[NAGDU] Guide Dogs and Office Jobs

[Sandra Gayer]

Hello Julie,
If it was your first year, everyone I've known with guide dogs always
say the first year's the hardest. Some people have also said the first
year's from hell.

I haven't got a guide dog but I have ordinary dogs. Free running helps
burn off the extra energy. Could he be let loose in your garden when
you're at home and do his own thing sometimes? Playing with him, doing
drill and, in short, tiring him out may help with the bord so I'll
explore thingy.

Very best wishes,
Sandra.

On 1/13/20, Julie McGinnity via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I hope everyone had a happy New Year and is staying warm.
>
> I wonder if anyone else has dealt with the combination of a highly
> energetic dog, an office job, and a routine that doesn't allow for as
> much travel as you would like.  Well, that's my situation.  I work 8-5
> here, and I mostly stay in my office.  Bill does well in my office.
> He has his own bed, and I've brought a bone and a toy for him to chew
> on.  He listens pretty well at work and doesn't display very many
> undesirable behaviors, other than attempting to get my attention when
> someone calls or comes in my office.
>
> At home though, I'm slightly ashamed to admit he can be quite a pill.
> He tends to grab things that don't belong to him and run with them
> under the coffee table.  He has even been testy about food by sniffing
> at my roommate when she is at the table.
>
> I do not give him people food.  I have recently puppy-proofed the
> house, and that has helped some.  When I first got him, he displayed
> some of these behaviors, and the school recommended I find toys he
> could have, that i could give him when he grabbed something I didn't
> want him to take.  The idea was that if he took a paper towel, for
> example, I would take that out of his mouth and exchange it for a
> bone.  I wouldn't say anything, just do the exchange and walk away.
>
> The difficulty with this dog is that he feeds off of attention.
> Negative, positive, it doesn't matter.  He soaks it up and treats it
> all as positive, unless he really knows he's done something wrong, and
> that is very rare.
>
> My instinct tells me that he is restless and bored.  He doesn't get
> enough work, and although he has structure, he doesn't have enough to
> focus on.  I am doing what I can to change this.  It's winter, so I'm
> not really wanting to walk outside as much as I would in the spring.
> I'm working on a lot outside of work, but unfortunately that stuff
> requires me to sit still.  We should get some more freedom next month
> to get out more.  But until then, I wonder if you have any ideas or
> have experienced anything like this.  At home I allow him to follow me
> around, and that seems to help.  I know tie-down may solve some of
> these problems, but I don't think tying him down would get at the root
> of the problem.
>
> His work has improved since last I wrote.  I'm honestly not sure what
> happened last summer, but he definitely seems eager to guide, and his
> confidence is right back where it's supposed to be.  This dog has
> always been a little tough to entertain, and though I understand this,
> I don't want it to be an excuse for his misbehaving.
>
>
> --
> Julie A. McGinnity
> MM Vocal Performance, 2015; President, National Federation of the
> Blind Performing Arts Division
>
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-- 
Sandra Gayer DipABRSM, LRSM.

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