[NAGDU] Any advice on how to deal with poor filtering in guide dog schools?

[Joy Relton]

HI Parham,


I think that you are doing excellent work by investigating the dog guide school and communicating with other dog guide users. From my experience of using dog guides for more than forty years, the best thing that you can do is to ensure that you have awareness of your skills and needs to access your environment. I.e., can you effectively navigate through a neighborhood, a house, a shopping center or whatever. To me, the skills you should have are an ability to orient with your environment. I.e. do you know what you need to do to get from point A. to point B. I am intentionally keeping this somewhat vague because the way in which one navigates is personal as are your skills. I've seen people who couldn't use a cane to find their way out of the room that they were in but they could stand up, take their dog's harness handle and they knew which way to turn and which way they needed to go. 

Secondly, you need analytical skills. I.e., I'm at the corner near the bank and I want to go to the...now how do I get there? This will take trial and error and the ability to think on your feet and have confidence and humility. It's ok if you blow it as long as you work with your cane or your dog and get there safely. Then, forgive yourself if you make a mistake and walk two blocks in the wrong direction and find a solution which will get you where you need to go. 

Thirdly, pay attention to your dog. How does he/she give you information? What is the dog's personality, motivation, temperament? 

Fourthly, ask lots of questions of your trainer. How does this dog deal with... What would you recommend we do if...

Fourthly, find a way to get the experience you need with a trainer to work similar situations to what you will be working when you get home?

Lastly, remember the information others give you is based on their limited experience in specific situations. Don't get tied up in knots because they couldn't gel with a particular dog. That's a two-way street. It's like working with different colleagues or bosses. Life gives you different challenges. If you have the right attitude, the right information and the right skills you can handle it. If you lack any of these, get them. 
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Parham Doustdar via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2023 8:30 AM
To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Parham Doustdar <parham90 at gmail.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Any advice on how to deal with poor filtering in guide dog schools?

Hi all,
There is a school that I’m going to work with in the Netherlands that is willing to do training in English. I’ve asked a Dutch friend to ask other blind people for feedback, and the reviews I’ve been getting are a consistent love/hate – there are people who really enjoyed working with them, and people who got dogs that were anxious, wouldn’t want to work, etc.
When I ask organisations here for advice, their advice is very vague and not generally helpful, things like, “yeah, that’s just the way things are.” This is why I’m reaching out here for my questions, as opposed to taking my questions to them all the time.
How do you all, as guide dog handlers, ensure that the guide dog you get is a guide dog you could work with? How can I take better control of this situation?
Thanks a lot for any help,
Parham
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