How Guide Dogs are Trained
When Ashley Parsons was 10 years old, she wanted a puppy more than anything else. However, her mom Lynn had never had a pet and was afraid that it would be more responsibility than her daughter could handle.
Then one day, Ashley’s fifth grade class was visited by puppies and their “raisers.” Christine (Chris) Dickson, manager of Puppy Placement for The Seeing Eye (an organization that trains dog guides for the blind), explained to the class that participants in the program are given a puppy to raise for 1 year. During that time, they must housebreak the puppy, teach it basic commands, help it to become socialized, and above all else — love it! After the year is over, the puppy is returned to The Seeing Eye for additional training to become a dog guide for the blind.
Ashley couldn’t wait to tell her parents about the program. “When Chris said that you train the puppy for only a year, I knew that this program was my only chance of ever getting a dog. I kept telling my mom that we would have the puppy for only a year and that I would take care of it.” Because of her daughter’s determination, Lynn finally gave in. Besides teaching her daughter responsibility, she knew the program would provide Ashley with a great opportunity to help others.
The Seeing Eye Puppy Club is part of the 4-H program. As part of the puppy raiser agreement, Ashley must attend monthly 4-H meetings near her home in Yardley, Pennsylvania. At these sessions, the puppy raisers are instructed on how to teach basic commands to their puppies. In addition, scheduled outings are planned (going to the movies or to the airport) so the puppies can be exposed to other environments.
Ashley, now 18, has trained three puppies for The Seeing Eye. She and other volunteers like her play an important role in helping people they may never meet. In a way, it is an act of faith that parallels the trust that blind people put in their dog guides.
MAKING THE GRADE
Only certain breeds of dogs are used for training by The Seeing Eye. A geneticist on staff directs the breeding program to make sure the best possible dogs are bred at the center’s scientific breeding station in Chester, New Jersey. “We breed German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and a Labrador/golden retriever cross,” says Chris. The Seeing Eye occasionally accepts donated puppies, but they must be one of the breeds listed.
PUPPY PLACEMENT
When puppies from The Seeing Eye are 7 weeks old, they are ready to be placed with a family that will care for them for the next 12 to 14 months. “The puppy arrives at your home in a white minivan,” explains Ashley. “When the van doors open and I get to see my puppy for the first time, I know what an exciting year we both have ahead of us.”
The Seeing Eye places approximately 600 puppies each year in homes in New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and Maryland. The Seeing Eye supplies puppy raisers with all of the basic necessities, including a collar, a leash, a bed “tie down” (to help keep the puppy close to the puppy raiser’s bed at night), a brush for grooming, preventive medications for fleas, ticks, and heartworms, a manual that explains how to raise a puppy, a health card listing what inoculations the puppy will need and when, and an 8-lb bag of puppy food. The organization sends a quarterly allowance to help defray the cost of the puppy’s food. In addition, The Seeing Eye pays for veterinary expenses as well as boarding costs when the family goes on vacation.
BASIC TRAINING
“The main goals of the puppy raiser are to provide the dog with a loving home and to expose it to a wide variety of situations,” says Ashley. “This helps prepare the puppy for life as a dog guide.”
One of the first steps for raisers is to become friends with their dog. According to Chris, “Puppy raisers are encouraged to handle their puppy gently, speak to it in a gentle tone, and give it a lot of verbal praise and affection.” Puppy raisers are encouraged to take their puppy to public places as often as possible to get them used to other people and different noises. Interaction with strangers is encouraged at this stage.
Puppy raisers are taught how to train their puppies using certain commands. The puppy must be housebroken and must associate this duty with the command “park time.” The puppy must also be taught to “stay back” from doors so it doesn’t run outside when a door is opened. In addition, a safe place must be set up for the puppy so it is not in the way when the family is cooking. The puppy must be taught to go to this safe place when instructed. Another exercise taught to puppies is to “come on a long lead,” which teaches the puppy to come back to its raiser when called.
Another part of the training is to feed the puppy on a regular schedule and teach it to sit before receiving its meals. The puppy must also be taught how to ride in a car and where it should sit while in the car (on the floor, not on the seats). “Lots of praise must be given during training,” says Chris. “It is important that all puppy raisers learn to use verbal praise with their puppies.”
BACK TO SCHOOL
After the year of socialization is over, the puppy must be returned to The Seeing Eye for the next phase of its training with an instructor. Before returning the puppy, the puppy raiser must fill out a report about his or her puppy and the progress it has made.
For Ashley, returning the puppy is her least favorite part of the program. “Even though I know I am doing a good thing and am helping to change a person’s life, it’s hard to say good-bye because the puppy has become part of my family,” she says. “Although a year is short, you really get to know the puppy’s personality. Each of my puppies had their own special differences.”
When the puppy is returned to The Seeing Eye, it is assessed to determine whether it should continue through the program. This process takes about 2 months. As the dog advances through these next few stages, the puppy raiser is sent news of its progress. Although puppy raisers can no longer have contact with the puppy, they can send a letter anonymously to the blind student who will be receiving the puppy to let him or her know more about the puppy, such as its favorite toys and games.
If the dog is considered both physically and behaviorally fit, it is assigned to a trainer. Each trainer is assigned about ten dogs and works with each dog once a day for 4 months. During this time, the dog is in harness working with its instructor on the streets of Morristown, New Jersey. The puppy raiser is invited for a “town visit” and is given the opportunity to take photographs; however, the puppy raiser is not allowed to approach the puppy.
After the town visit, the puppy must pass a blindfold test (the instructor is blindfolded and walks the dog through town). Once the puppy has passed this test, it is ready to be paired with a blind student who will be taught how to properly use his or her new dog guide. The instructors work hard to try to match students with the dog that is best suited for them. According to Chris, “Matching the right dog with the right student is critical to the success of the program.”
If a puppy doesn’t pass his tests to become a dog guide, The Seeing Eye makes sure he finds a loving home.
Ashley remembers how hard it was to return Hope, her first puppy. “I was crushed at first,” she says. Then she started looking forward to the town visit in Morristown and watching Hope walk through the town on a harness with her instructor. “When we got there, I saw a blind student walking through town with her dog guide and instructor,” remembers Ashley. “The smile on the student’s face reminded me that, although I was sad to lose my puppy, I was helping a blind person become independent.”
When you think about it, Ashley and other puppy raisers are no less than miracle workers. After all, they are helping give sight to the blind.
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A PUPPY RAISER?
- Although adult applicants are accepted, the program is set up in conjunction with the 4-H program and primarily accepts applications from children ages 9 to 19.
- Interested individuals must fill out an application and sign a Puppy Promise, which describes the program, indicates that the family is willing to do what is requested, and provides a written promise that the puppy will be returned to The Seeing Eye.
- It is preferred that one individual in a family is able to be at home during the day to walk, exercise, and feed the puppy. If this is not possible, the name and address of a puppy sitter must be supplied.
- Monthly (and sometimes bimonthly) meetings must be attended to provide training and exposure for the puppy.
- Puppy raisers must take their puppies to outings and other organized activities.
- Puppy raisers must expose their puppies to the environment around them, including traffic and general household noise. They are also encouraged to visit public places and buildings. At this stage, permission must be obtained before taking the puppy into a public building.
- Puppy raisers must hug and love their puppies every day!
For more information on becoming a puppy raiser, contact The Seeing Eye at:
The Seeing Eye, Inc.
P.O. Box 375
Morristown, NJ 07963-0375
Web site: www.seeingeye.org
Email: puppyraisers@seeingeye.org
Phone: 973-539-4425
Fax: 973-539-0922