[NAGDU] SWITCHING FROM CANE TO DOG, AND OTHER THOUGHTS

Sun Sep 24 21:08:35 UTC 2023

Hi Joy,
Super helpful! All great points, and agree with all of them. Thanks.
Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 23, 2023, at 03:36, Joy Relton via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Parham,
> 
> First, congratulations for researching your choices for independent travel.
> I emphasize that it is a choice. You are wise to think about it. I used a
> cane for several years before I got my first dog guide. I am now working
> with my seventh guide and do not regret any of the dogs or the years using
> them. I do use a cane occasionally. I agree that it is important to keep up
> those skills. I now carry a folding cane in my purse to check out areas when
> I am working with a dog because it is safer than using my feet to find out
> what my dog is trying to show me. This is not something that I did with my
> first five dogs as a regular thing. 
> 
> Working with your wife with her cane will be something you will have to work
> out. First, your dog is not trained to guide both of you so your wife will
> need to use her cane while walking with you. I have seen several techniques
> used by couples with varying levels of success. You and your wife will have
> to try things out and find out what works with you and your guide. Some
> people just walk together and talk to one another. Then, when it is a
> crowded area I have seen the cane user walk behind the dog guide user
> placing a hand on the shoulder or touching an arm. The cane user cannot be
> in a position which interferes with the effective and safe use of the dog.
> The cane user, in my opinion, must continue to use their cane for their
> safety. By the way, my husband is sighted and we have to work out what works
> well for us to walk together. It varies depending on the situation.  I will
> caution you that you need to ensure that you are using your dog as a guide
> for you and not anticipating what is ahead or in anyway expecting that dog
> to serve as a guide for both of you. Talk with the dog guide instructors.
> They will tell you that the dog is distracted by people walking next to you
> or in a position where they can see that person. I recently moved to a new
> neighborhood and I was walking with my husband to the gym because I hadn't
> walked it before. We discovered that the gps and walking alone worked better
> for us. My husband would walk where she couldn't see him and wait to ensure
> that I hadn't turned somewhere I shouldn't have. It works well. I agree with
> you about walking different directions and exploring different locations. It
> is a wonderful way to gain confidence in one another. When I first trained
> with a dog they used to encourage you to take different routes to get places
> on a regular basis. This makes you pay attention to the dog and the dog is
> guiding not on auto pilot.  My second dog used to look at me when I wanted
> to turn a different way and make a funny noise as if to say "wait, we went
> the other way yesterday!"  
> 
> Each dog is different and you and your wife are different as well as the
> situation in which you live. Enjoy working with your new guide and
> communicate with the dog guide trainer whenever you have a question. 
> 
> Good luck! Enjoy!
> 
> Joy with Vicky #7
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Susan Jones via NAGDU
> Sent: Friday, September 22, 2023 5:29 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: sblanjones11 at sbcglobal.net
> Subject: [NAGDU] SWITCHING FROM CANE TO DOG, AND OTHER THOUGHTS
> 
> Hello Parham and listers,
> 
> I got my first dog right out of high school, and had a difficult experience,
> which ended in about three years.
> I then used a cane for 21 years, pretty successfully, and decided it was
> time to look again at the guide dog experience.
> I very much wondered how, or whether, I would be able to adjust.  
> It was much easier than I expected.  The hardest thing was to travel with
> much less hard information, and the easiest thing was enjoying the walk
> more, as I could pay attention to something besides the topography in front
> of me.
> I am now working with my seventh guide dog.  I believe in keeping up my cane
> skills as well, because they are needed at times when I can't take my dog,
> and obviously between dogs.
> 
> Guide dogs are only trained to guide one person, though it might work with
> the two of you on rare occasions, and for short stretches, if one walked
> directly behind the other.
> 
> As far as traveling different routes all the time, when you and your dog get
> to know what is expected of each other, this is very possible.  The first
> thing is to build that trusting relationship between the two of you, and
> learn to travel safely together, and then you can go anywhere, expected or
> unexpected, you discover it together.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Susan Jones, Indianapolis Indiana
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Parham Doustdar via
> NAGDU
> Sent: Friday, September 22, 2023 4:44 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Parham Doustdar <parham90 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] New member, and newbie questions!
> 
> Hi all,
> My name is Parham. I'm originally from Iran, and I've moved to Amsterdam as
> an expat and recently become a citizen.
> I'm here because I don't speak much Dutch, and the information I can find
> online on guide dogs is very limited. So I thought I'd join this list and
> talk to some real people having real guide dogs! :-) I had some starting
> questions if you don't mind.
> First, I and my wife are both blind. What would your advice be to a blind
> couple? Should we, or should we not, walk with the guide dog together? Since
> I'm the one getting a guide dog, can she ever take the dog out in a harness?
> Would the person with a cane be walking behind? Any other points?
> Secondly, we love experiencing new things. That's why we'll regularly go on
> new routes. We have very few "regular" routes, so most of the time we'll be
> using GPS software and going on a route we might never go on again. How does
> this affect a guide dog? Is that even something that a guide dog user should
> be doing? Most of the accounts I can find online, including in Allison's
> book Paws That Change My Life, is from people who have routes they frequent.
> And lastly, I know this comes up often, so sorry for opening what might be a
> can of worms, but what was the experience of a highly skilled cane user
> switching to a guide dog? I am completely blind and can go almost anywhere
> with a cane, but I'm trying to (1) increase my speed, and (2) go out more
> confidently in windy and rainy weather, which is too frequent in NL for my
> liking, LOL! I'm curious what people with good cane skills found on the
> other side of the switch.
> Thanks a lot for all opinions in advance!
> Best,
> Parham
> Sent from my iPhone
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