[NAGDU] re returned guide dog questions?

Sat Jan 28 00:06:36 UTC 2017

Gary,

I've heard of a couple of poodles that were reissued to happy handlers 
and seem to have bonded well. I don't know the ins and outs though. 
Since you're familiar with the Way of the Poodle and know how to connect 
and communicate, that should be a help. It may take longer for the 
poodle to bond is all.

So I've gone from smallish poodle to tallish poodle. Mitzi comes to just 
above my knees, which is a nice height. Loki comes to above mid-thigh, 
and it is a very different feel. Now that I'm used to it, I like it 
better in some ways because of how much more of his movement I can feel. 
He's also quite a bit stronger, so I can't be cavalier about rushing and 
pulling too hard as I could with Mitzi. His guiding style is a bit more 
studied, and he doesn't like to cut things so close as Mitzi did. I 
don't know if that's a function of size, since tight maneuvers are a bit 
trickier with all his lenghth. It could also just be a difference in 
dogs. The smaller dog is definitely more maneuverable and easier to fit 
in small spaces. It helps that Loki is more willing to fit himself and 
just settle down, but I'm still adjusting to having half again as much 
poodle to deal with.

It seems like I took more information from the harness handle with 
Mitzi, whereas with Loki I feel his movements more in his body. With 
her, if she decided to slow down and not pull, I was clueless. He 
doesn't slow down much, though he does tend to respond to an obstacle 
ahead of time and slow until he figures out how to approach it. I can 
still walk with him easily without handle contact until he picks up again.

Those are the key things I notice with the size difference, going the 
other direction than you are planning to.

Please keep us updated and let us know how it goes.

Tami

On 01/27/2017 01:22 PM, Gary Steeves via NAGDU wrote:
> Hello everyone:
>
> As you all might recall Bogart died last month.  my school just called me to tell me that they have a returned dog  that could be ready for me next month.  he will be 2 yeasts old.
>
> Has anyone had a returned dog and how was it? how did the Rodgers do with bonding to you? this is a poodle so a bit tougher on the bonding but would like to get moreinfo. also, this dog is quite a bit smaller than Bogart was. will  that make a huge difference in guiding?
>
> thanks
> gary
> 1
>
> On January 26, 2017 10:05:20 AM PST, "Raul A. Gallegos via NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hello. In addition to what others have said, I know of some couples who
>>
>> switch off when traveling. One person takes the lead for a few blocks,
>> then they switch off. Stacie and I plan on trying this out when we
>> start
>> traveling together with both of us having dogs. Right now, I usually
>> take the lead when we travel if one is behind the other. Several times
>> I
>> have walked behind her, but her dog wants to make sure his peeps are
>> all
>> accounted for, and so he has yielded the lead to me. I figured it's an
>> alpha thing, so it's how we have done it. So, once I have my own dog,
>> it
>> will be interesting to see how we end up doing it..
>>
>> --
>> Raul A. Gallegos
>> Assistive Technology Trainer - RGA Tech Solutions
>> Voice and Text: 832.554.7285
>> Office: 832.639.4477
>> Personal Email: raul at raulgallegos.com
>> Work Email: training at rgats.com
>> Twitter: @rga7285 and @RGATrainer
>>
>> “Any teacher that can be replaced with a computer, deserves to be.” -
>> David Thornburg
>>
>> On 1/26/2017 10:50 AM, Joe Orozco via NAGDU wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> For a pair of guide dog users, what methods can you recommend for
>>> ensuring a smooth travel experience? What cues do you use with one
>>> another to keep track of each other while moving about busy streets?
>>> When traveling in large crowds, do you ever physically link up
>> somehow
>>> to not lose track, and if you do, how do you maneuver the dogs? I
>> know
>>> these are basic questions, to which there are probably simple
>> answers,
>>> but people come up with all manner of clever ideas. I'm curious to
>> see
>>> what you may have thought up. Thanks in advance!
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
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>