May
20
Written by:
tylerm
5/20/2010 11:47 AM
The guide dog is trained to guide the blind and to protect him from injury of running into some object or stepping off a high curb or into a hole. The blind person can't simply say, "Take me to WalMart or another place unless they have walked this route many times and each time the blind person instructs the dog with the same instruction. After many such walks the dog may just start off in that direction but the blind must still be in charge. The guide dog's main job is to keep his partner safe, not guiding to a certain place. With training the dog will guide the blind around holes or ridges that could trip the person, or take him around obstacles. They may have a little trouble in alerting one to over hanging brush/limbs but even
here they learn fast to warn their partner.
The guide dog doesn't know if the stop light is red or green; it is up to the blind person to know when to cross the street.
It is easy for a person to stare at a working guide dog and in this, catch his eyes and thus distract him from his work. Regardless to how beautiful the guide is, please resist this temptation.
Never and I can't stress this too much should a person call out the dog's name or reach to pet the guide dog when he is working.
Often I am asked my dog's name and when I say his name, they almost always repeat it and then say, "You are a good boy." Immediately my guide is focused on them and has lost his concentration on keeping me safe. Doing so is like someone distracting a driver to where it puts the driver and others in the way of harm. A guide dog concentrating on his job is like someone driving his car and being alert at all times so he can avoid danger. Distracting a working guide is like a taxi driver weaving in an out of traffic while talking on his phone and waving to others he is passing. When meeting a guide dog team, a good rule to follow is if the guide dog has his harness on then you should avoid any contact with the dog.
When you visit the blind person in his home the situation is different; the guide has become a pet and thus may be petted and played with like any other housedog. But even here it must be only with the blind person's permission.
Most people have heard of The Seeing Eye guide dog training school, thus many folk call all guide dogs, "A Seeing Eye Dog." In a sense this is correct but in reality it is false. There are a dozen guide dog training schools in the US and their dogs go by the name of the school. My guide is not a "Seeing Eye," dog but he is a "Guide dog for the Blind;" this comes
from the training school he came from.
When one thinks about autos he knows there are several different makes: Fords, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, to name just a few. These are all autos but they are not all Fords.
So with the guide dog; they are all guide dogs helping the blind to navigate but they are not all "Seeing Eye" dogs.
Often I am asked if my guide can do tricks like many pets are taught. The guide dog is trained for one thing only, to keep the blind person safe. He is taught commands for obedience but is not taught to do tricks. Still some guide dogs do learn some tricks, mainly as a form of bonding stronger to their partner.
The guide dog is discouraged from any act of aggression to protect himself or the blind person but again each dog is different. My last guide would not even fight to defend herself when we were attacked by an aggressive dog but with my present guide I am not so sure but he would fight back. In the same way I feel if he thought I was being threatened that he would come to my aid and his strength could really cause a person to reconsider their actions. But the guide dog is primarily to guide the blind safely. Whether he will fight to protect himself or his partner depends on the dog's
temperament.
Thank you for respecting all guide dogs and allowing them to do their job.
Have a great day.
Ernie Jones