for me.  but, i currently am handling a 90 pound german shepherd with no problems so another 5 pounds won’t make any difference.
> i really prefer a dog that is 25 inches or taller myself no matter what the weight is.
> and, yes, i do know of folks who have little tiny guides.  i know one woman who has an 18 inch tall 42 pound lab from seeing eye.  and, another who has a 18 inch 42 pound lab from GDB.
> i wouldn’t even consider such a small dog myself.
> luckily the dobies tend to like to curl up.
> they did have a retired breeder there who is 30 inches at the shoulder and, he is one big guy.  no way would i want a dog that big.  lol.
>
> Vivianna
>
>> On Apr 5, 2017, at 3:05 PM, S L Johnson via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hello:
>>
>> My major concern would be the size and strength of these pups once they are
>> full grown.  Is it really practical for a woman to think of handling a
>> hundred pound male Doberman?  There comes a point when dogs are just too big
>> and strong to be suitable as guide dogs.  You have to think of fitting them
>> into small cars, under seats on public transportation, under the table in
>> restaurants etc.  All this in addition to trying to train and control such a
>> large dog.  Some of you might think the size isn't an issue but we all know
>> how the transportation industry is constantly making our space smaller and
>> smaller all the time.  If you have noticed, the guide dog schools have all
>> begun to put out much smaller dogs in the past ten to fifteen years.  In my
>> forty years I have had a couple of large dogs and found them to be too
>> difficult to handle and not easy to fit in small places.  All this being
>> said, the decision is certainly up to you.  You would want to spend much
>> more time with the pups before having to make your final decision.  It is a
>> good sign that they seemed to be able to remain calm when he shot the gun
>> and responded to your simple command to sit.  Is this the only breeder or do
>> you have other options?  Good luck with your decision.
>>
>> Sandra
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Cindy Ray via NAGDU
>> Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2017 11:12 AM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Cc: Cindy Ray
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] training my own again
>>
>> I vote for the no tail girl. She sounds really sweet, and you said she had a
>> calm temperament. Of course you havenā?Tt been able to do a lot of other
>> testing on any of them. Still, I just really like the sound of her. This is
>> my uneducated, scientific opinion.
>>
>> Cindy Lou Ray
>>
>> cindyray at gmail.com <mailto:cindyray at gmail.com>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vivianna via
>> NAGDU
>> Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 10:05 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Vivianna <irishana at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] training my own again
>>
>>
>>
>> OK, well, hereā?Ts the puppy story.
>> So, i went to see the puppies yesterday.  These are european dobermans, and,
>> iā?Tll tell you guys, these are some big dogs.  they look very different
>> from the american doberman that i worked with for 10 years.  the bone on
>> these guys is amazing, the muscle is heavy, the muzzle is shorter and much
>> wider, the head is broader, well, the entire dog is broader.
>> the breeder pulled out a gun and shot it right there and the pups didnā?Tt
>> even look.  heh.  they were all running around in an open field and, when
>> they came to me they were very calm.  no licking, biting my hands, jumping,
>> barking etc.
>> there were 2 boys but, i think that 1 will be to big.  he will prob reach 29
>> or 30 inches and be 100 pounds easy.  the other boy was tall but not as
>> heavy.  he will prob reach 28 29 inches and 90 pounds or so.
>>
>> there was3 girls, 1 the breeder thought would have to much drive.  the one
>> that came to me right away, even before playing with the other pups was very
>> stout and heavily boned but will prob only be around 24 inches at the
>> shoulder, but, the vet screwed up her tail and, she has no tail at all.  the
>> 3rd girl did not come up to me until i was there a long time but, she was
>> calm when she did, she will prob be 24 26 inches and slightly longer body
>> than the no tail girl.
>> they all have very solid temperaments, no quivering, barking, etc.  they
>> have been kennel raised and not in the home.  the place was brand new, clean
>> and pretty fancy.
>> i did get to meet the parents and they were some big dogs.  lol.
>> every one of the pups would sit and stay sitting when i asked them to with a
>> push on their butts.
>> but, iā?Tll tell you, the paws on those boy pups were twice the size of my
>> 88 pound GSD.  lol.
>> itā?Ts super hard to choose but, i tentatively chose the smaller boy.  but,
>> i do like the no tail girl too.  lol.  she kept coming up to me instead of
>> playing with the other puppies.  i know that they say not to let stuff like
>> that sway you and go by temperament but, itā?Ts so hard to tell.  lol.
>> Well, there you go.  Any comments welcome.
>>
>> Take care;
>> Vivianna
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Apr 2, 2017, at 9:35 PM, Mardi Hadfield via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org> > wrote:
>>
>> Vivianna, When I house broke Sedona, I just took her out side to the same
>> place every time and waited until she went. I would then say good potty and
>> give her a treat. I gave her a chance to sniff the area but kept her in
>> that area. It did not take long for her to get the idea. I now just open
>> the door and let her out in my vast fenced yard and she heads to the back
>> yard to do her thing. I kept her crated when I could not watch her in the
>> house and she did occasionally pee in the crate if I did not get her out in
>> time. She will whine and bark to let me know she wants out. so it is  up to
>> me to get her out in time.    Hope this is helpful.    Mardi and
>> Shaman,retired and Neechee,GD and Sedona,GDIT.    PS  Shaman was 10 months
>> old when I rescued him from a shelter. He had no training whatsoever. I did
>> the same thing I did with Sedona when House breaking and he was house
>> broken in 3 weeks with no accidents.  He learned every thing pretty fast.
>> He had not been socialized but he did learn that while he was being trained
>> as I worked in dog friendly places as well as people places, like shopping
>> malls.After he was attacked several times he became dog reactive and I did
>> work through it, but ended up using an electric collar to get him over his
>> reactivity. Nothing else had worked  so I chose to use that method and It
>> only took 2 zaps and he no longer had a problem. I don't think the age that
>> I started his training had anything to do with his reactive problem . I
>> think it was just his personality, and the fact that he was socialized at a
>> later age ,and the E collar was the only thing that helped shape that part
>> of his personality.
>>
>> -- 
>> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
>> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
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