The Making of Guide Dogs:
From Puppies to Heroes
Most of us have seen a guide dog walking down the street with a blind person, but do we really understand how a puppy becomes a trained, talented Guide Dog?
Published Tuesday, February 15th, 2005
Career Dogs
Many kinds of working dogs exist in the modern world, and society is much better for it. Hearing dogs can alert deaf or hearing-impaired people to a variety of sounds, including doorbells, telephones, fire and tornado alarms, and baby cries. Some even recognize the name of their owner, making communication with others easier. Seizure Alertdogs recognize the signs of an epileptic owner’s imminent seizure, and provide warning so the owner can call for help, get to a safe place and avoid injury. Police dogs serve in a variety of ways, including search and rescue, bomb detection and narcotic detection. Service dogs are an immense help for the physically disabled, since they can learn to pull wheelchairs, open doors, push elevator buttons, and retrieve dropped items. Guide dogs, also known as Seeing Eye dogs, are a special kind of service dog; the owner and dog become a team and use their shared skills to navigate everyday life.
Origin of the Species
Guide dog training schools utilize their own purebred breeding dogs, which are usually Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds. These breeds inherently possess characteristics of successful guide dogs, including
intelligence, obedience,loyalty and stamina. When the puppies are 2 months old (see Diagram 1 below), they are placed with selected Puppy Raising families. These families have already completed applications, finished special training at the dog school and met these requirements:
-All members of the household must be committed to Puppy Raising.
-Puppies must sleep indoors.
-There must be a compatible relationship with other pets in the household.
-Raisers must provide daily socialization and exercise for their puppies, and teach them basic obedience skills.
-Raisers must release the dogs back to the training school when they are 15 months old.
Diagram 1: Guide Dog Timeline
(dog pictures from <
During their time with these Puppy Raising families, the future guide dogs are constantly exposed to new sights, sounds and smells. They are taken on buses and trains, into shopping centers, along busy streets, into dark areas, through quiet neighborhoods, etc. They become accustomed to loud noises, crowds of people, and adverse weather conditions. Providing these experiences is vital step in the process of training a guide dog.
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Back to School
When the dogs return to training school at 15 months old, they must pass tests to prove themselves capable of continuing
their education to become guide dogs. The licensed instructors assess every dog through a series of long walks and other activities, and see many successful dogs thatconcentrate well, resist distraction by other animals and show eagerness to follow commands. However, typically around 20 percent of the dogs are not found suitable for the responsibility of becoming guide dogs. They become Career Change dogs (see Diagram 2 below) and are soon enrolled in schools for Hearing, Seizure Alert or other service dogs.
Diagram 2: Guide Dog Training Flowchart
The successful guide-dogs-in-training begin an intensive 5 month training program, which reinforces the skills they’ve already learned and builds upon them with specialized guide dog skills, which include:
-walking in a straight line from one place to another
-walking ahead and slightly to the left of the handler
-stopping at all curbs to await further instruction
-stopping at the top and bottom of stairs
-boarding and traveling on public transportation
-laying quietly for extended periods of time, especially in restaurants and offices
Legislation
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, guaranteeing people with disabilities the right to be accompanied by a service animal in all areas open to the general public.
Most dogs are successful at learning these skills with their instructor’s use of patience and some repetition, but there are some harder skills to master as well. Guide dogs must be able to avoid spaces too narrow or too short for both dog and handler to fit through, and also must learn to practice selective disobedience. This means knowing when a handler’s command, such as moving forward to cross a street, will put the handler in danger. Guide dogs cannot distinguish traffic lights, so handlers listen for changes in traffic flow and give commands to move forward, but guide dogs must watch for cars approaching and wait until the danger is gone before obeying. Dogs must also learn that when they are wearing the guide dog harness on their shoulders, it is time to concentrate and work, but when the harness comes off at the end of the day, they may run around and play.
Mastery of all the skills necessary to become a guide dog takes lots of patience, time and energy, but it is well worth it by graduation time. Trainers and dogs alike can be proud of their hard work, and trainers know that the dogs will soon be matched with visually impaired people who need them very much.
Creating a Team
Great care must be taken when matching guide dogs with potential owners. Many things are considered, including the owner’s length of stride, height and lifestyle. Very energetic dogs are usually paired with young owners; likewise, older handlers are often matched with more cautious dogs.
When it is time for the new owner and guide dog to meet, the owner comes to stay at the dog training school for a month so the instructors can help the new duo learn to work together. Most of this time is actually spent training the ownersabout all the commands the dog knows, the skills the dog possesses and the way the dog knows how to behave. Owner and dog spend many hours together practicing everyday life with the watchful care and assistance of their instructor.
Over the next several years, guide dog and handler become an amazing team. Oftentimes, this is the owner’s first experience of independent living, and the two quickly become best friends. The guide dog typically serves the owner for between 7-10 years, and then it’s time to retire. Usually, the owner’s family cannot bear to part with the dog, so it stays on as a pet in the household while the owner receives a new guide dog to assist with daily life.
Amazing Stories
Seventy-eight stories from the ground floor of the WorldTradeCenter, Michael Hingson was hard at work as his guide dog Roselle rested under his desk. Suddenly, the building was swaying and the air was filling with smoke and paper and the smell of kerosene. Many people were panicking and rushing to get out of the building, and Michael and Roselle were no exception. Roselle led Michael through the disheveled office and to the stairwell to begin the long descent. Forty-five minutes later, exhausted and thirsty, they were on the ground floor. The pair managed to wade through a waterfall from the fire sprinklers and get through the front doors. Their ordeal was far from over, however, when the second tower fell about 100 yards away. They took off running in the other direction, and Michael was even able to calm a hysterical woman who couldn’t see through the dust and debris. “Look, I’m blind and I have a guide dog. She will guide us both until you can see.” Michael knows they are alive because of Roselle’s skills at ignoring distractions and working extremely well under pressure. Michael currently tours the United States, speaking about trust and promoting the use of guide dogs.
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The Future
Next time you see a guide dog and handler walking down the street together, notice the owner directing ‘left’ and the guide dog leading around a pothole. Remember all the hard work that goes into creating that special team, and think about how the guide dog may have changed the owner’s life. Hilda Winters explains, “Having a guide dog has given me back my dignity, my reason to live. Until I had Isla I was ignored, had been attacked and was too frightened to leave the house. Now I feel like a human being again.” (
By Abby Siemek
For more information, visit:
K9 Perspective
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How Stuff Works
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Press Democrat Online
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Guide Dogs UK
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Guide Dogs for the Blind
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Assistance Dogs
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