Seeing
Eye Dog Training!
Seeing
Eye Dogs (Guide Dogs) are assistance
dogs trained to lead blind or visually
impaired people around obstacles.
The name of one of the more popular
training schools for such dogs, Seeing
Eye, has entered the popular vernacular
as a genericized term for guide dogs.
Although
the dogs can be trained to navigate
various obstacles, they are partially
(red-green) color blind and are not
capable of interpreting street signs.
The human half of the guide dog team
does the directing, based upon skills
acquired through previous mobility
training. The handler might be likened
to an aircraft's navigator, who must
know how to get from one place to
another, and the dog is the pilot,
who gets them there safely.
In
several countries, guide dogs, along
with most service and hearing dogs,
are exempt from regulations against
the presence of animals in places
such as restaurants and public transportation.
Early
on, trainers began to recognize which
breeds produced dogs most appropriate
for guide work; today, Golden Retrievers,
Labradors, and German Shepherds are
most likely to be chosen, though by
no means does this mean other breeds,
such as Collies, Vizslas, and Dobermanns,
are not. Crosses such as Golden Retriever/Labrador,
which are popular due to both breeds'
known intelligence, work-ethic, and
early maturation, and Labradoodles,
Labrador/Poodles bred in an attempt
to provide dogs suitable for those
with hair or dander allergies, are
also common.
Potential
guide dogs come from various sources.
Some organizations breed and raise
their own puppies, while some rely
on "foster families" to
raise the puppies until they are ready
for formal training. Also, some dogs
are rescued from shelters, although
any dog heading for a career as a
guide dog must be sound and desensitized
to most public situations.
When
dogs become old enough to start training,
most guide dog schools will conduct
a physical exam to analyze the dog's
potential for guide dog work. If the
dog passes this test, they continue
on to more advanced training in a
harness where they learn to help a
person move around safely, including
such achievements as navigating curbs
and avoiding overhead obstacles. The
dogs may be taught additional skills,
such as retrieving items for their
handler.
At
the end of approximately three months
of individual training, visually impaired
students that have applied and are
accepted begin to work with their
own guide dog under the instruction
of the school or an individual instructor.
When the newly-created team has finished
their training, they are certified
and released on their own. Depending
on the organization, follow-up training
to ensure the dog is still doing its
job correctly may or may not be required.
More
to come on Seeing Eye Dog Training...
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