Guide Dog training

Step 2: Guide Dog training

When the pups are about 14 months old, they return to the Guide Dogs Centre.

Over two weeks, our instructors carefully assess every puppy on several long walks. Prospective Guide Dogs must be eager to work, with good concentration and initiative. They must also control the temptation to be distracted by other animals.

With such stringent standards, not all puppies are suitable for guiding work. Puppies that are unsuitable may become Pets As Therapy dogs - much-loved companions for people who may be disadvantaged due to age, illness or disability. A dog that is unsuitable for either role is offered to its puppy raisers as a pet.

Puppies that are selected to become Guide Dogs undergo an intensive five-month program to learn the complex skills required for their new job. They begin with simple commands and progress to more challenging tasks. These skills 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.

Some tasks - for instance, stopping at kerbs and staircases - are taught through repetition. Other tasks, such as safely crossing the road, require intensive training. And it takes a well-trained dog to handle the unexpected, like a car reversing from a driveway.

As training progresses, Guide Dogs learn to travel through confusing and crowded areas, such as shopping centres and busy city streets. In fact, experienced Guide Dogs can lead their users to a list of destinations. As you can imagine, this requires careful teaching so the dog learns each command in a complex sequence of events.

Despite the hard work involved, Guide Dogs have a rewarding job indeed. These intelligent dogs lead an interesting life and enjoy its many challenges.