sad day for me

Hear Again said:
i don't think there's a difference -- although i could be wrong. in both of my guide dog classes, there was a higher percentage of female dogs to male dogs.
were most of your students male? i wonder if that might have something to do with the number of them who have had male dogs. (from what i've seen in guide dog training, most female handlers prefer female dogs while most male handlers prefer male dogs.)
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Now that you mention it, yes...most of my students were male. That could have had something to do with their choice of service dog. I didn't consider that. Thank you!:ty:
 
jillio said:
I'm just curious....is there a difference in male dogs and female dogs as far as the frequency for which they are trained as service dogs? I've never really thought about it until now, but only one of my students that have used service dogs had a female. :dunno:
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answer is not really. it's entirely up to client's preference. for ie - female clients may feel uncomfortable/frightened with men because of abuse or whatsoever. on the other hand - female clients may prefer male dog because of sense of security.

:dunno:
 
Jiro said:
answer is not really. it's entirely up to client's preference. for ie - female clients may feel uncomfortable/frightened with men because of abuse or whatsoever. on the other hand - female clients may prefer male dog because of sense of security.

:dunno:
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yes, in a nutshell, that's basically what it comes down to -- client preference.
 
Jiro said:
answer is not really. it's entirely up to client's preference. for ie - female clients may feel uncomfortable/frightened with men because of abuse or whatsoever. on the other hand - female clients may prefer male dog because of sense of security.

:dunno:
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Yeah, I just never knew whether it was a personal preference or a matter of one being easier to train as a service dog. I've learned something today!
 
dang it... now I must run off for my doctor's follow-up appointment... I NEED MORE PROVIGILS! :mad2:

meanwhile - cheer up, Hear Again! <bark bark>
 
Jiro said:
dang it... now I must run off for my doctor's follow-up appointment... I NEED MORE PROVIGILS! :mad2:

meanwhile - cheer up, Hear Again! <bark bark>
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thanks, jiro. <hugs>

good luck at your appointment!
 
jillio said:
Yeah, I just never knew whether it was a personal preference or a matter of one being easier to train as a service dog. I've learned something today!
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some people claim that female dogs are smarter than male dogs, but i don't believe that to be the case. any dog can be intelligent just as any dog can be aloof.
 
Hear Again said:
some people claim that female dogs are smarter than male dogs, but i don't believe that to be the case. any dog can be intelligent just as any dog can be aloof.
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yup bingo. I also dislike when people say about "famous" characteristic of certain breeds. All breeds are SAME! All sexes are SAME! The only difference is their temperance/personality... something that each puppy is born with.

ok ok i gotta jettttt! cya! :cool2:
 
Jiro said:
yup bingo. I also dislike when people say about "famous" characteristic of certain breeds. All breeds are SAME! All sexes are SAME! The only difference is their temperance/personality... something that each puppy is born with.

ok ok i gotta jettttt! cya! :cool2:
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exactly. tigger isn't like the "typical" lab. she's very calm and laid back. some labs i know are anything but. temperment and personality also depend upon the way a dog is trained by their owner. if an owner is negligent about disciplining a dog, it will be evident in that dog's behavior.
 
I'm sorry you had to retire your guide dog and I hope she'll adapt to the new dog and this works out well.
 
:angel::hug: Sending some love along. Although I have no experience with guide dogs, I sure know what it feels like to separated from a pet who was a huge part of your life. I just put my cat leo to sleep recently....he was with my 13 years. Take care and keep us posted.

love,
 
Hear Again said:
hi everyone,

as some of you may know, i have a 12 year old guide dog named tigger.

we've been together for the past 10 years and she has been a truly wonderful dog -- more than i could ever ask for.

unfortuantely, today i had to make a very difficult decision. i've decided to retire her from guide work due to severe carpal tunnel in my left wrist and the fact that tigger is experiencing "accidents" on a frequent basis.

since it will be at least another month before i train with a new guide dog, i've decided to "semi-retire" her so that i can still use her in public when i need to.

due to the severe carpal tunnel in my left wrist, my next guide dog will be trained to work on my right side. that's going to feel strange, but we'll see how it goes.

just thought i'd let you all know. :(
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Aww, I'm sorry, Hear Again. Is there any way you can retire Tigger and keep her/him as a pet? I'm not sure how that works, exactly.

I'm sorry, though. :hug:
 
I am sorry that you have to switch to a new guide dog, hopefully the new dog will help you as much as Tigger helped you. Tigger can enjoy her retirement, I understand it's hard to let Tigger go. :hug:
 
Angelus said:
:angel::hug: Sending some love along. Although I have no experience with guide dogs, I sure know what it feels like to separated from a pet who was a huge part of your life. I just put my cat leo to sleep recently....he was with my 13 years. Take care and keep us posted.

love,
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thanks, angelus. <hugs>

i'm sorry you had to put your cat to sleep. <sending plenty of hugs to you as well>
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Aww, I'm sorry, Hear Again. Is there any way you can retire Tigger and keep her/him as a pet? I'm not sure how that works, exactly.

I'm sorry, though. :hug:
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i can keep tigger as long as i "semi-retire" her. that means she isn't fully retired, but can work on a part-time basis as needed.

thanks for the hug. <hugs back>
 
PuyoPiyo said:
I am sorry that you have to switch to a new guide dog, hopefully the new dog will help you as much as Tigger helped you. Tigger can enjoy her retirement, I understand it's hard to let Tigger go. :hug:
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thanks, puyo. <hugs back>

yes, i think tigger will be happier as a "semi-retired" guide dog. she's getting older now and it's difficult for her to control her bodily functions, so i need to take care of her and make her feel as comfortable as possible.
 
Hear Again said:
thanks, puyo. <hugs back>

yes, i think tigger will be happier as a "semi-retired" guide dog. she's getting older now and it's difficult for her to control her bodily functions, so i need to take care of her and make her feel as comfortable as possible.
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No problemo :)

I can understand, taking the responibilitlies with the elder dogs was not easy. I was used to take care of my parents dog that have breast cancer, I have to help her to get on the couch to sleep, help her to go outside to pee, even I have to wake up at late night to help her, and others. It was not easy, but hope Tigger was not that tough like my past dog :)
 
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