[NAGDU] Commands was Re: another GDF question

[Miranda]

Hi Daryl,
I appreciate your insight here. First though, I want to congratulate you and your guide on your great teamwork in running these half marathons. That is awesome! While reading your message, I had to chuckle, as my dog and I have been matched about six months now, and there are many times that I’m sure she has thought in her little doggie mind, “goodness mom! I am the one with the working eyes here. Won’t you just listen to me for once? “LOL! There have been times where I have given her a command, and she has gently but not without question shown me that I was wrong. Communication is key to any type of teamwork, and there have been many times that I’ve had to remind myself to slow down and be patient.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 17, 2019, at 7:26 PM, Daryl Lang via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I am with Rox. I am a hearing person, but I also like my dog to be able to communicate with me. I like a dog that has initiative. do I want a dog to follow commands? Absolutely! But I like a dog that thinks on their feet. They may point out things that I may not be aware of, or point out changes in my routine. A dog that simply follows commands and only follows commands is not a dog that I would be happy with. I'm at a point right now where my dog will be turning 7 years old in 2 weeks. We have actually just run our second half marathon together as a team. I don't think I could do that with a dog that just followed commands. But that's just me :-) I understand that a dog with initiative is going to have a certain amount of behavioral stuff that I as a handler will have to deal with. And I'm totally okay with that. I'd rather have a dog that will show me things that I may not be aware of, have a bit of personality that may need a bit of managing, rather than a dog that immediately obeys everything I tell it. Because sometimes I'm totally wrong on stuff... And I need a dog to gently tell me that I may be an idiot :-)
> 
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