[NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

[Sarah Calhoun]

Here is a link to a guide dog school survey provided by GDUI. The survey
covers many areas from training, types of breeds, home or training at
school, meals and more!

https://guidedogusersinc.org/resources/gdui-school-survey/

Best,
Sarah

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Charlene Ota via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2020 2:21 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Charlene Ota <caota4 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

Hi, one thing to always keep in mind is that one person's experience isn't
always a good way to evaluate the schools by. Over the years, I've heard
criticism of one school or another based on rumors and one dog or one
person's experience. Once the handlers leave the school, sometimes they
don't follow through with things like they should, so just be careful in
basing decisions on what you see from a graduate. Mike had good advice about
asking all your questions when you go through your interview. I had a
shepherd as one of my guide dogs and I'd make a couple of comments. He was
an excellent guide, but being as smart and as he was and with his strong
personality, I'm glad I had him when I was young and had the energy. I
needed to find alternative routes to go places so he wouldn't get bored and
I really had to commit to keep up his training. He liked to challenge me
once in a while! If you're looking for a shepherd, I'd consider whether you
are wanting to be pretty active all the time. I always said that boy needed
a job, he wouldn't have been a good pet in somebody's backyard, there
probably wouldn't have been much left of it if he'd been left alone every
day. But, don't get me wrong, again, he was a wonderful guide. When you're
looking at getting a guide dog, you might consider your lifestyle, how
active you normally are, what kinds of circumstances you'll be in most of
the time. In the end, I think we all appreciate dogs that are focused,
compliant, well-behaved, don't require a lot of constant attention. I wish
you all the best getting your first dog!

Charlene

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Megan Borella via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 3:19 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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