[NAGDU] Questions from a potential future guide dog user.

Nimer Jaber nimerjaber1 at gmail.com
Thu May 9 22:01:02 UTC 2019


Hello,

Please find my responses below.

On Thu, May 9, 2019 at 1:45 PM Sandra Gayer via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Hello Everyone,
> I'm new to the list and I use a long cane. I apologise in advance if
> my questionshave been asked before or seem dim to all of you seasoned
> guide dog owners.
>
Yeur questions are welcome, so please ask. It is important to learn what
you can in order to discover whether this lifestyle is right for you. No
need for apologies, and you can't ask a dim question.

>
> I know guide dogs are taught to guide you around obstacles and find a
> clear rout but, what if there is no clear rout?
>
If there is not a clear route, the dog will zigzag until they get through.
If there is absolutely no way through, they will stop generally, and they
will expect input from you to determine what to do. they may try to turn
around. This depends on the situation and the dog, and how the dog was
trained to handle these things, or if it was at all.

>
> I use walls, rails and other edges to know where I am. However, I know
> that guide dogs are taught to walk in the centre of a path. Does
> anyone find this disorientating? I get a, sort of, no man's land
> feeling when I'm in open spaces. Is this something you learn to get
> used to?
>
Some dogs walk in the center. Some hug the right edge, and many hug the
left edge. To answer your question, I don't find it disorienting at all.
But this depends on you, and the queues you are used to using to navigate
your environment. Let me try to explain a bit better:

When i was growing up, I did not know about canes, I hated canes when I
discovered them, and made it a point to lose them, throw them, and sell
them to others to use as they wished. When i walked, I just walked. I did
not trail, I just walked. I paid a lot of attention to sounds, textures,
smells, etc while walking. I was able to learn a lot from echo location
about my environment... I was even able to ride a bike using echo location
and my form of navigation. I did trip and fall, I am not and was not
superman, but I got up and kept going.

This leads me to the question at hand. the way I have always navigated lent
itself well to dog travel. Why? because the skills of environmental
observation which I used to get around are exactly the skills an individual
develops and uses for guide dog travel. This is a struggle for individuals
who learned to trail, who learned routes by counting turns or whatever, and
who did not learn to generalize routes or environmental information. this
is a huge problem with Orientation and Mobility today, particularly many
sighted instructors. It is important to not learn routes. It is important
to learn concepts of navigation.

Anyway, the answer to your question is probably yes, you may be disorinted
at first. Dogs navigate around many of the environmental clues that you may
be used to using. However as you build your confidence and proficiency, you
will begin utilizing different clues. Sounds, elevation changes, smells,
the feel of the ground under your feet, time/distance, and other clues,
along with possibly GPS aids  will become your friend. And your dog will be
your ally in the world of navigating the world. With the enhanced skills
and your dog's training, you will do well.

I do trail sometimes, even now, particularly when trying to find a tight
turn or an entrance, but most of the time, telling my dog "left left" or
right right" followed with a hand motion and rarely, a bit of persuasion
with my voice and a leash tug suffices to make those turns and find those
entrances.

>
> I'm a Singer, an Actor and a Broadcast Presenter. I travel to new
> places quite a lot. I have read that guide dogs thrive on routine.
> Does that mean that the guide dog wouldn't perform well in new
> environments?
>
in my experience with dog handling, owners who state that their dogs thrive
on a routine really are saying that they themselves are resistant to
change, and thrive on routine.  I am not minimizng anyone else's
experiences, or at least I am not trying to. In my experience though, the
dog follows your lead. if you are relaxed, calm, and alive, your dog will
be relaxed even if you are walking into a crazy situation or place. if you
are not... well, your dog won't be either.

Some things to think about would be a routine for deeding... dogs loooooove
food, or at least many do. A routine for taking the dog out would be
helpful as well. And a routine or habit, even if it is not at the exact
time each day, of playing with your dog, massaging your dog, bonding with
your dog, grooming your dog is very important. Your dog is a living being,
not something you can put aside and ignore whenever you feel like it just
so that you can sing and act. Still, with the proper planning and
attention, your dog will be just fine.

>
> I'm wondering if anyone has come across a person using a guide dog but
> using a cane on the right side? I just don't see how else I could get
> information about the ground; slight rises, dips, there is shared
> curbing in the UK, where I live, and although this means there is no
> curbe, there is a slight difference in texture to the ground. Also,
> things like changes in relief are communicated easily through the
> cane.
>
In rare situations, I I'll use a cane. I almost always carry a cane with me
just in case I need it, just in case my dog gets injured. I will never
allow myself to be stuck in a situation I cannot get out of. But it isn't
usually to detect cracks or elevation changes. those things are usually
detectable through the harness handle. If you have a dog with a good pull,
and you spend time reading the dog's movements and learning to dance with
your dog, you will know and feel even slight movements and indications.
Your dog will read you too, and they will pick up on the fact that they may
need to slow slightly at elevation changes or something. At first, you may
be stumbling and it may be frustrating. You may even take a fall. but
things do get better, a lot better.

>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
Please reach out with any further questions.

> Very best wishes,
> Sandra.
>
> --
> Sandra Gayer DipABRSM, LRSM.
>
> Soprano Singer
> www.sandragayer.com
>
> Broadcast Presenter
> www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk/music-box.html
>
> Actor
> www.visablepeople.com
>
> Voiceover Artist
> www.archangelvoices.co.uk/content/sandra-gayer
>
> _______________________________________________
> NAGDU mailing list
> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> NAGDU:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/nimerjaber1%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Best,

Nimer Jaber

The message above is intended for the recipient to whom it was
addressed. If you believe that you are not the intended recipient,
please notify me via reply email and destroy all copies of this
correspondence. Action taken as a result of this email or its contents
by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) may result in civil or
criminal charges. I have checked this email and all corresponding
attachments for security threats. However, security of your machine is
up to you. Thanks.

Registered Linux User 529141.
http://counter.li.org/

To find out about a free and versatile screen reader for windows XP
and above, please click here:
http://www.nvda-project.org

You can follow @nimerjaber on Twitter for the latest technology news.

To contact me, you can reply to this email or you may call me at (970)
(393-4481) and I will do my best to respond to you promptly. Thank
you, and have a great day!



More information about the NAGDU mailing list