[NAGDU] Guide Dogs and Office Jobs

[Sandra Gayer]

PS before and after office hours, brisk run for him!

On 1/13/20, Sandra Gayer <sandragayer7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Julie,
> If it was your first year, everyone I've known with guide dogs always
> say the first year's the hardest. Some people have also said the first
> year's from hell.
>
> I haven't got a guide dog but I have ordinary dogs. Free running helps
> burn off the extra energy. Could he be let loose in your garden when
> you're at home and do his own thing sometimes? Playing with him, doing
> drill and, in short, tiring him out may help with the bord so I'll
> explore thingy.
>
> Very best wishes,
> Sandra.
>
> On 1/13/20, Julie McGinnity via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I hope everyone had a happy New Year and is staying warm.
>>
>> I wonder if anyone else has dealt with the combination of a highly
>> energetic dog, an office job, and a routine that doesn't allow for as
>> much travel as you would like.  Well, that's my situation.  I work 8-5
>> here, and I mostly stay in my office.  Bill does well in my office.
>> He has his own bed, and I've brought a bone and a toy for him to chew
>> on.  He listens pretty well at work and doesn't display very many
>> undesirable behaviors, other than attempting to get my attention when
>> someone calls or comes in my office.
>>
>> At home though, I'm slightly ashamed to admit he can be quite a pill.
>> He tends to grab things that don't belong to him and run with them
>> under the coffee table.  He has even been testy about food by sniffing
>> at my roommate when she is at the table.
>>
>> I do not give him people food.  I have recently puppy-proofed the
>> house, and that has helped some.  When I first got him, he displayed
>> some of these behaviors, and the school recommended I find toys he
>> could have, that i could give him when he grabbed something I didn't
>> want him to take.  The idea was that if he took a paper towel, for
>> example, I would take that out of his mouth and exchange it for a
>> bone.  I wouldn't say anything, just do the exchange and walk away.
>>
>> The difficulty with this dog is that he feeds off of attention.
>> Negative, positive, it doesn't matter.  He soaks it up and treats it
>> all as positive, unless he really knows he's done something wrong, and
>> that is very rare.
>>
>> My instinct tells me that he is restless and bored.  He doesn't get
>> enough work, and although he has structure, he doesn't have enough to
>> focus on.  I am doing what I can to change this.  It's winter, so I'm
>> not really wanting to walk outside as much as I would in the spring.
>> I'm working on a lot outside of work, but unfortunately that stuff
>> requires me to sit still.  We should get some more freedom next month
>> to get out more.  But until then, I wonder if you have any ideas or
>> have experienced anything like this.  At home I allow him to follow me
>> around, and that seems to help.  I know tie-down may solve some of
>> these problems, but I don't think tying him down would get at the root
>> of the problem.
>>
>> His work has improved since last I wrote.  I'm honestly not sure what
>> happened last summer, but he definitely seems eager to guide, and his
>> confidence is right back where it's supposed to be.  This dog has
>> always been a little tough to entertain, and though I understand this,
>> I don't want it to be an excuse for his misbehaving.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Julie A. McGinnity
>> MM Vocal Performance, 2015; President, National Federation of the
>> Blind Performing Arts Division
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> NAGDU mailing list
>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NAGDU:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/sandragayer7%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
> --
> Sandra Gayer DipABRSM, LRSM.
>
> Soprano Singer
> www.sandragayer.com
>
> Broadcast Presenter
> www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk/music-box.html
>
> Actor
> www.visablepeople.com
>
> Voiceover Artist
> www.archangelvoices.co.uk/content/sandra-gayer
>


-- 
Sandra Gayer DipABRSM, LRSM.

Soprano Singer
www.sandragayer.com

Broadcast Presenter
www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk/music-box.html

Actor
www.visablepeople.com

Voiceover Artist
www.archangelvoices.co.uk/content/sandra-gayer