[NAGDU] Goldens as guides

[joy.relton at icloud.com]

Hi Sam,

I have used an American Golden, and an English Golden. The first was a 55
pound female and my first. She was a little perfectionist with her corners
and crossing. We went through my undergrads together including a year abroad
in France. We jumped over snow banks at the University of Idaho and climbed
spiral stairs in towers in castles together. We moved to D.C. where there
were as many people in the apartment building that I lived in as the town
twenty miles away from the farm that I grew up on. She was lay back and
adaptable. My second Golden was an English Golden. I'm told that he looked
like the Golden on the Bush's Baked Beans commercial. He was wonderful. We
went on camping trips, hiking, soccer games and all sorts of things with our
two children who were at that time in middle school and through high school.
He was a bigger dog than my first one. HE ;was about 68 pounds and a lot of
fun. I have had three black labs. One lab was an American lab with a broad
chest and a great worker. We used to jog before work. For him, it was a fast
walk. WE walked twelve-minute miles. He was a solid enthusiastic and alert
dog and on the seating chart at my law school. I had an English Yellow lab
which my daughter called a goth because she looked like she had black eye
liner. She weighed about 64 pounds and was a good fast walker and very
smart. She and our cats got along fine. I had a black English lab he was a
good solid worker but I had to be careful that the repair men didn't leave
the gate open or he'd be on the run. Another black lab male was more gentle
but still a solid worker. I currently am working a lab-golden cross. She
weighs 49 pounds and is full of spirit. She is a quick learner and we are
enjoying learning how to work in a whole new area of hills, walking paths
and different mass transit. Each of my retrievers have had a friendly
temperament. They all are pretty calm and adaptable to the surrounding
situations. I believe that this is due in part to their breed, in part to
their training, in part to their temperament and in part to my approach to
situations. 

I believe that each of these dogs were perfect in themselves. After all,
they don't get any real choice in the pairing. You have to be flexible and
learn the dogs personality and what motivates them. I can't even say that
one dog is preferable in terms of shedding their coat or anything. If you
have children, you might think of the similarities. Each child has his or
her personality and things which trigger specific behavior and certain
motivators  to get them to behave in the manner you would like. I believe
strongly that you need to respect each dog for their abilities, personality
and training. Most importantly, ask lots of questions when being introduced
and trained with the dog and focus on learning how to work with them just as
they will have to make adjustments with you. My favorite dog is always my
current one. 

Funny thing, with my first dog, I was careful not to buy dark pants so that
my dog's hair didn't show up on them. Then my next dog was black. After a
while I learned to find close in the color I look good in made of a material
to which dog hair clings less. Then, just carry a clothes brush for special
events and get over it otherwise.

Best of luck with whatever dog you are matched with in the future. BTW, I
have never been matched with a German Shepherd yet but I would welcome one
if that turns out to be my next dog.

joy    

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sam Doman via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2023 2:40 PM
To: NAGDU at nfbnet.org
Cc: Sam Doman <skdoman2001 at gmail.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Goldens as guides

Hi everyone,
	As I have been looking more into getting a guide soon I have done a
lot of research about the different breeds used. I was wondering who all had
used a golden retriever, and what there experience was like as compared to
using a lab or other breed. Obviously a lot depends on the dogs personality.
Thanks so much for any help you can provide.
Thanks,
Sam
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