do you know that it takes around 2 years to develop a playful pup into a responsible Guide Dog? yes it takes a lot of time and it is not an easy job to do, there are numerous steps to be involved including the process to make sure that we get the right dog for the job and the dogs are usually trained from a very early age.
want to know how the dogs are trained ? here are the steps
Step 1: Puppy Raising
Puppies are usually trained at the age of approximately 8 weeks, the most common type of dogs that trained to be guide dogs are purebred Labadors, Golden Retrievers and Labrador/Golden Retriever crosses, why ? the reason being are those breeds are calm, loyal and intelligent, and have a proven track record as Guide Dogs.
when the puppies arrive at the training centre, the first thing to do is to check their health, confident and their responsive level. those 3 elements are all important factors to become a successful guide dogs. Then the dogs are placed with families that have been selected by Guide Dogs staff, they are called as “puppy raisers”.
Over the next 12 months, these families are the one who will provide the puppies with basic social skills, obedience and of course a lot of fun!. the dogs will be visited regularly by the Puppy Raising Officers, they will monitor the dogs’ development and the dogs also will be spending time at the Guide Dogs Centre, in order to help them become familiar with their next home.
Step 2: Guide Dog training
Then, when the dogs are about 14 months old, they will be returned to the guide dogs centre where they will be tested and assessed in many aspects, such on their long walks and the dogs must be eager to work with a good concentration and initiative, they also must be able to not get distracted by other animals. However, not all the puppies are going to be eligible to be the guide dogs due to the high standard and requirement of being guide dogs, those who do not pass to be guide dogs are usually offered to the puppy raisers as a pet.
The dogs will be trained in the specific skills needed in order to be a guide dog, include:
- Walking in a straight line without sniffing.
- Walking on the left-hand side slightly ahead of the trainer.
- Stopping at all kerbs.
- Waiting for a command before crossing roads.
- Stopping at the top and bottom of stairs.
- Avoiding obstacles at head height.
- Avoiding spaces too narrow for a person and a dog to walk through side by side.
- Boarding and travelling on all forms of public transport.
- Taking the trainer to a lift.
- Laying quietly for some time, particularly at a workplace or in restaurants.
- Refusing commands that may lead the trainer into danger - for example, if the trainer instructs the Guide Dog to walk them into a hole, the dog should refuse to walk forward when commanded.
Step 3: Training the Guide Dog team
Dogs that successfully complete the rigorous training programs will be matched with a potential client, the dogs will be ensured to be well-suited to the client’s specific needs and lifestyle. For example, Becky Rose does the morning school run with her child and loves to jog in her spare time and she is also blind and therefore she need an active dog that is able to keep up with her busy lifestyle
1 comments:
this is a sustainable and beautiful way to assist the blind. it really is an Altruistic approach towards future society. but does the dog get lonely as it doesn't interact with other dogs?
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