Category: Daily Living
I know there are a few guide dog school posts out there, but I'm specifically looking to get info from anyone who attended one of those three schools and preferably in the past few years.
What did you like?
What did you dislike?
How long have you been working with your dog?
Biggest problem with your dog?
Best characteristic of your dog/ dog's training?
Thanks all ^_^
I went to GEB.
What did you like? I liked the trainers. They explain everything and really work with you and your dogs while you are at the school and when you return home to make sure you are a successfull team.
What did you dislike? - You do not own your dog right after graduation.
How long have you been working with your dog? - 6 years this March.
Biggest problem with your dog? - Nothing really with his guide work. As far as health issues he has a very sensitive stomach and has had problems with ear infections before.
Best characteristic of your dog/ dog's training? - Hardly any corrections are ever needed.
Hi, I also attended GEB last year in June.
What did you like?
I loved the instructors. They were all very calm and patient and willing to answer any questions I had. I also liked how they double-checked with everyone about what kind of dog they wanted and the lifestyle they live.
I loved that I was taken to different cities to experience working with my dog in a number of different situations. Also, I appreciate that the instructors took time to work on any areas of concern, whether it pertained to guide work or bad mannerisms.
GEB will provide up to $300 in financial assistance with a dog's veterinary care, and also has a fun for medical emergencies.
The volunteers were very lively, helpful, and respectful in their interaction with the students and their dogs.
Students have a graduation ceremony, open to the public. At these ceremonies, graduates are given the opportunity to show gratitude whether it is via a speech, a gift to the instructors, or a donation to the school.
I loved that I got to meet and form a close relationship with my puppy-raisers.
What did you dislike?
How long have you been working with your dog?
7 months
Biggest problem with your dog?
My dog has a dog distraction. For him, this means he gets excited when he sees other dogs, but if they are in our path, he still guides me around them and their handlers like any other obstacle.
Best characteristic of your dog/ dog's training?
He responds quickly to my commands, even off leash.
Thanks both of you.
Sword of Sapphire you mentioned GEB had up to $300 for vet care. Is that a one-time thing, so if your dog requires vet care over the years, once you pass that $300 you're stuck or is it like up to $300 every x amount of years?
I tried looking online for info on that, but didn't see anything.
Thanks ^_^
I believe its $300 every year that you are a working team.
Seeing Eye:
What did I like?
The trainers were very helpful in class. I always felt like I was getting my questions answered in a way that made sense. I also liked that we were expected to pay a little bit ($150 for first dog and $50 for any following dogs) but that by doing so those dogs were ours and not the school’s property. I like how quickly they sent a representative up to check on my dog’s work when we were having problems. I like that we got to be trained in a variety of different settings: New York city, a college campus, inside a mall, etc.
What did I dislike:
I know this is kind of contradicting what I said before, but it my dog can be expensive with her vet bills (heart medicine that most dogs take as a preventative, flee medicine, etc.) and seeing eye doesn’t help after the first year. Also, my dog has a very bad attachment problem; if I leave her for long or even not so long periods of time, she freaks out when I come back which can be pretty annoying depending on where I am. I only mention it here because I know a lot of people with German shepherds from seeing eye have expressed this. But, this could be just a shepherd thing.
How long have I been working with my dog?
Four years.
Biggest problem with dog?
What I mentioned above. Otherwise, she is a fabulous worker. We get along great, she is very attentive, very loyal, and very intelligent. Obviously we have little problems here and there with distractions, but they’re nothing severe and she responds to corrections very well, and usually they only have to be verbal.
Hi. I went to GEBS this last June.
What did you like?
I loved that they took all the time that I needed to answer my questions before I even applied and again while I was applying.
I liked that the school pays for your transportation there and home.
They gave us tour around the campus on our first day there so we didn’t feel so lost.
The rooms are like staying in a hotel without carpet
. The people who worked and volunteered there were amazingly nice.
The school showed genuine concern about both me and my dog by expressing there concerns of my plans to move right after I got my dog.
What did you dislike?
I wasn’t a huge fan of the food but that is because I like a lot of flavor and when you’re cooking for lots of people you have to cut back on the seasonings…
But they would always make you something else if you did not like what they were having which was very nice.
For the most part the food was good.
How long have you been working with your dog?
8 months this February
Biggest problem with your dog?
Scavengages
She use to try to eat everything, even the leaves in the gutter. Her puppy raisers says she didn’t do that with them and it also didn’t help that I was new and didn’t correct her very well at first. But with work and time, and getting use to the whole new life of being a handler, she doesn’t scavenge and will leave food alone if I drop it myself even if it was suppose to go in her mouth. LOL!
Best characteristic of your dog/ dog's training?
I loved how there was always someone there for you when you needed help. A couple of days after getting my dog she wasn’t listening to me at all. I also wasn’t using the right tone of voice with her but I was on the verge of crying. I felt as if I might have made a mistake in getting a dog and someone was right there and spoke with me, helped me feel as if I could do it after all and worked with me. I felt so much better after that. Sometimes you’re confused or just aren’t getting it right, and they just have this awesome way of talking with you that makes you feel at ease and not so stressed. They work really hard on any issues they might think you’re having. Like with scavenging and my dog also running me in to people in crowded places. I kept up this extra work once I got home for a bit and now she does better. Yes sometimes she bumps me in to things very slightly but it is in crowded places.
The school gives $200 a year and if you keep your dog within its target weight, then you get an additional $100. This is every year. If something happens and you have some unexpected vet bills you can’t pay and you have used up your funding, they have emergency funding available.
You can get hold of someone in many different ways. I email my trainer directly.
I also had questions about some extra vaccinations that my vet tried to get me to give to my dog. I told them I would think about it then called the schools vet and asked them about it. They took the time to answer my questions and gave me very good explanations of what the drugs were for and what circumstances I would need to be in to for it to be necessary to give to my dog.
I was able to decide that that I didn’t need to give it to my dog.
The school is also having quarterly phone conferences that you can attend even if you’re not a student I believe. I missed the last one on January 6 because of my relocation but I hear it was pretty good. You could look in to this if it works within your time frame.
The school also has graduate councilors who help out with answering questions too. These people are students who volunteer to do various things that I am not quite sure of what exactly. Sorry.
One thing I have to say though is that I love the fact that I get to choose if I want to have contact with my puppy raisers. I also love that the school has open to the public graduations. People who are interested in learning about the school or who might want to or have donated to the school can come and see firsthand how their money is being used can come and watch us. Or if I get an itch to go see one and I am in the area then I can go.
It was a lot of fun being there and they did really well with teaching you to be confident with your dog and to traveling with your dog even while alone.
They also tought us how to keep our dogs from not getting upset when we leave them.
And now I will end my long post with this.
I don’t know much about the other schools but I do know mine met my needs and I am glad I chose them.
Nicky that was super helpful, thanks.
I actually emailed all of the above schools to ask some questions I had about applying and GEB was the only one that actually responded. :) That and all the feedback I'm getting so far is making me lean towards them. But I'll try and wait to see if anyone from the other two schools ever jumps in with their experience.
My husband and I have both gotten several dogs from GDB.
Hubby is on his 4th dog. I'm not currently using a dog right now but if circumstances ever change and I have need of one, I will definitely go back to GDB.
I've trained at both the San Rafael and boring Oregon campuses. I loved each for various reasons. I was expecting similar to a state rehab center. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. The food was ridiculously good and the facilities were very nice.
Ok, on to the important stuff, the dogs.
Both Hubby and I were extremely satisfied with the trainers. Pretty much what others have said about their training experiences applies to GDB staff as well. I've never met a more positive group of people.
I enjoyed meeting my puppy raisers for my first and 2nd dogs. I didn't get to meet my 3rd dog's raisers because I had in-home training with him.
GDB's staff does an amazing job with follow-up as well. If you're having trouble and need a visit from a field rep, they'll get someone out to you quicly.
The veterinary financial assistance program is really great. GDB pays for heartgard and flee preventative as well as $250 yearly. If your dog needs something more, and you need help paying for it, they will do whatever is necessary and in the best interest of the dog. No, I didn't legally own my dogs when I got home with them but a piece of paper wasn't really that important to me. Stick me across a crowded room from my dog and it would have been quite obvious to hom they belonged.
I don't have any criticisms about any of my guides' work. My last guide wasn't very well behaved out of harness though. I will say that. He was pretty strong-willed and there was allot of chaos in our house at the time so I'm going to take allot of the responsibility for that.
I've heard good things about each school you've mentioned. Good luck on your journey.
Thanks Domestic Goddess. I'm glad to get some feedback from a GDB person.
I would second everything Domestic Goddess said about GDB and I have a few other positives to add. All of my comments are for GDB Oregon; I went in summer of 2011.
The class only lasts 2 weeks so you don't lose very much time but because the student to instructor ratio is 2 to one (6 students, 3 instructors) you learn everything you would learn in a month long class. Your training is also tailored to your specific area; so if there is a certain terrain or obstacle you will encounter often they are willing to spend more time on it if you feel it is needed. The lectures are given to you in advance in several formats; you can even get an SD card for a victor reader with the lectures. Because of this class sessions are used to clarify points that are confusing or unclear so that there is more time for fieldwork. Instructors and staff are also extremely friendly and helpful.
Every dog will be different but I am always amazed at how well behaved my dog is. He is very calm out of harness but he is still playful so not boring. He guides excellently I can't remember the last time I ran into anything. He will have small issues sometimes E.G. sniffing, trying to say hi to other dogs, missing curbs (This has never happened when the streets are regular or if traffic was passing) but I can usually bring him back with a sharp use of his name and I almost never have to use leash correction. The faster dogs seemed more energetic and more prone to getting into trouble but they all seemed to respond well to correction and From what I have heard people seem happy with their guiding.
If you want a Shepherd you wouldn't want to go to GDB; they only have Labs for the most part with extremely small amounts of Goldens and Golden Crosses.
I got my dog from GDB in 2008, so the training has changed a bit, but I will for sure go back when my dog retires.
I loved the staff including trainers and dorm staff. They were all very positive and willing to help.
I remember one time I was very frustrated in class because my dog and I were having trouble with sidewalkless travel, I ended up crying, and my instructor was very understanding and helpful. They are very willing to customize training for your specific needs, and after class you can always call and talk to someone if you have problems, or get a field rep sent out to help you if needed.
They also use clicker training and food rewards, which is great.
I love my dog's work and personality. He loves people, which is sometimes a problem because he likes to sniff people in harness, but other than that he's amazing. He is dog distracted though, but it is mannageable. He is very caushus on snow and ice which I love. He loves new routes, and leaarns them very quickly.
As far as owning my dog, it doesn't matter to me if he's "legally" mine or not. The school doesn't have any say in what happens to the dog unless you're a complete idiot and a horrible person and don't take care of your dog, or something.
What I don't like about the school? Nothing comes to mind.
I hope this helps, and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
I would for sure recommend GDB for anyone looking for a good school.