Guide Dog Schools For The Blind

My mother & I were watching a movie about the first guide dog school for the blind. She asked this question & it got me to thinking... my guess is when they are exercised off harness, they go then & aren't allowed to go if they are working. Also they are trained to poop on command. I've heard people say they wear a poop bag type of thing while on duty, but I've never seen any guide dog with on one. Frankly, it sounds ridiculous.

Guide dogs are taught to toilet only on command at a very young age. They do not go when working and/or when the harness is on. They will also never ever go inside, on matter what even if they are busting and are not working. These dogs would quite simply rather die than go inside. To a degree it is like a brain or heart surgeon, they cannot say halfway through open heart surgery we need to stop now, I need to go to the toilet and nor can guide dogs. If a dog is not capeable of doing such things they are not placed in service. They are usually also taught to go on specific surfaces, in many countries around the world it is on grass and in the US they are usually curbed or taught to go in the gutter. They will go elsewhere if they are commanded and need to go but the handlers are encouraged to take them in these places.

Contrary to popular belief blind people are taught to pick up after the dog. They are taught to run their hand along the dogs back while they are going to know what they are doing, peeing or pooping and then they know whether to scoop or not. They know where the dogs backside is, and with a plastic bag over their hand they feel for the warmth and pick it up. Much like the average dog owner does in the dark. The main purpose of the surface and place to take them is incase something is missed, as it will not be on the main footpath, etc. Blind people often live in small apartments as they are easier for them to manage and so they rarely have yards for the dogs to use, and they travel, work, etc and the dog does need to go in other places as well.

A guide dog should never be wearing a poop bag type thing, whether on or off duty. If they have a medical condition and simply cannot be trusted to hold for the requried periods they would be off duty and basically kept at home on sick leave, much like people take time off from work when sick.

Put simply the dogs are trained to go on command, and to not go in harness, and the blind person is trained to pick up after the dog. Any dog that is not doing this either has a major medical condition, and/or needs some serious retraining. No program will place a dog which is toileting in harness, and is going at any time that is not on command.

2008-09-14 18:18:56 by ebonyruffles

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Dr. Gerhard Stalling founded the first guide dog school for the blind. I'm doing a project on guide dogs for the blind and I need to write a biography on him and I can't find one ANYWHERE! I don't want a website about how he was walking with a soldier and his dog... I need an actual biography on his life! Please! I need this for school! If you know anything about him then write it here, I need all the help I can get!

Go to your library and a librarian for help. The internet is not the only source of information, a fact which seems to be lost on students these days. Public libraries have more than just books. There are also periodical catalogs and subscription-based databases that can help you find information.

2010-03-24 14:04:19 by ♥ Alex ♥

Price: $19.95

And how did it negatively impact the lives of early 1900's Canadians?

It's for a history project at school. Thanks for the help!

Guide dogs weren't "invented" in the early 1900's. They've been around for centuries. What changed was the formation of formal schools to train guide dogs to serve veterans of WWI blinded in their service.

I don't think there is a significant difference in the impact then versus now. There are other ways for a blind person to travel under their own power without a guide dog, specifically the white cane. The cane and the guide dog are very similar in the functions they perform. Key differences are:

1. the guide dog can identify not only obstacles below the waist, but obstacles above as well, such as low hanging branches.
2. the guide can offer suggestions for routes around obstacles. For example, if the dog sees it's more than a pothole and is an actual construction zone, he my suggest turning to a side street rather than walking around the obstacle. It is still always the blind handler's responsibility to make the final decision on which way to go, but a cane isn't going to offer suggestions.
3. the guide can indicate obstacles at a greater distance than the cane, and can anticipate moving obstacles.
4. the cane is better at identifying the shape and texture of an obstacle for identification.
5. the cane is much less expensive to keep and requires much less maintenance.
6. the cane takes up much less space. It can be stored in a closet when not in use.

Since use of a guide dog is a personal choice, it should have no negative impact on the blind person. It's either a good option for them, or it isn't. For most blind people, the white cane is a better choice. For some the guide dog is. They go through a lengthy and intense training period. It should be quite obvious to the person before they ever take the dog home whether it is a good choice for them.

As far as impact on other members of society, it should be minimal. A well behaved, well groomed guide should have little impact on those around him.

2010-03-24 14:29:58 by ♥ Alex ♥

Price: $12.95 $0.99

I'm sixteen and I have to do a long term community service project next year for school that "shows growth and development from beginning to end". I'm thinking about raising a guide dog, and also starting a guide dog puppy raising group in my city. The association I was thinking about doing it through is the South Eastern Guide Dog Association, where puppies stay with their raisers for 14-20 months. I have a few questions, (and some are slightly stupid i know), but please try to answer all of them if you can.

1) Can I take the guide dog to school with me a couple times a week once it's a little older and trained well enough to behave?
2) Can I take the guide dog to a restaurant? What about a supermarket?
3) Can I take the dog to the movie theater?

4) I live in Florida, where it's hot hot hot most of the year. Of these breeds, which would shed the least in my climate? Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever (yellow and black), Australian Shepherd, Smooth Coat Collie, or Goldador (mix between golden and lab).
5) Which of the dogs listed above is the smartest/ most trainable?
6) Which of the dogs listed above would you personally recommend?
7) For past guide dog puppy raisers, do you have any tips for me? Also, what exactly are the expectations of a puppy raiser? What types of things would i have to teach it? Are raisers usually allowed to pick out which breed they want to raise and/or gender?

I have a shitzu currently, so i know how to raise a stubborn puppy. :)
Thanks so much! I really, really feel inspired to do this. Not so much because I get to take care of a shedding, mess making bundle of joy, but because I really sympathize with blind people, and would do anything to help make their lives easier. (And i love animals too, so it's really like two pluses.)

Really, you should be asking this of the program you want to work with. Each program has their own policies and each state has its own laws regarding trainer's rights.

1) Can I take the guide dog to school with me a couple times a week once it's a little older and trained well enough to behave?

Only with permission from both the guide dog program and the school

2) Can I take the guide dog to a restaurant? What about a supermarket?

Generally, no and if yes, then only with permission from both the program and the facility you wish to visit. Guide dog puppies usually make their visits to stores during group outings with a trainer supervising. Most states do not have public access rights even for fully qualified trainers, much less puppy raisers. Only fully trained guide and service dogs are actually covered under the ADA, and then only when accompanied by their disabled owner.

3) Can I take the dog to the movie theater?

Same as above, but taking a puppy to a movie theater isn't a good idea anyway. Would you be willing to leave in the middle of the movie if the pup acts up?

4) I live in Florida, where it's hot hot hot most of the year. Of these breeds, which would shed the least in my climate? Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever (yellow and black), Australian Shepherd, Smooth Coat Collie, or Goldador (mix between golden and lab).

You are very unlikely to be given any choice in what breed you raise.


Also, what exactly are the expectations of a puppy raiser? What types of things would i have to teach it?

You housebreak and teach basic house manners (not jumping on people, walking nicely on a leash, sit, down, come, etc.) One of the most important jobs of a puppy raiser is socialization (having the puppy meet as many different people and other animals as possible).

2009-02-18 14:51:38 by Sally

Alright, here's the deal. a year ago my dog was put to sleep due to a disease which was killing her. It's been hard but thanks to my family's' pets (cats, dogs and fish) think I am ready to, at the very least, consider some options of bringing another companion into my life.
At my high school there was a handful of girls who were puppy raisers. Now I am in college and have more time on my hands and would like to do something which would benefit others. I currently commute to school from home and will have an apartment of my own soon. I have been considering animal companionship because I am the kind of individual who enjoys company, animal or human. I like the idea of raising a pup to go to a household with a blind individual or another community based similar group but I know that this is a very large decision that once I enter and receive a pup, I must commit to. Also, I have seen individuals on my campus who are guide dog puppy raisers so I know it is permitted and I constantly wonder if I should go for it. If I were to do this it would not start any formal process for another month or more. So what do you think?

I think it's a great idea. There is probably a very high demand for trained dogs and few people to do it. Go for it!

2008-10-26 19:14:16 by Pip