Guide dogs: how they are trained to help people

Training a service dog is a very important task because, ultimately, these pets they become the ears, eyes and hands of people who need it. Not all dogs can become guide dogs; to do this, you will have to choose those breeds that are more reliable, balanced and have predictable behavior.

Service dog training It starts from the moment you are bornHowever, for the first year they live with the family as usual, learning to communicate, until the trainers take them away to explain in more detail what their job will be.

In this article we will talk to you about what guide dogs are and what training they undergo to help people with disabilities.

What is a guide dog?

Many studies talk about the benefits of living with a dog., these animals make us more sociable, make us exercise and, of course, keep us company. However, in the case of assistance dogs, the benefits are even greater because they are able to help people who need extra help.

Guide dogs These are animals specially trained to help people with disabilities.These are usually Labradors, Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds. Typically, these dogs are trained specifically for the person who will own them.

Origin of guide dogs

Origin of guide dogs dates back to the end of the First World War. Wounded soldiers, suffering from blindness or some kind of amputation, needed to find a way to perform their daily tasks without the help of another person. This is how these pets came into being and hence the first training schools such as Guide Dogs in New Jersey or Guide Dogs for the Blind in Michigan.

Since then, many more schools have been opened, and dogs have become better trained to perform all kinds of functions in helping the disabled and sick. Depending on the work they do, we may find that guide dogs They are divided into five categories :

• guide dogs : They help people with visual impairments.
• Dog sign : They help people with hearing impairments.
• Service dogs : They help people with physical disabilities, such as paraplegics.
• Medical assistance dogs : They act against attacks that people with any disease may be exposed to.
• Assistance dogs for autism : Helps people with autism spectrum disorders.

How to train a service dog?

As we mentioned earlier, guide dogs are the eyes, ears and hands of suffering people. some type of disability or it requires support. This means that breeding and training these types of dogs is now important, so the work done by some people is very important. selflessly adopt a puppy until it reaches the required age to be adopted and trained.

Next, let’s take a quick look at what trainers do to turn these dogs into guide dogs:

Socialization

This part of the training is carried out by foster families and is a fundamental part of pet parenting. This period is called the period of socialization. It lasts from 8 to 10 weeks of a puppy’s life and continues until he is one year old.. The purpose of this is for the animal to become familiar with and accustomed to noises, smells and interactions with adults and children. Essentially, at this stage we are trying to ensure that the dog integrates into society without fears or future behavioral problems.

Education

Although training a service dog begins at birth exercises that trainers subsequently improved, only in a year the animal will begin to be trained in depth. Such learning is always positive, so the animal is predisposed to learning.

Here are some exercises these dogs do:

• Place your head on the user’s lap
• Take the item and leave it in the user’s or guide’s hand.
• Transfer an object from one user to another
• Hit the user’s nose
• Walkway underfoot (bridge)
• Walk underfoot while walking
• get on your knees
• Learn to take a treat on command
• Kiss on command
• Bark on command
• Go through hoops (jumping)
• Sit inside the ring and let the ring come off.
• Place the dog next to the user
• Placing the dog on top of the prone user
• Greeting (paw, high five)
• Beg (ask)
• Tug and play
• Stand calmly and relaxed on the table (comb your hair, put on handkerchiefs, belts…)
• Dead

User selection

To request a guide dog, a person must provide proof of their disability and go through four steps to obtain the animal:

• Interview : To evaluate the user and the need to have this pet.
• Information : About what a guide dog is and what care it requires.
• Preparation : If you have learned about guide dogs, it is appropriate to ask the user about this as well. I want to continue the processPreparation begins with keeping and caring for your future pet.

Custom adaptation

Once the animal has been delivered to the person requesting it, Both owner and animal must perform adaptation exercises and training together. everything the dog has learned. The user must learn to understand how the dog can help him and know how to reward him when he does so. It’s a learning experience that never ends.

Editorial

When the animal and the user live together, The coach will have to come for regular visits. to be able to determine whether the dog is behaving as it should or whether the exercises the animal has learned need to be reinforced.