Category: Animal House
Hi guys. I will be leaving April 27th to get my guidedog, and I was just wanting to get some feedback on what to expect when I return to my "normal life." What to expect, and those kinds of things. Storeis of when you first got home with your dog would be cool as well.
Thanks Meaghan
Smile, well your dog might try and test you a little since the instructors aren't around to keep an eye on them. Depending on the type of dog you have, they might be very excited to check out this new place, or they might be unsure about what this all means. You'll get a sense of that when you get the dog for the first time in class though, and the instructors can help you with any questions you might have.
People are going to start noticing your dog, and i'm sure you'll hear lots of comments about them.
You'll figure out a routine that takes care of your dog's needs and works around your regular schedule. Once you settle into that, I wouldn't say it's all that different than what you did before. It's just a matter of getting used to it. Most of all, I think you'll find you have a lot more confidence and freedom to go where you want, even in places you're already familiar with.
Hope that's what you were looking for. I'm sure there are plenty of people with stories for you. I'll post one when I think of a good one.
Thanks. I appreciate it.
Yeah. My friend Laura just got her guide dog last year. She's a black lab named Aspen from GDB. It was quite entertaining to hear some of the stories about how Aspen tried to test Laura during the first few months they were home. She even went so far as to try stealing Laura's lunch while we were on the phone. Personally I'm curious about how my cat Max would react if I did decide to bring a guide dog into our little life. I don't think he's met many dogs if any.
OK, another question. What kinds of dog food do you guys buy? I don't want to just buy just any dog food. I have the same question about things such as vitamins, grooming tools, and toys. Any good buys or any good brands would be much appreciated. Basically, what i'm wanting to know is what food, toys, grooming tools, and vitamins do you guys use, and where are some good places to get them? With toys, it's pretty obvious. Walmart sells tons of them but anyway.
It's probably advisable to stick to the food they gave them at the school since any dog's health can potentially be jeopardized by changing their diet. I sure wouldn't jeopardize a guide dog's health just to save a few dollars.
I agree.
Hi Meaghan,
Bryan is right about not changing the food. The schools are really good about selecting their foods they use. I am not sure which school you will be going to, but most schools give you grooming tools, and can reccomend different toys that would be good for your dog to play with. I think they generally reccomend the nila bone or the kong. I hope this helps.
Blessings,
Angela
Thanks
My friend Kathleen's guide dog absolutely loved kongs. It was pretty funy actually since at the time my sister's dog happened to have a kong. So Kathleen and Mary Rose showed up and there was a kong laying in the middle of the floor and she got really excited.
Re: Food. GDF feeds Iams I have changed it before to Timberwolf Organics and had no problems. Will change to something else better than Iams for this dog as well here pretty soon. Those at the guide dog school new, and in one case, even fed one lady's dog a different food once on class because she knew without a doubt that was what she was going to feed at home. Careful research, lots of it, and very slow switching over, and you'll do alright. Also, sometimes the food has to be changed if your dog happens to develop an alergie. Just my ghoughts, take them or leave them. <smile>
Grooming tools: depends on the breed of dog. I firmly believe in the goodness of the Furminator although others don't. I got the large one on sale for $30 but usually they're $60 or so. Check for something called the Furbuster, a knock off but works just as well or so one of my trainers said. Zoom grooms are lovely and under $10. Undercoat rakes are good, but again that depends on the kind of dog. I don't use it on my fiancee's lab, but used one on the lab/poodle for sure. A rotating toothed comb has its place too, but again not on certain types of dogs. Don't use it on my lab/golden so much, but did on the l/p. So, a zoom groom, and Furminator are excellent places to start. Take note, that the zoom groom does seem to get more fur out if you put some water on it first.
Re: vitamins and the like. Vets at GDF and such say that if one is feeding a well-balanced food, vitamins aren't necessary... I have a friend who spent some good money on vitamins and decided that it wasn't the most sensible thing she'd done since she's feeding a well-balanced food. Now, knowing that, others are going to say vitamins are a good thing to use, I'm sure and that's cool. As far as it goes, though, Pet tabs are what I have used in the past. Derm caps are also a good source of fish oil which is helpfuol for the skin/coat, ETC. Flaxseed oil is also good or so I've heard from many a reliable handler if the fish and your dog dont get along well. <smile>
Toys... Sitstay.com is a great place to check, pet stores like Petsmart and Petco obviously, and if you need other places I can give you some. First and foremost, always check petfooddirect as they have a code for guide dog handlers to get you 20% off. Catch me off the boards if you want it, because sadly, they don't make you verify that you're a handler before you use it...
I suspect that your school will give you a list of toys you should or shouldn't give to your dog, by the way.
HTH,
Shanda
Shanda, I'm Going to GDF. So... yeah.
Meghan,
you will be in Mike D's class, I think. he was my trainer with this last dog and Donnie helped some. Donnie and Mike are a team, it just happened that Mike was Cho's trainer so... Doesn't always work out that way that you get the person who trained your dog, but I have both times I was on class.
I am excited for you and those men do make class quite the interesting situation. They're wonderful--good with people and great with the dogs, too. <smile>
By the way, random off-topic question. do you remember me from Indian Creek?
Shanda
Yes, I do. How can I get n touch with you? Send your info to me in a Private message would you? I have lots of questions
Ok, wow, look at all the guide dog posts, this is great! Anyway, Vernon isn't much of a chewer and my trainer said I was lucky, most dogs are. They'll let you know when you get your dog, what kind oftoys it would play with. Seeing Eye gave us our first kongs, and they loved playing with them, most dogs did anyway. And we went to the pet store and we got half off on all the toys and other things we bought. I have no idea if my next dog will just tare the toys to shreds when I get the dog, but I guess we'll see. Anyway, stick with the food that the school feed. It's one of the best idea's. The only thing I had to switch Vernon on was purina, because he was getting older and he couldn't eat i m's or ukinoova anymore. The trainer I talked to on the phone said that those foods had too much protein in it and they don't need it anymore when they're 7 or older, more like around 8, but you won't have to worry about that. But anyway, just go to the school and enjoy your time, and you'll learn about your dog while you're there, and what it likes to do and what it doesn't like to do. It's good to keep it on tiedown or leash when you get home so it doesn't go in the garbage or like vernon, get out of his collar on the first night because I had to go to the bathroom and he was looking for me, lol. He didn't wanna be without his mommy. I'll never forget it. He stole food on me a few times, but make sure you don't leave food anywhere they can get it, like at nose level because t hey can still steel it off a table or something. Once for me it was a snickers bar and a micDonalds hash brown, lol. He didn't get sick though, thank god. He didn't eat the whole chocolate bar, I found it on the floor and it was chewed up, but not fully eatten, and that's when I learned, don't keep it where they can reach it lol. but you learn lots of weird and new things with dogs, and it's great because you learn something new everyday. But let us know how your training goes.
Angela and Vernon
LOL. My friend Larua's dog Aspen used to do that and I would imagine probably still tries it on occasion. It'll be interesting, if this all works out, to see if there's any kind of power play between my guide dog and my cat.
OK, it's been a month since Whit and I have been home, and here's how it's been. Whit had some trouble with Iams after she got home, and so, I just switched her to natural balance. She is now regular thank God. no more accidents in the house. She loves to play with her hol-ee roller which is a rubber ball with holes in it. I use the zoom groom and the furminator on her. So, pretty much, everything is good here. The first month was tough because of her stomach issues, but since the food switch, things have been fine. Well, that's all I guess. See you guys later. Meg
Hey there,
I'm currently in class right now getting my second dog, and people who have used zoom groom said not to use it, unless you're outside. It'll take off the dead hair, but it'll just go flying around the room. It doesn't stick in the rubber brush. My new dog was eating Ukanoova and now she's on Purina 1. I told my trainer that it would be easier to get food at a regular grosery store, and that's what they suggested. Plus once she gets older, I'll just switch from Purina 1, to Purina seniors 7 plus. lol. So it won't be so bad of a switch. I guess my new dog doesn't chew up toys after all. But stay away from squeaky toys, and pig ears, and rawhide. they said tennis balls and ropes are bad, if the dog is a chewer. The little strings from the ropes can just come off and the dog can swallow it, same goes for tennis ball fuzz to I guess. they gave us a big lecture on doos and dont's, of toys and food and all that. It's really hard sometimes to stick to what they teach you, but if you do, you will have a very well behaved and well trained dog. So i wish you the best of luck with your new puppy. Btw, what kind of dog is it and how old? Mine is a german shepard and she's almost 3. lol. It's always fun to find out about people getting dogs. Lots of people in my class are very satisfied and feel so much better about going places and doing things since they got their dogs. One person wasn't even an animal person, but now she loves animals and her dog to. So again, i wish you the best of luck, and write back anytime if you have questions or stories to share.
Where do you get the zoom groom, and is that the one which has the vaccume attachment?
I use the zoom groom outside. I know one day when I groomed her, there was hair wrapped all around that thing, but that has only happened once. Yes the fir does fly on it. Natural balance is pretty easy to get. All I have to do is go to petco. Songbird83, you are actually in class with one of my friends. His dog's name is Lark, so if you know of any dog by that name, you've met my friend. I don't give WHitney ropes or tennis balls. I do have a squeaky toy, but I only let her play with it when I'm in the room, so she doesn't swallow the squeaker. Whitney is a lab/golden retriever cross. Her birthday is september 20th 2007. She's a really awesome dog. Well, I think that's it for now. Thanks guys,
Meaghan and Whitney
I have heard that wetting the zoom groom helps the fur to stick, but I've never tried it myself. Just an after thought.