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January 2023 Live Replay: Mostly Guide Dogs :) (Patreon)

Published:
2024-01-17 20:59:36
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Hey Folks! 

Below is the general outline for when things are taught in guide work for those that asked. 

We also touched on two way alerts.

Happy Training!


General Guide Dog Training Stages From When I Worked For a Program


Stage 1:

- Straight Lines

- Downcurbs

- Crossings and Upcurbs

- R/L Turns

- Curb to Curbs

- Halt (w/ lefts)

- Solid Obstacles

- Off-Curbs

- Overheads

- Steady/Hup Hup (w/ rights)

Blindfold 1: Easy Suburban Area


Stage 2:

- Stairs

- Pedestrians

- Escalators

- Find Inside/Outside

- Busses

- Traffic (artificial & natural)

Blindfold 2: City Area, Outside


Stage 3:

- City work

- Subways

- Find a Seat/Counter

- Suggestive Turns (turning in motion)

- Country Travel

- Follow

Blindfold 3: Indoor Work

Blindfold 4: Country Travel

Blindfold 5: Complex City Work


Generally, 2-3 months before first blindfold

Another 2-3 months till second

Another 2-3 months for third

Then switched to another trainer before placement to further generalize skills

Files

Previews only

Patreon Livestream January 2023 Q&A: Guide Dog Stuff

Comments

Elizabeth Downing

So if you want to proof that you aren’t cueing your dog with body language when training find a seat or find an exit/entrance bc you will actually need these behaviors for moments of visibility loss, should you practice them also blindfolded then? Hope that made sense

DOGGY•U
>>127329711

Hey Elizabeth - so the first thing I would say is that getting familiar with being blindfolded can be a skill in itself, even if you are already experiencing some vision loss. When I started working in guide dogs, we had to actually do entire days of blindfolded cane work and other tasks without the dog to get used to it, including eating, navigating, etc. I would always recommend having a sighted person there with you when you start doing blindfold work, if possible. This is for safety when your dog is new to working with a blindfolded person, and while you get used to being blindfolded. If I were working towards this, I would likely start with just closing my eyes while practicing. Then I have the security of being able to open them at a moments notice if I get uncomfortable with how the dog is working or want to double check.

Anna Budinick

clarification— Is the patterning for “forward” just keeping your dog in a heel (and no sniffing obviously) while we walk on straight narrow sidewalk and mark/reward at the corner of each street, then progress to holding handle on the straight sidewalks? And lastly adding width to the sidewalk and generalizing locations? If that’s not an accurate understanding…Will you consider doing a video soon showing how to teach specifically the cue “forward” as you described in the video— and how to get the dog to stay in a straight line specifically while patterning it without going toward distractions of sniffing grass/etc (just general distractions not set ups with difficult ones). I know you explained it, but a video demonstrating it with a dog who doesn’t know it yet would be FABULOUS if you have time

DOGGY•U
>>129048856

Hey Anna, The process you described is accurate, though you can also do some work away from sidewalks on pulling into the harness/forward cue using targeting. Unfortunately, I don't have an appropriate dog to do this type of work with at this time (Whip is too light and Jake is too old). I do have plans to run through the entire training protocol once I have my own dog and they're old enough to start the work, but guide work isn't something that can be taught quickly (and it's mostly like watching paint dry for the first 4 weeks). If you watch the video on "find home" with CoolWhip you'll see the backchaining process that can be applied to sidewalks/curbs, and then you'd pick up the handle once you got to the targeting of the curb portion. Essentially you are teaching the dog to target the next curb. Understanding the goal of the target should help curb sniffing.

Jodie Authelet

From Puppy to around a year to year and a half. Should I be teaching any guide work? What I mean is should I teach stopping at curbs and stairs while on leash before actually adding the handle to his harness?? Also is it ok to use my cane with my dog??

DOGGY•U
>>132215184

Hey Jodie - I'll answer the second question first: Yes, it is okay to use a cane with a dog, but you'll likely need to modify your cane travel technique to make sure you don't hit the dog. You'll also want to spend time desensitizing the dog to the cane. You'll also want to consider how a cane will effect your work - ie. you won't have any free hands to take the leash and drop the handle with easily if needed. As far as curb stops - that's a really complicated question because what really matters is that the dog learns to "drive" or move forward into the curb so they don't develop any creep. They also need to lead you there, so you don't want to spend too much time "stopping for them". So I like to teach foundation work like a front foot target before they're ready to pick up the handle. And you can then spend a little time working on curb stops, but just be sure that they're not following you to the curb, but instead leading slightly ahead up to the curb. If you're looking to fully train your own guide dog, I highly recommend you do so with the support of a GDMI, as there is so much nuance to this training that is not conveyable without having someone truly understand your needs and your dog.