[NAGDU] class coming up, and questions

Tue Oct 16 19:37:08 UTC 2018

Hi all,
Sounds like an awesome way to spend my last of October/beginning of
November. The thing about it is, and I know some of you might frown
upon this but I can't opt out of it, I come home on the 8th, and then
go to Fort Worth for the annual NFB state convention. I'm aware that
most dog schools frown upon any kind of trips like that during the
first few weeks, but I assumed the position of president of our
chapter following the loss of one of our members, and the president
had to step down. And, my husband, being the only sighted member of
the group, elected to drive us all down there, saving tons of money on
bus fare and van rentals, etc. That being said, I also didn't know
which class I would be in, and as it came closer and closer to
November, and I wasn't picked for the classes in July through
September, I knew it would line up this way, because I had looked at
the class schedule online.
So, what I plan to do is to make sure that I give my dog plenty of
extra breaks and park times throughout the day, lots of playtime, even
some massage, as I learned in my first class in 2002 can really be
great bonding time and also good for the dog's muscles too. And, I
plan to heel the dog sometimes while either using human guide, or my
cane, not always expecting him/her to work the whole entire time, as
was suggested to me by a fellow friend and handler. This way, the dog
isn't responsible for guiding me and can take a mental break while
still enjoying the walk, and the sights and sounds around us at the
same time getting in some much needed exercise. Do I seem to have all
that right, about the breaks and playtime, massage, park times, and
heeling? I'm hoping that my planning ahead will pay off in that the
dog will not get too stressed out, being fresh out of training. I will
be the dog's only constant and the dog will barely even know me, much
less Texas, my family, or any of that, and this happens the day after
their first plane ride, which can be nerve-racking for some dogs. And
not to mention the 2/5 hour car trip from DFW airport back to my
hometown, then the next day back to Fort Worth, then on Sunday, which
is two days after that, the ride back. We chose a vehicle for this
specific reason that has plenty of room in the footwell, and we plan
to take a few rest stops between origin and destination for parking
and water.
So, I am very much aware of the drawbacks to taking a trip like this
literally a day after returning home, and so much vehicular travel,
but I think, if I do it right and use good judgment, give the dog
plenty of downtime whenever possible and always stay with them, of
course I would do that anyway, then I think it'll all turn out ok.
Kerri

On 10/16/18, Lauren Bishop via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Good Afternoon Carrie,
> I attended class at Seeing Eye for my first guide in 2016, and they had the
> schedule that you will have this time.  You will arrive sometime on Monday,
> and depending on when you arrive, you will have lunch or dinner.  If your
> transportation gets delayed, they will save you a plate.  The first day,
> they show you to your room, and you unpack.  Then an instructor comes and
> gives you an orientation to the building, and you get a Juneau walk around
> the building and up and down the driveway.  That night, you have dinner, and
> they have a lecture about the rules, and you get to know each other.  Also,
> provided that the weather is good, you will have a fire drill.  The second
> day, you wake up at 6, have breakfast at 7 and have two Juneau walks in
> town, a meeting with the president, and a wine and cheese social.
> Wednesday, you get breakfast fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled, have a
> lecture, and get your dogs.  After that their is bonding time and lunch.
> That afternoon, you do your first walk.
> Thursday-Sunday are spent on the Maple Street Route, with Sunday being the
> solo. Also, there is no visiting hours in the first weekend.
> That Monday-Wednesday are spent on the South Street Route, and the solo for
> that route is Wednesday morning.  After that you have freelance.  The
> lectures are all given during class, and some take place after dinner and
> some take place in the middle of the day.  The New York City trip is also
> still happening.
> I hope you have a good time in class.
> Sincerely,
> Lauren Bishop
>
>> On Oct 16, 2018, at 2:42 PM, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> OOOO! What a wonderful time to go to Morristown. I haven't been since the
>> schedule was shortened, but I would guess you do less trips on the Maple
>> Street route. I don't know when you were there last, but when I went,
>> free
>> lance started earlier with the high school route eliminated. I found the
>> three weeks a little too long myself, and I'm grateful for the change. Of
>> course I'm not going back any time soon. LOL. It would be weird going on
>> Monday rather than Saturday, but it gives the entire staff the weekend
>> off.
>> That's a nice thing for sure. I would love to hear more about how the
>> training has changed.
>> Cindy Lou Ray
>> cindyray at gmail.com <mailto:cindyray at gmail.com>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org>>
>> On Behalf Of Kerri Sprecher via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2018 1:29 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>>
>> Cc: Kerri Sprecher <spedangel84 at gmail.com <mailto:spedangel84 at gmail.com>>
>> Subject: [NAGDU] class coming up, and questions
>>
>> Hello to all,
>> I'm so excited to be going to Morristown, NJ on Monday the 22nd. I heard
>> something about a welcome meeting or dinner when I got my flight
>> arrangements set up with the travel agency. That part was new to me and I
>> liked that.
>> So, my thing is this: in order to pack all the training that used to go
>> into
>> a 3 and a half week class for a retrain and 4 weeks for a new student,
>> into
>> a shorter class time, 2.5 weeks for retrains in my case, can someone shed
>> some light on how in the world they manage to pull that off? I bet it's a
>> whirlwind of activity; I'm definitely expecting the 5:30 AM feed and
>> park,
>> meal times to be the same, one AM and one PM trip, and feed and park
>> again,
>> some lectures and one last park time, but, do they have you doing longer
>> trips with more work per trip than before? I would imagine that in order
>> to
>> get someone prepared for life with a guide dog, you'd have to pack more
>> skill sets into a trip in order to get it all in there before going home
>> time.
>> I spoke with a good friend of mine who goes to GDB for her dogs, and she
>> said hers is similar in that they do clicker training, targeting,
>> chaining,
>> and the like, but when they shortened their class time also, they changed
>> the ratio of student/instructor to 2/1 instead of 4/1, because they put
>> in
>> longer trip times with more training in each trip than in previous
>> classes
>> before.
>> I'm guessing that Monday and Tuesday are dedicated to paperwork,
>> orientation, lectures, and Juneau walks to make sure the match is right,
>> and
>> then Wednesday, the day everyone looks forward to, Dog Day, lunch, and
>> your
>> first ever trip together. And, I am also guessing that in the first few
>> days
>> of getting the new dog, it'll be the simple familiar quiet routes, then
>> more
>> in-depth and more complex ones. I just was shocked when I first learned
>> they
>> had shortened class, because even with a 3 week class, it felt like we
>> were
>> always running and going, with a little down time sprinkled in, but
>> mostly
>> busy, and now, to think that it's even shorter makes me wonder just how
>> much
>> more work they'll have for me to do at once. Glad I'm a seasoned handler
>> by
>> now, or I might feel overwhelmed; heck I might feel that way anyway.
>> Smile.
>> So, what do you think, for those of you grads out there, about the new
>> 2.5 week class, and how has it affected or changed the way they do trips
>> and
>> the amount of work for each trip?
>> Thanks all, and I am ecstatic!
>> Kerri
>>
>> --
>> Kerri Sprecher,  President
>> Big Country Chapter NFBTX
>> spedangel84 at gmail.com
>> 325-280-6272
>> Chapter Google Voice: 325-704-8787
>> Chapter E-mail:
>> bigcountry at nfbtx.org
>> Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AbileneAreaBlind
>> "The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
>> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
>> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
>> between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
>> blindness is not what holds you back."
>>
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-- 
Kerri Sprecher,  President
Big Country Chapter NFBTX
spedangel84 at gmail.com
325-280-6272
Chapter Google Voice: 325-305-2965
Chapter E-mail:
bigcountry at nfbtx.org
Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AbileneAreaBlind
"The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back."