[nagdu] Guide work and hiking

[GARY STEEVES]

HiTamara:

Ah, your posts about maturity give me reason for hope.  chcuckle. Actually, Bogart  has really improved just in the past 2.5 months. My girlfriend was complimenting me on how good my work has been with him. She seriously wondered if he had what was needed to be a guide dog when we first got home. He is already mellowing. Now just have to work on his biggest flaw which is heeling on leash or harness with sighted guide. Got sick of batttling with him in the town yesterday and pulled out the  halty. Now that is how a dog should feel on my leash, basically me not feeling him on my leash. He does make one think that I have almost killed him by using the halty and when I take it off he must show how horrible it has been by rubbing his nose on everything, well usually everybody, in sight. :)

I will hope for the day I can sit in a restaurant and not be worrying about what my dog is doing. We actually go out for dinner in the hood from time to time without Bogart so I am part of the conversation and not focused on my silly dog. :)

fingers crossed.

Gary

----- Original Message -----
From: Tamara Smith-Kinney <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
Date: Monday, August 16, 2010 4:40 pm
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide work and hiking
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>

> Lora,
> 
> Now *that* is what it's all about!  /smile/  Then they 
> learn how to do all
> that tricky hiking terrain stuff, and you learn how to follow 
> them, and
> that's when you start to have *real* fun.  /smile/
> 
> I love hiking with my girl, too.  I also love the fact that 
> she has
> somewhere along the line turned into a young lady who go out in 
> the wood and
> get down and dirty, then tidy up a bit for an evening of 
> downtown elegance
> with her fine etiquette and comportment.  /smile/  I 
> spent a long, long time
> wondering if she would ever settle down enough to have the 
> manners she would
> need to be a fully realized guide dog...  And now I can eat 
> an entire
> restaurant meal -- *and* dessert -- without suddenly panicky 
> when I realize
> nothing is pulling on the leash tied around my leg.  
> /lol/  In fact, last
> time I noticed and paused, my first thought was that, of course, 
> she was
> just resting while I ate and chatted.  So I gave her a pat 
> of praise,
> because sure enough that's what she was doing.  It took 
> awhile to get over
> the habit of thinking frantically, "OMG!  Where has she 
> gone, and what is
> she doing?"  /lol/  She never did do any of the crimes 
> I would imagine in my
> worst fear, or even just wander off in a restaurant or grocery 
> store or...
> She sure wan't a big fan of lying quietly without trying to 
> stick her nose
> in stuff, though.  /grin/
> 
> See?  They do learn and grow up!
> 
> Tami Smith-Kinney
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On Behalf
> Of Lora
> Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2010 9:13 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] Guide work and hiking
> 
> Hello everyone
> I wanted to share something positive about Kori so you didn't think
> that my whole guide dog experience is bad. :) I went hiking yesterday
> in a conplex terrain area. There were lots of rocks and sticks etc.
> Kori did amazingly. If there wasn't a way he could get around the
> rocks he would stop and then proceed slowly. There was one section
> where he couldn't go around all the rocks. He stopped and after a
> little encouragement procedded very slowly stopping at larger rocks.
> We curved alot back and forth on the path created by other 
> animals and
> humans (ie not paved) and he took the path of least resistance. 
> It was
> alot ot ask for since there wasn't really a clear path and we've only
> been home for two months. I am very proud of my boy. :)
> -- 
> Lora
> 
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