How to Train a Guide Dog for the Blind

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How to Train a Guide Dog for the Blind

Hard

12-24 Months

Work

Introduction

For many years, humans have been using dogs as tools to help mitigate disabilities and handicaps. Dogs can provide a number of invaluable services including medical alert, PTSD assistance, and mobility support. But the most prominent of these types of jobs is that of the ever important guide dog, raised and trained for the purpose of being a working partner to a blind or otherwise vision-impaired individual. These dogs are best known for being in a harness and striding ahead of their handler, keeping them out of danger and steering them clear of obstacles.

Guide dogs are often pulled from a few specific breeds for their temperament, trainability, and intelligence. These breeds include the Labrador and Golden retriever, as well as the German shepherd. While other breeds have been selected for guide dog work, it is rare, and organizations will typically have reputable breeders to choose their dogs from. Not every dog is suited to guide work, so the selection process can be stringent, and for good reason. The safety of the person needing the dog is always the most important thing!

Defining Tasks

Training a guide dog starts from puppyhood, once the eight-week mark has passed, and requires lifelong training. It’s not realistic to train an already adult dog with behavior issues to be a guide dog, as this can put both dog and handler at risk. Puppies must be calm and intelligent, must not be fearful or aggressive, and should display an eagerness to please. This temperament should be reinforced through their adult life in order to be an appropriate guide dog.

A guide dog will go through several iterations of training, including basic puppy obedience, public access training, and then proper obstacle avoidance and guidance with their chosen handler. This training can take months and even up to two years to really perfect, so be prepared for the long haul if you’re thinking about training a guide dog. It takes patience, knowledge, experience, and professionalism to develop a solid foundation for behavior.

Getting Started

To get started, you’ll want to ensure that you know where your puppy is coming from. Most organizations have reputable breeders that temperament test their dogs in a number of different ways. These puppies will also be health tested to ensure that they are well bred and healthy. Consider getting in contact with knowledgeable breeders who have worked with guide dog prospects before.

Guide dogs often train best with positive reinforcement. This means using things like clicker training with treats or toys as rewards to reinforce great obedience and fantastic behavior. You’ll want to find things that will encourage your dog to perform as needed. In addition, consider purchasing a vest or special harness to designate your puppy or dog as a guide dog in training. This will be crucial later on when the vest or harness is needed for the handler’s safety.

The Puppy Raising Method

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Step

Socialization

Your prospective guide dog puppy should be introduced to people of all sizes, ages, gender, and races. Guide dogs are expected to be polite in public and should not have any reactivity whatsoever. He should be familiar with strangers.

Step

Basic obedience

Your puppy should learn the basic obedience commands to begin a foundation in his guide dog training. This includes commands like ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘come’, and other basic obedience necessities.

Step

Potty training

In order to avoid relieving himself at inappropriate times or in inappropriate places, potty training is incredibly important for your guide dog, especially due to the fact that guide dogs work in public places. Using the bathroom in the wrong place can result in a handler being asked to leave a public establishment.

Step

Leash and harness walking

Your guide dog should know how to walk on a leash or harness without stopping to sniff or being distracted. Start with the fundamentals of loose leash walking to create a foundation for his formal training later on.

Step

Public access

In order to acclimate to a variety of public spaces where a handler may require assistance from a guide dog, your puppy should experience common public areas like stores, restaurants, school campuses, or other public areas. Be aware that not every state has laws that protect guide dogs in training in public spaces. Look up the laws in your area to be certain that you are allowed to take a dog in training into these spaces.

The Formal Training Method

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Step

Facing distractions

Your guide dog should be trained to ignore all distractions that may try to get her attention including other people, animals, children, and strange sights or smells. You should reward focused behavior and be able to teach your dog that her work is more important than anything else.

Step

Walking etiquette

Guide dogs walk ahead of the handler and your dog should know the proper positioning for guide work. She should not be walking at a heel, but instead be able to stay slightly ahead and on the left side of her handler.

Step

Walking in a straight line

Your guide dog prospect should know how to walk in a straight line without diverting to one side or the other for any reason. Turning should only be dictated by the handler who will use hand signals or voice commands to determine where to go.

Step

Laying quietly

Your dog should know when it is time to settle down for a while, particularly if the handler is stopping to eat somewhere or any other task during the day which requires the dog to be nearby but to not actively be guiding. Work up to longer periods of time gradually.

Step

Stopping at curbs

A guide dog should never walk into traffic or into the street. She should know how to stop at a curb in order to wait for a command from her handler. This requires recognizing where a curb is and how to stop and wait.

The Working Method

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Step

Adapt to the handler

Your dog should acclimate to his handler. This can be done in a variety of ways but will generally evolve through the working relationship.

Step

Avoiding danger

Your guide dog should know how to make a decision to stop when there is danger present for the handler. For instance, she should not walk into the street when there is traffic present, nor should she walk forward if there is an obstruction in the path of the handler. This is called “intelligent disobedience” and is necessary for every guide dog to know.

Step

Determining common routes

Your guide dog should get familiarized with his handler’s day to day routes throughout the public space. Routine will help both dog and handler adjust to navigating possible obstacles on these routes.

Step

Navigating public transport

If the handler requires public transport such as a bus, subway, or taxi, your dog must know how to board these particular vehicles.

Step

Working independently

Repetition, practice, and working alongside his handler will ensure that your dog will become a fantastic guide dog. These things must be done regularly to reinforce training and habit.

Step

Continued support

Seek training support throughout your dog’s working life in order to troubleshoot any issues that may come up. Your dog’s working life may be somewhere in the range of eight to ten years and he should be evaluated often to ensure the safety of both the dog and his handler.

Written by TJ Trevino

Published: 01/30/2018, edited: 01/08/2021

Success Stories and Training Questions

Training Questions and Answers

Question

Mila

Anatolian Shepherd

8 Months

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Mila

Anatolian Shepherd

8 Months

I love training dogs but I now want to train my dog how to help blind people by being a sight dog I have no clue how to start

4 months ago

Mila's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

1123 Dog owners recommended

Hello Maya, Check out the resources on training at this link below. https://www.guidedogs.com/explore-resources/alumni-resources/class-lecture-materials2 How is pup's adaptability and socialization currently. Often tasks can be taught at one and two years of age, but pup's overall temperament, adaptability to new situations, and socializations is age dependent, starting at just weeks of age. Puppy raising manual - so you can see what pup needed to have learned in the first year. Some things can be caught up, but other things age age dependent. https://www.guidedogs.com/support-gdb/volunteer/puppy-raising/puppy-raising-manual Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

4 months ago

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Bell

Border Collie

7 Months

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Bell

Border Collie

7 Months

Blind man wants his dog trained for just obedience and wants to know how he will know if she is coming to him when she is outside off leash.

1 year ago

Bell's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

1123 Dog owners recommended

Hello Li, From close distances pup can wear a harness or collar outfitted with bells. For further distances I would look for a tracking device that has two components - one that the person (dog in this case) being tracked wears, and one that beeps faster or slower when the tracking device moves closer or further away. Unfortunately, I don't know of a brand I can reference off hand. I would look into some gear websites and dual component beeping tracking systems. If you happen to find one that's waterproof and small to clip to pup's collar more easily also, that would really be idea. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

1 year ago

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Boo

Gremen sheperd

8 Weeks

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Boo

Gremen sheperd

8 Weeks

Hi i havent got a dog yet wanting to get a golden retriever to train it for my guide dog is there any one that i can get to help me train it

1 year, 5 months ago

Boo's Owner

Alisha Smith

Alisha S., Dog Trainer

257 Dog owners recommended

Hello! While we don't refer trainers out on this platform, I can suggest that you can do a search in your area for exactly what you're looking for. There may even be non profit organizations in your area who can help get you set up.

1 year, 5 months ago

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Sky

Corgi Cattle Dog

5 Years

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Sky

Corgi Cattle Dog

5 Years

My service dog has started to become reactive to other dogs and skateboards. Any advice on how to desensitize her? Thanks.

1 year, 8 months ago

Sky's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

1123 Dog owners recommended

Hello Elliot, Check out the video series linked below on barking and reactivity. Pay special attention to the videos on "Barking at dogs behind a fence", "barking at scary objects", and "stop barking on a walk". https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXtcKXk-QWojGYcl1NCg5UA5geEnmpx4a There are other ways to address reactivity, but I recommend trying desensitization methods first, since pup will need to overcome their fear for service work, opposed to only stopping the behavior externally. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

1 year, 8 months ago

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Question

Ebby Sue

Border Collie

1 Year

0 found helpful

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0 found helpful

Ebby Sue

Border Collie

1 Year

My name is Kristi and my mother was training her puppy in Hope's of being her guide dog. She has been working with Ebby Sue since she was born and she has basic obedience training but before my mother completely lost her vision she wasn't sure how to train Ebby Sue has her guide dog. Can you help in any way?

1 year, 10 months ago

Ebby Sue's Owner

Darlene Stott

Dog Trainer and Groomer

104 Dog owners recommended

Hello, I would think that Ebby Sue is at a good age for this challenge. I have not trained a guide dog before but I do know that the basic commands are a must and need to be like second nature. So, it is good that Ebby Sue has her basic training. This has to be worked on daily (10-20 minutes a day and at every opportunity for commands like sit and come). You can help with this by taking Ebby Sue out for walks and working with her. As for the guide dog training, I suggest you and your mother contact a certification organization for direction and to learn how to go about it. https://www.supportdogcertification.org/article/guide-dogs-for-the-blind, This article may help. You will have to do research to find an organization near you to help you get Ebby Sue into a training program. You may get some direction here: https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/about-us/contact-us/ All the best and good luck!

1 year, 10 months ago