[NAGDU] Seeking Feedback Re: Traveling in unfamiliar Areas

[rdgraves2007 at gmail.com]

Good Evening All,

 

I must admit that I am a little hesitant to post this here, as I know there
are many more confident and well seasoned guide dog users in this forum
making me a bit concerned about expressing my vulnerabilities. (smile)
However I am hoping I can get some pointers which will increase my comfort
level as I prepare to travel to the national convention in July.

 

I'll first offer a bit of background, so that you'll have a clear
understanding of my situation. I can't recall whether I have posted this
here before as I am on several groups pertinent to guide dog users, so my
apologies for any redundancies.

 

I didn't decide to transition from cane to dog until I was in my fifties. I
requested home training at the time, because my husband was in poor health,
and I didn't want to be gone for weeks at a time. I now believe that this
was likely a huge mistake for my first dog. I didn't have a good rapport
with the instructor who was sent, as he was very condescending and
intimidating from the start. Suffice it to say, I probably didn't get the
intensity of training that I needed.

 

My girl and I have been together for going on five years now, and the
learning curve has been slow. We've made progress, but, for the most part,
we have traveled in areas  which are familiar to me. We did experience a
pretty severe fall, a couple of months into our relationship, which I now
think was largely my own fault. I think she was trying to worn me of some
steps that I wasn't aware of, and I wasn't picking up on the cue. That did
little to increase my confidence, and so there is a fear that still lingers
in unfamiliar environments. I have not traveled with her in large airports,
or unfamiliar cities. Mostly we travel to and from work and to the
occasional restaurant and/or medical appointment.

Izzo is a big "sniffer" and is easily distracted by other dogs and people.
Putting the gentle leader on her almost makes things worse. She hates it and
will begin rubbing her face on me and everything else in her reach trying to
get it off.

 

I am really anxious about traveling to the convention in New Orleans this
summer and keeping us both safe. I would appreciate any pointers or feedback
on how I might best prepare for this, and increase my level of competence.

 

Thanks In Advance,

Diane Graves