[nagdu] SELF TRAINING

Mon May 3 17:44:24 UTC 2010

Cheryl,

That's a very good question, and one every owner-trainer has to decide first
because it determines how they will find an actual dog to train.

As a first-timer, I hemmed and hawed and weighed.  I'm morally in favor of
the pound hound over a purebred, and pound hound certainly fit my resources
better!  Getting a dog that was already mature enough -- or at least close
to it -- to train then use as a guide was also an attractive notion!

On the other hand was the uncertainty of the dog's background and breeding
from both a behavioral and health perspective.  Iffy, very iffy.

Also, I was fairly new to Portland, and still just getting back on my feet
with my own health, so I didn't have a network of trusted people here yet to
point me toward other people who had likely pups of the right age and wanted
to find new homes for them for some reason.  I didn't want to go around
answering a lot of ads in the paper at that point.

So I thought I would call poodle breeders in Oregon, since I was interested
in that breed from researching them while I was still married to Mr.
Allergy, and see what was what and where and how much....

And got lucky!  Serendipity abounded!  Woohoo!  One of them, with whom I hit
it off almost instantly, had exactly what I was looking for in terms of
temperament for a good companion with strong potential as a guide dog
prospect.  The pup was then 6 months old, and she was asking half price for
her and really wanted her to go to a good home.  So....

Mitzi was 5 days short of 7 months when she arrived.  She had been
pack-raised, meaning she ran around the breeder's property with the other
dogs and people and extended family.  She had not had any prior training or
even much individual handling.  One question I forgot to ask, assuming that
it wasn't a worry with a pup that age, was whether she was house broken.
Oops!  I wouldn't trade Mitzi poodle for the world, but I won't do *that*
again!  House breaking a sweet young baby pup is one thing, and the mistakes
are small and easy to clean up.  This is not so true with a near-adolescent.
The dog was so great otherwise and showed me so much of her potential early
on, that I stuck it through.  Also, by the time I realize how not simple the
house training was going to be, she had my heart as well and had showed me
even more wonderfulness....

So now that I've done it with a slightly older pup and gotten to know
owner-trainers who have found more nearly adult pups with good obedience and
socialization already in place, I lean towards looking for a year- to
18-month-old when it starts looking like it's time to do that.

I also am thinking of looking for a pup in the 3 to 4 month range so that I
can start the obedience and socializing while it's still young and
impressionable, instead of when it's already started to develop a mind of
it's own prior to the rebel teen phase.  Then I remember the rebel teen
phase and think getting a more mature late adolescent or subadult is a
really, really good idea.  /grin/

I also plan to have Mitzi raise the next one as she prepares to transition
to retirement as a grand old lady.  So if there's no hurry on the
replacement, I will probably lean towards seeking a younger pup.  I do like
building my own foundation for future training, despite the long period of
puppy nonsense you have to go through before you get to guide dog.  And you
gotta admit, the puppy nonsense is at least as cute and fun as it is
aggravating.  /smile/

Anyway, that is my current take on it, for what it's worth.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Cheryl Osborn
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 5:08 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] SELF TRAINING

Hello everyone,

First of all I want to say that I know very little about self-trained
dogs.  I am working with my third dog from The Seeing Eye and have
often wondered just what took place during the puppy raising.

I would like to ask you all this question.  Do you feel that it is
important to not only train your own dog but also do your own puppy
raising?

On 5/2/10, Albert J Rizzi <albert at myblindspot.org> wrote:
> Well, first we have someone who understands some of what goes into some
> people's choices  in their options for mobility. We also have another
> misinformed individual who knows nothing of the handlers who prefer to
owner
> train their dogs. We also have a person who has a strong affiliation with
a
> school that the Lion's Club committed raises funds for. So, perhaps there
is
> an opportunity to educate miss rosemary on the fact that some people are
> very adept at training their dogs and that as a president of a chapter she
> needs to be better informed before she offers advice or as I have
> interpreted the tone, condemnation for those who choose to owner train. I
> would be happy to suggest forwarding this email to our lion's list serve
and
> ask them their opinion, and I would even offer to write her, for I myself
am
> a lion and would welcome the opportunity of opening her eyes to the truths
> about guides and options with everything that is Lionism. She is just
> unaware and ignorant of what is possible in this regard, and may obviously
> be getting her skewed  opinion  from the organization  which she and her
> club give so much money to and get so much publicity from for doing so.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Jessica Pitzer
> Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 3:53 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] rejected by teh lions club?
>
> Hi all,
> following is an email I received in response to an email I sent to my
> local lions club about asking for help with some of the costs of owner
> training. I'm.. not quite sure how to feel right now except baffled as
> we have some many owner trainers and I just embarked on this journey
> myself.
> Thoughts?
> On 5/2/10, Rosemary Richert <rosemary at richertnet.com> wrote:
>> Hi Bert,
>>
>> It is highly unusual, and questionably irresponsible, for someone to
train
>> their own guide dog.  The state only recognizes service animals which
have
>> been professionally trained.  Any other such dogs may be banned from
> places
>> which would otherwise allow access to service animals.  Necessary
training
>> of the dog is very comprehensive and time consuming.  And, subsequently,
>> training of the blind person with the dog is, also, very comprehensive
and
>> time consuming.  For the person's training, alone, three weeks of on-site
>> training with the animal determined best suited to their needs is
> required.
>> The blind person needs to prove their orientation and mobility skills
> before
>> even being accepted into a training program.  Without proof of the
> adequacy
>> of those skills, they will not be accepted.
>>
>> I served on the Board of Directors of Leader Dogs for the Blind for four
>> years, and am the person who convinced the facility to become trainers
for
>> the blind/deaf community...to the best of my knowledge, it remains the
> only
>> facility with qualified instructors of deaf/blind individuals.  I tell
you
>> this, so that you may understand that I have a credible background in
> these
>> matters, and know whereof I speak.  I would strongly caution your Lions
>> club, or any other Lions club, about considering involvement with a
person
>> who thinks they can train a guide dog for the blind on their own.
>> Involvement under such circumstances could come back to haunt an
otherwise
>> well-meaning club.  It would make much more sense for this person to be
>> screened as to qualifications; and, if qualified, be sponsored to a
>> recognized service do training program.
>>
>> Thank you for your kind consideration.
>>
>>
>>
>> God bless.
>>
>>
>>
>> With Lionism at Heart, C
>>
>>
>>
>> PDG Rosemary
>
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-- 
Cheryl in Mexico
chapalacheryl at gmail.com

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