Guide Dogs
- Puppy Training
So, how do you make a guide dog? It doesn’t happen overnight. And it takes
patience, time… and money. Did you know, for instance, that each guide
dog partnership involves 20 months of training, seven years of support –
and costs around £50,000? You’ll find out more about how it all works if
you sponsor your own guide dog puppy, but for now, here are two
interesting features of guide dog puppy training:
Negotiating obstacles
We introduce the dogs to obstacles gradually,
and teach them to navigate their way round. It can take a while to
master, but when the dogs get it right the trainer gives them lots of
encouragement and maybe even a little treat!
They can't check the traffic lights!
It’s a popular misconception that a guide dog
will know when to cross the road by waiting for the green light. In
reality, it’s a team effort – and not an easy task. On a standard
kerb-to-kerb crossing known to the owner, the guide dog is trained to
stop at the edge, to indicate it has reached a crossing. The owner will
listen for traffic, then, when he or she decides it’s safe, give the
command ‘Forward!’ However, the guide dog’s training teaches them NOT to
obey the command if a car’s coming.
0 to 6 weeks
Your tiny puppy is living with its mum and
siblings in a Guide Dogs volunteer’s home. As well as playing, exploring
and napping, the puppy will go to our state of the art breeding centre
at six weeks for health checks and immunisations.
6 weeks to 4 months
Your puppy has now moved to its Puppy
Walker’s home. During these crucial months, the dog will start learning
good manners and basic commands, such as ‘sit’ and ‘down’ – as well as
how to walk on the lead.
4 to 14 months
Your puppy is starting to get used to the
area it lives in. It will learn how to negotiate flights of stairs, busy
shopping areas and various means of transport. It will also get used to
being around people and other dogs.
14 to 17 months
It’s time for guide dog training school. A
professional guide dog trainer will introduce your puppy to a special
brown training harness. It’s also time to start learning guiding skills
such as dealing with kerbs and avoiding obstacles.
17 to 20 months
At this stage, a Guide Dog Mobility
Instructor will start to pull all your puppy’s training together, so
that it learns to use guiding skills in everyday situations. They will
also start the matching process, finding a blind or partially sighted
person who’s just right for your puppy.
20 to 22 months
Congratulations – you are the sponsor of a
fully trained guide dog! He or she will now be matched with a person
with sight loss so they can get to know each other and start their
partnership training.
22 to 24 months
Your guide dog has changed a blind or
partially sighted person’s life forever! It has now settled into its new
home and is practicing its regular routes. A Guide Dog Mobility
Instructor will keep visiting to check how it’s all going.
|