How does an ordinary puppy become a qualified guide dog? The first step in training guide dogs: choose trained puppies. In the animal experimental center, dogs trained to guide the blind belong to two dog breeds-Golden Retriever and Labrador. According to Damon, "these two dogs are of moderate size and easy to pull;" Gentle and peaceful personality, not easily influenced by external stimuli, and will not leave the owner casually. " Two months after birth, guide dogs will be sent to volunteers' homes for foster care, with the aim of getting them familiar with people's living environment. When the guide dog reaches 1 year old, its personality is stable, and its acceptance and coping ability are the best. The trainer will take them back for training, which will take about half a year. First of all, we should train the puppy to complete all the basic skills freely. Training the response to obstacles is actually to make the puppy form a conditioned reflex. For example, in order to train the guide dog to meet the stairs, the trainer will take the puppy to the stairs and beat the stairs or other things with his hand to stop the puppy and lean against the trainer. This is the way over and over again, let the puppy form a habit, see the stairs stop automatically, and bend over to block the human body until the success rate reaches 99%. Finally, guide dogs should be trained with their future owners, and the owners should learn how to work with guide dogs, how to command, how to feed and so on. Puppies should know the living environment and working environment of their new owners. If the two sides cooperate tacitly, the guide dog will be taken home by the blind and officially begin to "work on the job". A guide dog usually works for 8 years. After retirement, some guide dogs will live with their owners forever, while others will be sent back to the training center. "Guide dogs must rely on blind roads to guide the blind, and the construction of blind roads in China is not enough." Damon said. "I have noticed that some blind roads in Dalian will disappear when they are paved, or stop and put up a sign and a fruit stand on the blind road ..." You Liang also believes that even with guide dogs, not all problems can be solved. "Because both guide dogs and pet dogs are prohibited from entering and leaving restaurants, hotels, buses and other public places. In some places abroad, guide dogs are protected by legislation, while pet dogs are restricted. "
Qualified guide dogs are trained hard for a long time.
During World War I, Germany established the first guide dog school. School-trained guide dogs are used to help the blind and disabled veterans travel. The first guide dog training center in the United States was established in Nashville, Tennessee on 1929. Guide dogs were first introduced to Japan in 1938, and the first guide dog was introduced in 1947. Japan Guide Dog Association was established in 1967. The first guide dog training center was established in Taiwan Province Province on 1993.
First, get used to the mode of getting along with human beings. Foster families must strictly prohibit puppies from eating human food, jumping on furniture (especially sofas) and human beds, and obeying basic instructions (such as sitting down, getting down, waiting ……).
Second, socialized training. In the golden age of socialization, puppies are brought to various public places by foster families, get used to various environments and take public transportation, which has fully adapted and prepared for the convenience of serving the visually impaired in the future.
From one year old to two years old, guide dogs leave foster families and return to the training center, where they are trained by professional guide dog trainers. The conditions in the guide dog school are very good and the training is very strict.
First of all, we should strengthen obedience and help guide dogs review the commands they have learned at home, such as "sit down", "get down" and "come" through food and language encouragement.
After obeying the training, the coach will put a guide saddle on the guide dog and train on the treadmill until the guide dog can walk in a straight line consciously.
Then go to Zhenjie to practice and teach guide dogs to learn new passwords about leading the way. In the meantime, guide dogs should learn to recognize traffic conditions and decide when to cross the road safely. These things sound simple, but for dogs, they have to be repeated and repeated.
Generally speaking, guide dogs can graduate from the training center in one to one and a half years, and retire at the age of eight to twelve on average after finding a suitable matching owner. After retirement, a guide dog can be adopted by a suitable adoptive family, and it will be a happy pet dog until its death.