Guide dogs
Wednesday 16 January 2008
If someone has partially or totally lost their sight, a guide dog can give back a degree of freedom that many people have described as miraculous. So how are they trained?
The facts
- The most widely used breed for guiding is a labrador /retriever cross, but German shepherds, and labradoodles – a cross between a labrador and a poodle, are also used.
- There are around 5,000 working guide dogs in the UK today.
- In the UK an organisation called Guide Dogs has been training dogs for over seventy years.
- Guide Dogs need to breed 1,300 puppies a year and each puppy costs £5,000 to train and raise.
- Dogs unsuitable for guiding are often found alternative careers with Dogs for the Disabled, Hearing Dogs, or with the police.
- 2008 is Year of the Assistance Dog and will see charities Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs, Dogs for the Disabled, Canine Partners and Support Dogs work together.
A guide dog’s training can be tough, watch the video!
Puppy school
A guide dog’s training begins when they are a puppy. At 6-8 weeks old puppies are introduced to relevant sights, sounds and smells. This is done by volunteer puppy walkers who will regularly walk the dogs onto buses, trains, shops and along busy streets.
The puppy walker will also teach the puppy to walk ahead on the leash, rather than to ‘heel’ like normal dogs. They will also teach the puppy simple commands such as ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’ and ‘come’.
When the pup is about a year old the puppy walker will hand the puppy back to the Guide Dogs training school. Although the rewards are great, this can be a sad time for the puppy walker!
Dog school
Back at Guide Dogs, the young dogs learn skills such as:-
- To walk in a straight line in the centre of the pavement unless there is an obstacle
- Not to turn corners unless told to do so
- To stop at kerbs and wait for the command to cross the road, or to turn left or right
- To judge height and width so that its owner does not bump their head or shoulder
- How to deal with traffic.
Guide dogs in training wear brown training harnesses.
Dog match
Not all young dogs make the grade but those that do are then partnered with an owner. To get a good match, the owner’s length of stride, height and lifestyle are all considered.
The pair then train together for around four weeks until they qualify. It is then time for the dog to graduate to a white harness!
Dog home
Usually a dog will stay with an owner for around 7 years and Guide Dogs will continue to support both the dog and its owner during that time.
An owner often has 6 or 7 dogs in their lifetime!
At the end of its working life the dog often stays on as a pet in the owner’s family or another home is found.
Get involved
Guide Dogs offer schemes to Sponsor a Puppy through its training, or for a donation you can even Name a Puppy. Check the website and find out more.
