Several trainee guide dogs in the UK have started their first day at ‘big school’ in September.
Dogs including German shepherd Fordi, golden retriever Ron and black Labrador x golden retriever Atlas, have started their 25-week training at Guide Dogs’ London training hub. They were joined by other dogs from across the UK after being looked after by Puppy Raisers; volunteers who care for the dogs in their own homes for 12 – 14 months.
According to the NHS website, more than 2 million people in the UK are living with sight loss. Of these, around 340,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted.
Sight loss takes many different forms, depending on the condition or circumstances that caused it. Some people can see colour, shapes, and even very large print. Some people have central vision and no peripheral vision or have significant differences between their eyes. Some can see light and dark, or nothing at all. People with all sorts of sight loss conditions can have guide dogs.
Demand for guide dogs is high as the disruption to Guide Dogs’ puppy breeding programme in 2020 is now being felt. Nevertheless, the charity will make hundreds of new guide dog partnerships this year, changing the lives of blind and partially sighted people around the UK.
Once at ‘big school’ the dogs will begin Standardised Training for Excellent Partnerships (STEP). The training lasts 25 weeks and involves tasks such as avoiding obstacles, navigating road crossings, and finding empty chairs for their owner to sit down.
During the training, the dogs spend their days at the regional training hubs and then live with local volunteer fosterers, who care for them overnight and during the weekends. The dogs will hopefully be fully qualified and partnered with a blind or partially sighted person by the age of two.
“The day that our dogs arrive for their first day of school is always a proud moment for our staff and volunteers. They come to us from the loving homes of our dedicated volunteer Puppy Raisers, who are vital in preparing puppies for their future roles; the work we do could not be done without them. The dogs now go onto our expert training programme, which uses positive reinforcement to teach them everything they need to learn to be successful confident guide dogs for people with sight loss” , explains Tim Stafford, Director of Canine Affairs at Guide Dogs.
Anyone with a serious vision impairment that meets Guide Dogs’ full guide dog assessment criteria is encouraged to apply. If a person meets the criteria, Guide Dogs will arrange to visit them, and tell them about Guide Dogs’ services in general and the different services available to them.
As part of this, Guide Dogs will complete a Health Risk Assessment to identify any issues that might affect a person’s mobility and, if appropriate, seek advice from their GP or other relevant specialists.
Depending on the outcome of this visit, Guide Dogs may then organise a time to assess and record a person’s current vision, abilities, and situation.
Once the charity is confident a guide dog would match a person’s needs, and that they have sufficient independent orientation and mobility skills, they’ll be progressed onto the guide dog assessment. This focuses specifically on the skills, abilities and attitudes required for a guide dog partnership.
If successful, they’ll be placed on the ‘Ready to Train’ list and matched with a guide dog our staff believe is a good fit for them, when available.
The dog will be matched with his or her new owner at the end of the six months and move in with them. All of this is overseen and managed by Guide Dogs at every step.
Puppy raisers and fosterers will be updated and kept in the loop about how their dog is progressing and when they have been matched with an owner.
Nimmi Whitelaw is a puppy raiser who first started volunteering for Guide Dogs in 2015 and has since raised six guide dog puppies. On the importance of being a puppy raiser and getting attached to the dog, Nimmi says:
“You also only need to speak to someone who has a guide dog to understand how important they are and the difference they make. To have a fully trained guide dog you need people to volunteer to raise the puppies – that’s enough motivation for me”.
“People often ask me two questions: How can we go through toilet training? And how can you even think about giving them back? I’m sure every Guide Dogs puppy raiser across the UK will back me up that both of these things can be difficult. It takes a certain someone to be a puppy raiser, but we do it because we love what we do, and we love the dogs”, says Whitelaw, from Glasgow. “Knowing they’re going on to do a great job to help someone with sight loss to get out and about makes it easier”, says Nimmi regarding the challenge of giving a dog back when the time comes to part ways.
To find out more about becoming a volunteer and how you can support Guide Dogs visit the charity’s official website here.
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