Client's training

   In order for a guide dog to be a useful helper for its owner, each sightless client must be informed, educated and tranined. “Each human is an original” and it is the same for dogs as well. Even in the same breed there are never two individual dogs that are completely the same. Those people that have requested a dog have many various characteristics but also various needs. These come from many different factors such as the place they live, the place they work, their seeing limits, their family etc.

    During the time that the dog is passing through the training, the vision-impaired client of our school will also undergo an educational training. Most people that ask for the guide dog are those, for whom the life with a dog is a complete novelty. Therefore they must receive as much information as they can before they bring the dog home with them. Each applicant goes through a three-day educational course, where we see how he or she handles space orientation and movement, and which characteristics might be problematic. The person needs to gain as much information as possible about what is waiting for him or her when they bring the seeing eye dog home, what help they can expect from the dog. We present him all breeds of dogs that are available for training. We give a large area for these tests so that each person can test out walking with various dogs and see how the characteristics such as speed of walk, technique and guiding abilities suit them. We always respect the client’s choice of dog (attitude, breed, color, etc). There is a written agreement about the events of our service with each applicant.

    After this training an instructor visits each client at his or her home. We need to know in what kind of environment our clients live in and what major routes they take. The instructor can help even with such seeming details like where to place the dog, where to find a safe place for outing the dog. The instructor may go on walks to find the nearest veterinary office. The instructor will find out specific places in the area where he or she might have to train the dog. This visit usually takes place at the time when the dog is already chosen for that client and the instructor will bring him over for a first introduction.

    A quality trained dog not only brings happiness and satisfaction into a person’s life, but also worries. By worries, it is meant that like every other dog he is fully dependent on his owner. That is why a person can have a guide dog only if he or she is able to take care of himself or herself, but also of the dog.

    The mutual exchange of information between the client and the worker of the institution is important for:

• The right pick of the duo person – a guide dog according to the different needs of the client, and the characteristics and attitude of both, a person and a dog.
• The training of the dog fitting to the needs and requests of the client.
• So that the client was able to control and maintain his or her dog.
• So that a client could be taught how to care for his or her dog.

    The dogs at Czech Guide Dog School are chosen from a large number of dogs. There are usually 24 dogs in training and 30-40 dogs being raised.