LIFE OF A GUIDE DOG
At just two years old most guide dogs in training take on their role as one of the most responsible dogs in the country. Here we guide you through the life of a Guide Dog, after they have finished their first year with a puppy walker.
Early Training
When the puppy is a year old, it leaves its puppy walker to join up to 40 other dogs at our training centre where they start “Early Training”. This phase of their training lasts for 5 months with a specially trained Instructor. The dog is taken on several walks each day where it is taught how to cross roads, stop at kerbs and how to avoid obstacles that would cause problems for its owner. It is brought into the city and shopping centres, to get used to the traffic and noise and also taken on buses, trains and lifts. It must also learn how to behave in places such as restaurants.
Advance Training
If the dog reaches the high standards needed to be a Guide Dog, it will go on for another 3 months of “Advanced Training”. Here the Instructor perfects the dog’s skills so that it can provide safe mobility for a visually impaired person. The Instructor will look at how the dog behaves, its personality, whether it walks fast or slow, whether it prefers working in the country or city. From these traits the dog is matched with a person on our waiting list who suits this particular type of dog. Getting the dog/owner match right is crucial and a lot of time and effort is put in to ensure the best possible partnership is made.
Out to Work
At 20 months old our dog is now ready to graduate as a fully trained Guide Dog. However, before the newly trained Guide Dog begins work, they must first attend a 3 week residential course, together with their newly matched owner, at our Training Centre in Cork.
On completion of the training course the Guide Dog Owner and their dog return to their home. During the following weeks the Instructor will visit to make sure they are both working well together and will help them to get to know different routes that the owner would make regularly, such as to work or shopping. Thereafter regular contact is maintained with a visit by a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor at least once every year.
Retirement
A Guide Dog will begin to tire around the age of 10 and at this stage we will look at retiring the dog. This can be a very difficult time for both dog and owner as they have spent many years together. Sometimes the Guide Dog owner will keep their dog as a pet for the remainder of their life. If they choose not to, we find a suitable home for these hard working dogs. The owner is then trained with a new Guide Dog as soon as possible. It can be difficult to adjust to having a new dog with a different personality but they always become the best of companions quite soon.
For a more detailed look at the specific aspects of guide dog work download ‘How a Guide Dog is Trained’ in word format.
