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Oooh, hi Sweetpea! Thanks for commenting…. So, about a year ago! Was your vision loss unexpected or due to a known condition? That doesn’t make it any easier, I know. I hope you’re finding some resources and services in your area to help you adjust to blindness and gain skills and confidence to be your best, most confident self. Big hugs, and welcome. I swear I AM trying hard to get content made and out, it’s just been a slow process and a wacky few years.

@@theblindmomnextdoor it’s was unexpected and I didn’t know how bad it had actually gotten until just recently. I just graduated O&m and have applied for a guide dog through GDB. Still not sure about vr. I enjoy your videos.

It is FANTASTIC that you were able to get O&M training!! Congrats on your GDB application, that’s exciting!! I don’t know what state you are in, but VR can be a HUGE help as you work toward adjusting to your blindness and determining what your future will look like! It sounds like you have exciting possibilities ahead! ❤️

Hmm. I hadn’t thought of this because my guide dog works on my left so I typically still hold the railing on the right when going up stairs. When we go down, I hold his leash, not his harness, and they’ll adjust to you…. I don’t try to slow him down, he’ll self-correct and adjust if he’s going significantly faster than I am, because that would be uncomfortable for him and he’d respond to the sensation of his leash tightening. I suppose you could try a command for your guide to slow down if you have one.

@@theblindmomnextdoor my dog works on my left as well, but we were told in training not to use both the railing and having them guide at the same time. I don’t actually have a word to slow down. I mean I say steady when she’s guiding, but that uses harness pressure as well. Maybe I’ll try to make one for when she’s just healing

I do not know. I do know that the actual program was/is proprietary to target, not the devices used or the accessibility features I had enabled, but the retail/merchandising program is proprietary.

@@theblindmomnextdoor So it’s own by target as a company

Thanks Afron!! He is a fast-paced dog, but he is not the fastest guide dog I’ve had. Megan, my second guide dog, was like a freaking race car, it was insane!!

@@theblindmomnextdoor is that the one that worked for a few months? Are you going to ask for a fast pac dog e next time as well?

Megan worked most of a year. She experienced severe allergies in our area. It was so difficult to let her go, but she’s healthy and happy living with her puppy raisers and doesn’t experience allergies that at all. I will ask for a dog with a very similar pace to Figaro. So, likely faster than average, but NOT the fastest and unable to be experienced as a slow pace. Part of that for me is that I can walk fast when I’m on my own, but I spend a lot of time with my family, and I don’t want to be thirty feet ahead of my husband and kids all the time. 🤣

I believe I talk about that in the Guide Dog Fear video!! Basic Guide Dog Gear : Daily Tools for a Working Guide Dog th-cam.com/video/XQ_zhvL4hno/w-d-xo.html

LOL. I bet!! That sounds like a really cool outdoor theatre/show space!!

Oh, he made mistakes even in this video lol. He got distracted by my husband once, some smells once…. They’re dogs first!

@@theblindmomnextdoor Maui is my first guide dog so I am still getting used to it even though I had dogs in the past. Maui made a mistake being distracted by another dog because it looked like a dog that had attacked her twice it wasn’t that dog but I just for me I feel pressure to make sure she is perfect and that’s not fair to me and its really not fair to her they have bad days too. You were one of the videos in the past that helped me decide to get a guide dog. I appreciate your videos.

Thanks’. The pandemic really kicked our family’s butt in terms of just living life day to day and finding my way back to this has been a challenge! I’m so excited to be back though!

I can’t say I’ve noticed it! But, I wouldn’t doubt it either lol. I suspect that’s part of his training!

Congratulations on attending training at GDB soon! Typically, students graduate and leave campus the same day-but I would REALLY encourage you to just give a call to your campus and ask 1. When you graduate. 2. If you are scheduled to leave campus the same day. And 3. If they’ve opened graduations to family, friends, and the public since covid…. I do not know if they have or not, and training for students during the pandemic has been VERY different than pre-pandemic!

Congrats!!! And you’re so welcome!! ❤️❤️❤️

While we’re in training, GDB has both a tie down and a crate available for students to use with their new dog. They encourage us to utilize both as we get accustomed to our new dog and the dog gets used to us. In our day to day home life, we used a tie down immediately after training while Figaro was earning more freedom and establishing proper house behavior in our home (dogs are known not to generalize rules very well with different locations/places/people). And, we’ve utilized a crate when we were working at target and he would have his breaks while I used my cane to work. For the most part, at this point (he’s been in our home and my partner for over five years now), it is extremely rare we need wither tie down or crate for Figaro, but he doesn’t resist either when we do utilize them.

Hi Jennifer! Welcome! Figaro and I graduated from Guide Dogs for the Blind whose primary campus is in San Rafael, CA. I have trained with each of my guide dogs on GDB’s Oregon campus so far.

Congratulations to you on plans to pursue a guide dog! It’s like nothing else if you decide it’s right for you. My guide dogs have all been through Guide Dogs for the Blind out of San Rafael, CA. I’ve trained with all of them on the Portland, Oregon campus!

I TOTALLY understand that! I have friends who don’t share their guide’s name at all, or they share a false name. This fits for us, or it did lol. I haven’t worked for TGT since the pandemic started, but I loved my experience there and LOVE the team we worked with.

At target or with content? I’m just starting to make more content again, so that will be coming! With target I stopped working with the pandemic start and likely won’t return at this time.

Also, if there’s content you’d like to see (specifically) just let me know! ❤️

@@theblindmomnextdoor I meant the content! I’d love to see how figaro and you walk stairs and things?

We can do this, no problem.

So nice to know you r back making content I finally got my guide Maui

He’s the Best Boy!

I guess it depends on your needs during training. I wouldn’t be able to pack just a carry on for guide dog training, but I’m sure some people can. You need clothing appropriate for the weather and your own tolerances, though at GDB you’d have access to laundry facilities in your dorm if needed, so you could pack less clothing. There’s just not loads of down-time to do extra tasks.

I guess it depends on your needs during training. I wouldn’t be able to pack just a carry on for guide dog training, but I’m sure some people can. You need clothing appropriate for the weather and your own tolerances, though at GDB you’d have access to laundry facilities in your dorm if needed, so you could pack less clothing. There’s just not loads of down-time to do extra tasks.

I’m going to have to watch this video-I suspect I talked about making a second video and didn’t?! Lol. I’ll check on it!

Sharon!’ You must have gotten your guide since?! If you get the chance I’d love to hear about your experience!

Nice! Yeah, our guides kennel under the seat in front of us. It can be tight, but it’s usually a pretty good fit!

So, it’s not that it’s offset exactly, it’s more like the part I hold onto as the blind handler is angled a little, so that it’s more like my arm would be naturally bent when walking. The original handle made me hold my hand/wrist/arm very straight and it caused a lot of discomfort in my wrist as I recall.

I totally understand this! There are a lot of techniques and tools to use to keep yourself safe, and I’ll admit I’m scared of burning myself also. I’m more scared of cutting myself because I have a clotting disorder and am on lifelong blood thinners, so I’m suuuuper cautious when cutting food. It’s very empowering to learn alternative techniques of blindness for cooking and other activities so that you can feel confident and find out what you do and don’t enjoy!

It’s not perfect, but I do try to describe as much as I can!

My first suggestion for you is to seek training to properly use a cane. If your functional vision I doesn’t impact your mobility enough to need a cane, or to be willing to begin using a cane consistently, you likely won’t qualify and possibly don’t need a guide dog either. Separately, a guide dog or service dog is and does so so so much more than offer companionship and security. They are highly trained and have so much responsibility and so many people contributing to their success both in terms of time and effort, but also in massive amounts of money. Please consider that as part of your decision making process also. If you really do want a pet for a companion and perhaps to help with your anxiety at home, there are MANY animals seeking a loving home capable of providing for them who will by their very nature give you love, companionship, and support. ❤️.

Figaro’s “treats” or food reward are actually just a portion of his day’s kibble. In rare circumstances, he’ll get a high value food reward, but that’s mainly if we’re in a really difficult working situation or he’s learning a new complex task. He loves food reward-it’s a little like a paycheck with some added cheerleading. 😂

No, his food reward is a portion of his day’s kibble/food. ❤️

Man, I’m so sorry to hear about your experience with your cane. 😰. I definitely value my cane as a tool when I’m traveling without my guide dog. My husband will sighted guide me also, but I don’t like to feel dependent upon him sighted guiding me. Everyone does what works for them though, you know? And if what works for you and your wife is for her to sighted guide you and audio cue you to the areas your feet might encounter or have trouble with, then that’s great! Do you have neuropathy in your feet? That has to be so frustrating!