[NAGDU] looking for suggestions regarding stress while wearing dog shoes

[Raul A. Gallegos]

Hello all, my guide, Larry, is 3 now and will be 4 in March 2019. I 
confess that I have not used the dog shoes a lot since getting him when 
he was almost 2. However, this past summer when I really needed them 
because of the very hot Texas weather, I put them on him and it stressed 
him out a lot. So much that he peed while we were doing nothing more 
than standing while waiting for our ride. I remember learning how I 
should put 2 on at a time and then play a little with him to show him 
it's no big deal, but the issue with this is that I dropped the ball and 
didn't get him used to them. Then when the summer came around, it was 
necessary to avoid him walking on extremely hot concrete while trying to 
get from the building we working at to our ride.

If someone has suggestions on how I can minimize this and try to get him 
to see this as fun, please let me know. Yes, I also realize that doing 
this when it was needed right away wasn't the smartest thing. So, now 
that we are in winter-time in Texas where they are definitely not 
needed, I'd like to start getting him used to them so as the weather 
gets warmer, he will be used to it by then.

Thanks.

--
Raul A. Gallegos
First Vice President - NFB of Texas Houston Chapter
Treasurer - Texas Association of Guide Dog Users
Board Member - National Association of Guide Dog Users
M: 832.554.7285   W: 832.639.4477
Email: raul at raulgallegos.com
Twitter: @rga7285

“Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap!" - Dr. Kenneth Jernigan