[NAGDU] choosing schools

Sat May 27 11:39:42 UTC 2023

All I can say is that I got 5 dogs from GDB in San Rafael while I was living in Minnesota and New York, and all of them did fine with cold, snow and ice.  They all did very well finding the places I wanted to go, even when the walks were completely covered in snow.  They all managed the mountains of snow at street crossings.  
I know 2 of my dogs were raised in places with snow, and the raiser of a third made sure to take her puppy up to the mountains at least once, but really 3 of them didn't have a lot of experience with the kind of weather I brought them too, and they did just fine. 
Of my 3 Seeing Eye dogs, only Igloo had experience actually guiding in ice and snow, but the others were just as good at it. 

It seems like matching up the weather where you train and where you live could be important, but, in my experience, it's actually not.
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Heather Bird via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2023 9:54 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Heather Bird <heather.l.bird at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] choosing schools

So, does The Weather where the school is located matter? I would say absolutely yes, but does it matter a lot? I would say that depends. If you live somewhere with very extreme weather, for instance, if you live in Alaska, or in Florida, then you probably want a dog that has been trained Where the weather, or at least some of the seasons, or as extreme as the place where you will be working with the dog. A good point was brought up though, that the dog wouldn’t necessarily be trained in the season that corresponds to your weather. So does that matter? Yes, a little bit. Even if they’re treating cycle, which is going to be anywhere between 2 to 4 months in length, depending on the school, for instance, I believe that Guide Dogs For The Blind has a two month training cycle, and The Seeing Eye has a four month training cycle , Doesn’t take place during the season, whose weather corresponds to the typical weather where you live, the dog will at least likely have been raised in and experienced those conditions. So if your dog has a serious problem with the cold, the puppy raisers likely would’ve made a note of it, or if your dog has an especially hard time with the heat, That’s some thing that responsible puppy raisers would also notice and make the school aware of. As previously mentioned, just because your school is located in a particular area, does it mean that the puppy was raised right nearby, although, most schools won’t have puppy raisers very far from the school, unless they have a puppy raising net work to support the razors with Outreach.  To be clear, I’m not saying that a dog trained in Florida, could never succeed in Alaska, or than a dog trained in upstate New York, could never work in Texas, but the chances of a dog succeeding as a match or increase if they have been raised in, and ideally trained in weather conditions, similar to where they are placed. Also, how much this matters will depend on how and when you use your dog. If you live somewhere that has very nasty winters, but you don’t walk hardly anywhere in the winter, let’s say you take Paratransit door to door, and your dogs workload is much less in the winter, or, is transferred to primarily indoor work, then it’s not going to matter very much. But, if you walk to, and from work every single day, and rely on your own 2 feet and public transit for most of your travel, then your dog, having an issue with the cold, would be a huge problem. If you have a dog, let’s say that has a problem with the heat, maybe one it was trained in New York, or Connecticut, or New Jersey, and you live in Florida, you might have a problem. But if you are a retiree, who primarily travels in the cars of friends and family, takes paratransit, And only walks short routes, for exercise, in the early morning, or late in the day when it is much cooler, because you yourself have problems with the heat, then your dog will probably do fine. Allergies are related to temperature and humidity though, and aren’t going to be mitigated necessarily by how much you do, or do not work your dog outside. If a dog has allergies that are seasonal or based on the pollen, mold, insects, or other factors in a different region of a country, then you’re going to have a problem. It may not be an surmountable problem, there might be medication‘s, or more frequent be there or something else you can do, but it also could mean retiring, or returning the dog. I would say the greater concern for a dog raised in a hot climate, going to a cold one would be how the dog copes with the cold weather, and guiding you in the snow when conditions are icy, and a lot of the landmarks are obscured by moderate to deep snowfall. I would say the greater concern for a dog raised in a cooler region coming to a hot and humid region, would be things like allergies, skin issues, and other similar concerns. Also, the breed of the dog is going to matter. For instance, a golden retriever, or a coded, German Shepherd, might have a lot more trouble with the heat then say a yellow Labrador. Or, a brachiocephalic breed like a boxer, might have a much harder time in a hot climate Than a retriever or a shepherd. You can also mitigate some of these concerns with special equipment, like a cooling collar, cooling vest, and carrying extra water in a hot climate, or booties, measure, secret, or a sweater for the dog in a colder climate. Part of that decision comes down to How much of a hassle are you willing to put up with, and what are your personal must haves, and dealbreaker‘s, surrounding working with your dog on a daily basis.  So, in a nutshell, would I recommend a dog from say, Southeastern, or Guide Dogs of America, to be placed with a very active individual, living in Alaska, who travels for a couple miles a day, outside, in the winter? Absolutely not. Would I recommend a dog trained in Canada or upstate? New York, to work with a very active individual living in Florida or New Mexico or Arizona, Where frequent short trips need to be made, even during the hottest parts of the day, and even when shifting longer trips to the cooler times of the day, still maintain temperatures in the 90s? No, I absolutely would not recommend that sort of a situation. We as human beings have managed, in many cases, to take control of at least the indoor environment, so if you’re an individual who doesn’t travel a whole lot in terms of Rutch work, and who doesn’t spend a whole lot of time outside for travel, sports, or recreation, then this whole discussion may be, for the most part, a moot point.

Life is short, dictation is my friend, any errors today brought to you by iPhone. I hope some of this is helpful.

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 26, 2023, at 9:35 AM, Danielle Sykora via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> In terms of weather, I personally wouldn't choose a school solely 
> based on weather. For example, you could choose a school in the 
> Northeast because you want a dog with experience around snow. However, 
> if you get a class in the fall, your dog would have been trained in 
> the summer and not had any guide training in the snow. Also, most 
> programs have pretty wide geographical areas for puppy raising. Though 
> a program might be located in one region, your particular dog may have 
> been raised in a different region with a different climate. These dogs 
> are adaptable, and will typically adjust pretty well to any climate 
> given a bit of time. Of course, you can mention any concerns you have 
> relating to climate, so that the program can do what they can to 
> address those concerns.
> 
> In terms of food, I think most programs would not have a problem 
> accommodating dietary preferences to a point. There is usually some 
> flexibility around meals; there might be more than one meal option or 
> they might be able to leave one ingredient out of your dish. You could 
> also proactively bring some snacks you like, so you would at least 
> have something to eat if you really don't like a meal.
> 
> Danielle
> 
>> On 5/24/23, Melissa R. Green via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi.
>> These are good questions. I can only tell you my experience.
>> I received a letter with questions and instructions of what to bring 
>> to class. Also there was page devoted to food choices.
>> Then each week the chef would ask about what choices for meals.
>> As for weather, My dog would work through lots of weather. I do know 
>> of some people that used mushers secret, and or bootees. I also know 
>> people that will ask for a city dog. So that is my experience. 
>> Lastly, the schools do have awesome food. If that is important to 
>> you, then attach a narrative to your application, or mention it in 
>> your Interview.
>> Best,
>> Melissa R Green and Pj
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Madison Martin 
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2023 10:41 AM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Madison Martin <madison.martin2000 at outlook.com>
>> Subject: [NAGDU] choosing schools
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> I know I haven't started applying and I don't know when I will but 
>> I'm going to ask these questions anyway. I'm a very picky eater and 
>> it's not because of religion/allergies/diatary restrictions it's just 
>> the way I am; I know that schools have to accommodate it if you have 
>> a specific reason but since it's just the way I am would they still 
>> have to accommodate me/do you think they'd be willing to do so? Also, 
>> would it be wrong/weird to pick a school based on what the weather 
>> tends to be like (I don't mean during training I mean what type of 
>> weather the dog was trained in)? Our winters get really cold and we 
>> tend to get lots of snow and while I get that no one likes going out 
>> in the freezing cold and snow I would want to know that I'd be 
>> getting a dog that can handle that type of conditions just the same 
>> as I'd think someone who lives somewhere that gets a lot of 
>> rain/storms would want to know that their dog would be able to handle 
>> it. Look forward to reading any thoughts that anyone has!! Thanks 
>> Madison
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NAGDU mailing list
>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NAGDU:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/lissa1531%40gmail.
>> com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NAGDU mailing list
>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NAGDU:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/dsykora29%40gmail.
>> com
>> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NAGDU mailing list
> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/heather.l.bird%40gm
> ail.com

_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/carcione%40access.net