[NAGDU] class coming up, and questions

Tue Oct 16 21:48:59 UTC 2018

I suspect it varies from class to class. When I was there last November, we all waited in our rooms to get our dogs. We could not stand in the hallways waiting for our dogs. Everyone had to be in his or her room. The instructors in my class were firm about that. People could do video in their rooms. They preferred that none of the videos be placed on FB, but I know a couple people did so anyway. Jim Kutsch requested that people not put pictures of their dogs on FB. He felt it was important to wait to be sure the match was solid. I didn't put a picture up until I returned home. Others did so sooner. I did not give information about my dog until I returned home. That is a matter of preference.

> On Oct 16, 2018, at 4:32 PM, Kerri Sprecher via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Sunshine and list,
> Thanks for your reply as well; very insightful. I would assume that you still wait in your room while your instructor gets your dog and brings them to you, thus the bonding time afterward. Also I'm thinking of doing some video blogging or vlogging, but not with others in the video for privacy reasons, just mainly in my room as a video diary of how things are going. Has anyone done that before? I saw someone's video blog on youtube that they posted, and they were able to record some travel, but only when they were in an area with quiet residential streets with very few people around, for the same privacy reasons, but they were allowed to record in their room of course, after a couple of days, provided that the match was working well together and that was going to be their dog. What I would love to do, but doubt they will allow, is to record the first meeting, but I understand that this may not be appropriate because it may be that the second dog that they chose might be the match instead of the first one. But, what about audio only? Is that a better option? And, Cindy, I'm sure I either have come close to or exceeded my 5-a-day limit, so I apologize. That's why I'm trying to write longer messages with more info instead of shorter ones.
> 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."
> 
> 
>> On Oct 16, 2018, at 4:23 PM, sunshine via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> I was in the retrain class last November. It is fairly hectic, but not so bad that it's unmanageable. The High School route is no longer a part of the program. We are not in our rooms for 2 hours after receiving our dogs. We receive them on Wednesday morning following a short lecture. After all dogs have been issued, there is some time with our dogs. Then we all break up for class lectures. In the afternoon , we started with the Maple Street route. We're in class from Monday until the Thursday of the third week. That's when people go home. However, when I was in the retrain class, some students went home Wednesday while others left on Thursday. I really enjoyed being in the retrain class. I really didn't feel too rushed. Smiling! We had 18 of us in the class and there were four instructors and the supervisor.
>> 
>>> On Oct 16, 2018, at 3:48 PM, Debra Chandler via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I haven't been to class in about five years but I'm thinking the retrains did a 19-day class give or take eve n when I got my last dog.  I would imagine that they're just trying to use their time as efficiently as possible.  It could almost feel like home and away training if it's too rushed.  I did home and away and I needed it but to me it was a bit rushed.  We didn't get everything in that was needed at the school.  Best of luck in class.  This is a wonderful time to train with a guide dog.  Just cool and comfortable.
>>> Deb and Tally
>>> ---- Kerri Sprecher via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
>>>> 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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