[nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?

Fri Apr 8 02:33:28 UTC 2011

Hi Gary,
What school is Bogart from?  Were there many poodles in your class?

Sarah & Miguel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "GARY STEEVES" <rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?

>
> Hello:
>
> Yes, my school did say that this was the case. Generally all the poodles 
> that went out in my class were older than their lab counterparts. Bogart 
> was almost 20 months when I got him. I'm not sure what maturity  means. I 
> certainly have seen him calm down over the past year.
>
> today was our first day at work after I was away for 9 days and he was 
> left with my boss, her husband and their 2 dogs. He seems to b  coping 
> just fine. A bit distracted guiding but, hey, he is a poodle afater all. 
> Hopefully my boss will be able to look after him again when I go to hawaii 
> in May.
>
> Gary
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Sarah Clark <goldflash9 at sbcglobal.net>
> Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 8:30 pm
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>
>> I was told by someone at one of the schools that poodles tend to
>> mature more slowly than the labs, so they tend to stay in their
>> puppy homes longer and they take longer to go through
>> training.  Has anyone else heard this?
>>
>> Sarah & Miguel
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney"
>> <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the
>> National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 6:07 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
>>
>>
>> >Rox,
>> >
>> >Way to go Laveau!
>> >
>> >So Mitzi poodle was trained in terms of having the skills down
>> by 18
>> >monmths, but I chose to let her go to 24 months before I
>> considered her
>> >graduated.  She did do some full working trips and handled
>> it very well, but
>> >I didn't want to put a full-time guide dog burden on her
>> because I was
>> >concerned about her maturity and how much it might strees her
>> and how that
>> >might affect her future work...
>> >
>> >Then again, I was 8very* aware that my poodle pup was burdened
>> with a total
>> >newbie self-taught -- and still working on it -- handler, so
>> asking her to
>> >take full respsonsibility under those conditions seemed a bit much!
>> >
>> >Reviewing that period of our lives together now, I'm thinking
>> that I could
>> >have let her work progress with her knowledge much more
>> rapidly, assuming I
>> >knew what I know now.  And what I hope to know by the time
>> I do it all over
>> >again in a few years.  /smile/
>> >
>> >She was still really, really puppy at 18 months, though, and it
>> was tough
>> >for her to work for long periods without showing signs of
>> having had too
>> >much...  One reason I keep thinking dobie is that they do
>> seem to "grow up"
>> >more quickly than poodles, while having some of those same
>> character traits
>> >I really adore in Mitzi.  Even mellow poodles like Mitzi
>> are wound pretty
>> >tight, much like their curls.  /lol/
>> >
>> >Of course, Mitzi has DD hooked on poodles, so I may find myself
>> doing the
>> >whole poodle thing all over again, just 10 years older.
>> I'd better start
>> >catching up on my rest!  /grin/
>> >
>> >Tami Smith-Kinney
>> >
>> >-----Original Message-----
>> >From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-
>> bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> >Of The Pawpower Pack
>> >Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 4:43 PM
>> >To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> >Subject: Re: [nagdu] Issuing dogs at 18 months - is it too young?
>> >
>> >Steve,
>> >
>> >I totally agree with you here.  Bristol was a program
>> trained dog
>> >issued at 18 months.  She was very matured and retired due
>> to medical
>> >reasons.  The dog I had gotten before that was issued at
>> 24 months and
>> >was very immature.
>> >
>> >I start formal harness training around 12-14 months and usually my
>> >dogs are finished between 18-20 months.  My border collie, Gracy
>> >didn't really grow up until she was 4, and she retired when she was
>> >7.  Laveau was born mature, I think and she guided me
>> around Boston
>> >(which was a totally new city for her) when she was 15 months
>> old and
>> >her work was flawless.
>> >It really just depends on the dog, I think.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >Rox and the Botanical Barkers:
>> >Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
>> >"The only problem with troubleshooting is, sometimes, trouble shoots
>> >back."
>> >http://www.pawpowercreations.com
>> >pawpower4me at gmail.com
>> >AIM: Brissysgirl
>> >
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>> >
>> >
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