[NAGDU] Training with my first dog while taking two light[er] online college courses?

Sun Feb 18 23:00:52 UTC 2018

Julie, I think you really outlined it well. There have been a number of
people who came to The Seeing Eye and worked on their job stuff, sort of
telecommuting from TSE. Maybe they didn't have choices, but I wonder if any
have had regrets about it at the time. The first time I went to TSE, they
showed us the games and all the reading materials and so on, but they said
our first priority needs to be the dog. There needs to be a good bond
started by the time you leave, and all too soon the time is over. I wouldn't
want to stay longer, of course. But I ended up getting behind in my
coursework, as I said, because I gave the dog first priority. He truly
needed it. I almost didn't even take him, and in the end that might have
been the best decision, but I gave him my most. I think for sure that if it
were my first dog, especially given the current schedule, which doesn't
include the classes if Miranda is in the May class, I would just stick to
it. It's really not that far off.
Cindy Lou Ray
cindyray at gmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie Johnson via
NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2018 2:12 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Julie Johnson <julielj at neb.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Training with my first dog while taking two light[er]
online college courses?

I have this life rule I call: if you're going to eat a donut, eat the donut.
I used to, and still do somewhat, try to do too much at once.  I struggle
with feeling like I have to get everything done like yesterday.  A few years
ago I had gotten a donut, a big treat for me since I generally eat more
wholesome foods.  I was doing three other things while eating the donut. 
The whole thing was gone and I didn't remember eating it, let alone enjoy
it.

So now, if I'm going to eat a donut, I eat the donut, nothing else.   I do 
not multi task.  I do not have internal conversations with myself about how
donuts are bad for my health.  I make the conscious decision that I'm going
to eat a donut and then I only eat the donut.  No apologies, no excuses and
no missing out on the enjoyment.

Since adopting this life rule, I have found that it applies in most areas of
my life.  Any task that requires my mental or emotional energy gets my full
attention or I skip it.  If it's not important enough for me to set aside
the time, it's not a priority. If the task requires no thought, like
cleaning the house, then I do pair it with another task like listening to an
audio book or talking on the phone.  I don't care about enjoying cleaning
the house.

I often tell people who are thinking of owner training, to not have any
other life events going on at the same time.  No moving to a new city, no
getting married, having kids or starting a new job.  I' have not attended a
guide dog program, but I suspect the same applies on a much shorter time 
frame.   When you commit to too much, you end up splitting your attention. 
each thing gets only a sliver and tends to lead to suboptimal results.  Then
you feel guilty or regret the choice, which leads down a slippery spiral
into worse results and more guilt and so on.  It's better to fully dive into
one thing, get it well established and running smoothly, then layer in
another big thing.

This is all just me though.  You have to figure out what the best path is
for you.  Perhaps framing it by thinking a few years ahead would be helpful?

If you take the time away from classes while you are training with your dog,
what would be the consequences of that decision in 5 years?  Will it matter
much?  What if you did the classes during training, what are the possible
consequences?  Will it matter in a few years?

All my best to you,
Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall
<https://www.blindmicemegamall.com/bmm/shop/Directory_Departments?storeid=19
16046>
-----Original Message-----
From: S L Johnson via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2018 1:39 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: S L Johnson
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Training with my first dog while taking two light[er]
online college courses?

Miranda:

First of all, you may not have a choice to move your class to an earlier
date.  That is up to the admissions at The Seeing Eye.  You should not take
the classes while training with your first dog.  You need to put all your
efforts and concentration on bonding with your new dog and training.  You
would be much better off getting your travels and classes finished and then
going to train with your new dog.  I realize you are getting impatient but
you have waited all this time so a month or two more should not be too much
to tolerate.  Good luck to you.

Sandra and Eva
SLJohnson25 at comcast.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Miranda B. via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2018 8:42 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Miranda B.
Subject: [NAGDU] Training with my first dog while taking two light[er]
online college courses?

Hi everyone,

I currently have a tentative class date to get my first dog at The Seeing
Eye in late May, but I'm admittedly impatient. I'm considering researching
whether it would be possible/practical to move my class date up to April,
and I would love input from anyone who has trained while taking online
classes. I do recognize that my goal and reason for going is to train and
bond with my dog, and I don't plan to be locked in my room away from my
classmates for every spare moment.

You may be asking why I don't consider a March class date. My reasoning for
this is two-fold. First, I am traveling out of the country for the first
time from March 17-24. Second, even if I was staying home for spring break,
I feel it would be less likely that the school would have an opening in
March.

As I noted, I'm traveling to the Dominican Republic with a team from my
university for an international field experience/study trip from March
17-24. Recognizing that this would be my first trip outside the United
States, I'm thinking through the implications of possibly moving my class
date to as soon as one week after my return from the Dominican Republic. I'm
thinking through my reverse culture shock, processing my trip, ETC. I'm
wondering if a week at home would be enough time.

Next, if I were to move my class date from May to April, I would be taking
two online courses at that time, and my training would fall in weeks 2-5 of
those courses. When I wrote out a daily to-do list for the 8 weeks of these
courses, I noted a few pros.

The readings are relatively short and easily spread throughout each week,
the longest of which is 15 pages and would take approximately 30 minutes to
complete.

Each class includes 15-20 minutes of video presentations per week, and I
could watch these while getting ready for breakfast on the weekends.

I have my required quizzes and discussion posts of 250-350 words scheduled
for the end of the week and weekends.

My two shorter writing assignments are able to be spread out, one of which
can span 2-3 weeks with some advanced preparation.

I'm estimating 1-2 hours per day during the week, and 2 hours per day on the
weekends for coursework.

I will have downloaded my course materials, discussion prompts, and video
presentations at the beginning of the courses, in order to minimize my need
to be online. This is in the event that I need to rely on my phone's data
plan for internet to submit assignments and complete quizzes, in case the
WiFi is unreliable.

Is this practical?

As my husband attended The Seeing Eye this past summer, I am familiar with
the long days and full schedules from 5:30 AM-8:00 PM. However, my husband
did note increased down time during the freelance portion of training.

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Thanks as always for your feedback, and have a wonderful week!

Best wishes, Miranda

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