<html><body><font face="Helvetica">I was wondering how many hours aday do you people who train your dog train?<br><br>Barb<br><br>Sent from Xfinity Connect Mobile App<br><br><br>------ Original Message ------<br><br>From: Amber Meloy via nagdu<br>To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List<br>Sent: July 31, 2014 at 4:43 PM<br>Subject: [nagdu] Owner training questions<br><br>Hi all,<br><br>There has been a large amount of discussion recently about owner training on the list and since I have decided to get a new guide dog, I have made a number of decisions, and I am now considering another one.<br><br>The first decision that I made was that I wanted a poodle because I would not have as much problem with hair. I searched and searched but the only school that I could find that issued poodles to anyone who did not have allergies or someone in their family with allergies, was Pilot Dogs.<br><br>I applied and continued to research various topics about poodles, about training methods, about how I felt about training etc etc. As I searched, and the more questions I asked myself, the more I started thinking that maybe I wanted to owner train.<br><br>There are a lot of things that I am very unsure how to handle, and I am writing here in the hopes of finding some advice. I understand that having a grasp of the training methods you choose to use is essential, and I have every intention of practicing alone and in my head and reading before actually attempting to teach a dog anything. But before I get to the point where I teach a dog anything, there are a few things I have to take care of…such as acquiring the dog…<br><br>And so this brings me to a few of my first questions:<br><br>What strategies have you, as an owner trainer, used to find the right dog? I have read a lot about a test that is done to test temperament, but I do not recall this test’s name at the moment, nor do I know for sure that this is what is used. I understand that no one can be absolutely guaranteed to have made the right choice; that dogs wash out; that this is a fact I may have to face. But there has to be something that you did in the beginning to say, yes, I think I’ll give this dog a try. You didn’t pick him or her because s/he was cute. Or cuddly. Or energetic. Or did you?<br><br>Another big question I have is about costs. Before anyone comments that of course there will be costs, don’t. I understand that. But what I am looking for is a general idea of some of the things you bought/paid for/services needed, and maybe an average of how much that thing/service/experience costed you. For example, if I choose to get various vaccines, I can look those up anywhere. Any vet’s office will let me know those things. If I want to know about the cost of a crate, I could look online or go to a pet store. If I want to know the cost of foods I will feed, I can find that information. But what I’m looking for information on is acquisition of your dog; acquisition of puppy vest for still in training; acquisition of harness; any assistance for sighted assistance in training, whether that was for training traffic checks or for observation only or for a trainer’s professional opinion etc. Expenses that aren’t readily available for me to just look up.<br><br>Finally, if anyone is willing to talk with me off list, I would be very grateful. If there is such a thing as a list for owner trainers so that I am not cluttering this list with my questions, I would also love to know about that as well. I joined the clicker solutions list and am hoping that when I come across a problem with particular behaviors I am trying to shape that this will be a viable resource. <br><br>Thank you all for your input, however much or little it is.<br><br>Amber M<br>_______________________________________________<br>nagdu mailing list<br>nagdu@nfbnet.org<br>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org<br>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:<br>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/barbandzoe%40comcast.net<br></font></body></html>