[NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

Mon Oct 26 02:17:58 UTC 2020

iDog Foundation in Phoenix is one to consider, and all they do is German Shepards.  
https://www.eyedogfoundation.org/

Gallant Hearts is also another one to think about.
https://www.gallanthearts.org/about-us#:~:text=Gallant%20Hearts%20Guide%20Dog%20Center,individuals%20throughout%20the%20United%20States.
Jordan
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tippi via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 5:35 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tippi <tippiluthy at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

Fidel could has a long wait list. Their application form wants a lot of financial info... what do you earn, how much is rent, electric, water etc. Once in a while Leader Dod will have Shepherds 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 25, 2020, at 1:43 PM, Mike Hingson via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> You ask some good probing questions. Let me first give you my 
> observations concerning German Shepherds. I worked for GDB for six and 
> a half years and found that people who wanted Shepherds were quite 
> strong in their beliefs. I think there is nothing wrong with this. 
> However, the chief reason that Guide Dogs for the Blind stopped using 
> German Shepherds was that the breed's success rate as guides was much 
> lower than breeds like Labradors. As I like to put it, if you breed 
> all the traits needed to make a shepherd into the dog you will also by 
> definition breed out many of the traits that make shepherds the kind 
> of dogs with the personality the breed typically possesses.
> 
> The fact is that some shepherds make excellent guides. Because they 
> are focused, loyal and love to work. Many Shepherds like much more to 
> herd and don't possess the characteristics that make them the guides 
> the schools find to be successful. Even the Seeing Eye, I believe, 
> does not provide the numbers of German Shepherds they use to provide.
> 
> With the above in mind, I urge you to apply to several schools. With 
> the pandemic in full swing don't make assumptions about which school 
> will and will not provide in-home training. GDB has, for many years, 
> been the top school that has led the way in improve scientifically training techniques.
> It was the first school to introduce food rewards and clicker 
> training. Both of these techniques have been and are being adopted by 
> other schools as they improve the training and speed of training of most guide dogs they produce.
> They also were the first, or one of the first, schools to recognize 
> the lower success rates of German Shepherds. By the way, another issue 
> GDB noticed was that when a German Shepherd was career changed, the 
> term for what happens to a dog that the school decides won't make a 
> good guide, GDB also noticed that the adoption success rate for Shepherds was much lower.
> These dogs stayed in kennels longer waiting for adoption. The longer 
> the dogs had to remain in kennels waiting to find a home, the more 
> anxious and, yes, aggressive they became. These are facts and not opinions.
> 
> Again, apply to several schools. Whether you decide to only apply for 
> schools in California or not, please remember that as you apply to 
> schools and those schools respond and decide to interview you, they 
> also must prove to you that they are the place you want to go. The 
> "interview process" is a two-way street. Ask all the probing questions 
> you want. Make sure the school you choose really is the one you think best.
> 
> If you want to talk more and want to discuss this off list, you are 
> free to email me at mike at michaelhingson.com.
> 
> I hope this all helps.
> 
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> 
> Michael Hingson
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU On Behalf Of Megan Borella via NAGDU
> Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 1:19 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Megan Borella <meganborella at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I am in the process of choosing a guide dog school to apply to in 
> order to obtain my first guide, and was hoping to receive input from 
> recent graduates regarding the programs I am considering. I would very 
> much like to work with a German Shepherd, but have found that options 
> for this breed are more limited than I had expected. I live in 
> California, and no schools in my vicinity breed German Shepherds, 
> which is why Fidelco's program caught my eye. Their in-home training 
> was also of interest to me, as I would prefer to not have to go to a 
> program in a different state for an extended period of time.
> 
> However, as I have conducted more thorough research, stories I have 
> heard about Fidelco, its policies, and the quality of the guides it 
> has produced in the past decade have raised some serious concerns. 
> Does anyone know if Fidelco has undergone any improvements? Is their program worth applying to?
> I also know that the Seeing Eye is another school that specializes in 
> German Shepherds, although I do not know if they would be willing to 
> conduct in-home training. Has anyone graduated from their program 
> recently who might be able to provide feedback?
> 
> Finally, I live very near Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., which I have 
> heard nothing but wonderful things about. I have visited their campus 
> and adopted one of their dogs through their career change program, and 
> she could not have been any better. My only hesitation about applying 
> to their program is that they do not breed German shepherds. Either 
> way, the quality of the dog matters to me more than the breed. Does 
> anyone have any thoughts on whether the quality of the schools that do 
> specialize in German shepherds is high enough to warrant submitting an application?
> Thank you so much,
> Megan
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