How Guide Dogs Work

Puppy Raisers

When they're ready to leave their mother, dogs that show a level of aptitude for guiding go to a loving home to enjoy being a puppy and grow into a well-trained young adult.

These volunteer puppy raisers are just ordinary people who go through an application process and training program at the guide dog school. The school screens for raising ability and works with puppy raisers one-on-one to help them learn how to work with the puppy. In addition, the school will generally provide the raisers with a manual and video that tells them almost everything they need to know. The raiser's job is to teach the puppy obedience skills, expose the puppy to all sorts of people and environments and give the puppy all the love and attention it needs to grow into a happy, confident dog that is ready for guide training. Basically, raisers lay the groundwork for the more extensive guide training to come.

One of the most important aspects of raising a future guide dog is to get it comfortable with all kinds of situations. Socialization is important for any dog, but it is crucial for guide dogs, who must be able to go anywhere without being distracted from their work. They must be accustomed to loud noises, adverse weather conditions, crowds of people and tricky obstacles. A guide dog needs to be confident in any situation its handler might experience. In Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy raising programs, raisers typically expose the puppies to at least five new experiences a week.

In order to excel in advanced training later on, the puppy needs to get some experience with obedience early in life. Guiding Eyes for the Blind teaches puppy raisers to first develop a good working relationship with the dog. It is extremely important that future guide dogs are attentive and responsive to their handlers, and that they have the self-confidence to handle complex commands and stressful situations. The most important job of a puppy raiser is fostering these qualities.

Raisers also teach puppies the basics of obedience -- to sit, lie down and walk correctly on a leash -- and get them used to extensive training sessions several times a week. Raisers train the puppy using leash corrections and praise, never treat rewards. It's very important that a future guide dog not be fixated on food because when they're on the job, they will have to work without the expectation of a reward and they will have to maintain concentration in restaurants and other areas with food distractions.

Raising a future guide dog is a wonderful experience, but it is very difficult emotionally. At the end of the puppy raising period, a little over a year, the puppy raiser must bring the dog back to the training school so it can go on to help a blind or visually impaired person. Giving the dog up after raising it for a year is a very sad experience, but puppy raisers are rewarded by the satisfaction of contributing to the process. Most puppy raisers end up raising many future guide dogs, because of the happiness it brings them.

If you're interested in raising a future guide dog, check the links at the end of the article or look in the phone book for a guide dog school in your area. Guiding Eyes for the Blind has a number of puppy training programs set up on the east coast of the United States -- check Guiding Eyes Puppy Raising for a program in your area. Most schools have a comprehensive program that will teach you everything you need to know to start a guide dog off right. If you love dogs and have the time to care for a puppy, you can play a critical part in the guide dog training process.

Raising a Future Guide Dog by Mary Cantando

When my husband and I decided we wanted to raise a future guide dog, the first thing we found out is that all puppy raisers go through a pretty thorough screening process. At Guiding Eyes for the Blind, prospective raisers must complete an application process, attend meetings, and view training videos. Following this orientation, local volunteers visit the home for an interview. We went through this process last January, and a few weeks later, we met Sonar, the yellow Lab who would be living with us for the next 18 months.

Using GEB's training method, we had Sonar housebroken in one day. The process is to take the puppy to the same outdoor place once every hour or so. When he finally goes, we say in a very positive voice, "Sonar, get busy" and then praise and pet him profusely. We did this a few times and then, when we took him out, we said, "Sonar, get busy," and he did, right away! Now he will only go on command. This is certainly an important skill for a future guide dog; after all, a handler can't be walking down the street in Philadelphia and have his dog relieve itself -- that would give people a very unfavorable impression of guide dogs.

Another interesting thing about guide dogs is that they go through doors differently than other dogs. Before opening the door, I give the commands "Sonar, sit," and "Sonar, stay." Then I open the door and say, "Sonar, let's go." Once I'm outside the door, I tell Sonar to sit and stay again. After closing the door, I say "Sonar, let's go." This lets the handler know exactly where the dog is and what it's doing while he locks or unlocks his door.

The puppies are evaluated every three months. At Sonar's eight-month evaluation, he received a special coat that says "Guide Dog in Pre-Training." Since receiving his coat, Sonar has been coming with us all over town, which is what the program encourages. He comes with me into the grocery store and as I go over to check out the bananas, he sits on the floor next to my feet. I say, "Sonar, let's go" and he immediately gets up and comes with me to the back of the store to get coffee beans. He especially likes the checkout counter, as folks tend to make a fuss over him there. I try to politely remind people that no one should touch a guide dog without first asking the owner's permission. This is a hard for children to learn, but it's very important, as a guide dog should not be distracted when he is working.

The question that people always ask when we tell them we're raising Sonar to be a guide dog is, "How will you be able to give him up?" Here's how I look at it: We raised three children who have moved on to live their own independent lives, and that's what we're doing with Sonar. It will be tough to say goodbye when the time comes, but he's destined for great things, and I know he will make all the difference in the world as a wonderful partner for someone.