[NAGDU] Guide Dogs and Office Jobs

[Elizabeth Campbell]

Hi everyone, I have a job where I am in the office, but I also spend time
out in the field.
I agree that the first year of having a guide dog is the most frustrating
because you are still bonding and learning about one another. Also, I think
the younger dogs like to see how much they can get away with. For instance,
when I got my current guide Barbara, she chewed through two leashes and
wriggled out of her collar while I was at work. She then decided it would
be fun to run as fast as she could through the newsroom, and it took three
people to chase her down! Fortunately, I work in an environment where
people thought that her behavior was a great stress reliever. I had to
explain that Barb could not get away with those antics. She calmed down
after the first year. I also think having some toys and going out for walks
really helps.


On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 9:32 AM 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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-- 
Elizabeth Campbell