Guide dogs really like to please the blind

Press, 22 July 1980, Page 14

Guide dogs really like to please the blind

The dog has been a friend of man for more than . 10,000 ' years, and perhaps the most devoted friendship of all exists between a guide dog and his blind owner. Together they think and act as one. The dog is proud and confident in his work. With a trusted friend beside him the owner has a mobility and independence which otherwise would be denied him. The ••teamwork that makes a successful partnership does not just hapThe dog is carefully selected and prepared for the work he will do. Before a guide dog’s education begins a trainer has to be certain he is suited to his calling. In New Zealand, guide dogs are bred by the Wellington and District Labrador Retriever Club.

At about six to seven weeks old selected puppies are placed in “foster homes” for a period of eight months. The idea is that the dog should be reared with a family to become used to adults and children, visitors, television, traffic, shops, and all the day-to-day happenings in the neighbourhood. Each puppy has a chart on which his development is recorded. The trainer ■ who will be his instructor later visits the “foster home” to observe the pup during the preparatory period. It is a sad day for the family when the time comes for the dog to return to the Guide Dog Training Unit. Ten walks are taken wih the instructor to test the dog in different environments and conditions before training

begins. Only about 40 per cent of pups eventually become guide dogs. One quality essential to a guide dog is a natural willingness to please his master or mistress. The training period is four months. The dog learns to avoid obstacles and to decide the safest path to travel, not only for himself but for the person beside him. The path must be ‘wide enough for two, working as one. Although a guide dog is given thorough training in traffic, the Safety of his companion and himself depends on his sound judgment. A guide for may have to disobey a command in the interests of safety. .. - During training the dog gains understanding of about 50 words — sit, down, forward, find the

door, find the steps, and so on. When he begins to work he will learn many more words, according to the habits and interests of his owner. At the end of the training period the dog is ready to begin the work for which he has been thoroughly and systematically prepared. The last stage in guide dog training is the most important part of all — matching the dog with, a blind person. The dog meets the person who will be the companion of his working life. With the help of the trainer they get to know each other and learn to work together. The cost of training a guide dog and his partner is more than $3OOO. It is paid for by the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind.