The training of guide dogs

    It is true in all areas of cynology that if the trainer and dog "are good" together, the results are usually soon given. However, with the training of guide dogs, it is not always so. Alert, active and tireless dogs are usually not the most successful types of dogs in this type of training. The trainer may be satisfied with his work, but he is not training the dog for himself or herself. A trained dog will usually be in the hands of someone who has no experience with dogs, and needs a companion and a guide -"help"At times, a person can be dependent on the dog to a certain degree. The type of dog needed is one that will be stable in his performance, and his performance will not change if he goes from the hands of an expert to the hands of a beginner. This means that the dog must have characteristics that will allow that to happen. On the streets, we quite frequently hear a passersby saying,"look at that poor dog, look how sad he is!". In reality, however, is that the expression is a sign of a calm dog, without exaggerated activity and without any outside interest. These dogs love their owner and with their calm and patient work they are able to be their guide dogs, just like they were taught during their training.

    It is easily said then, that more than 50% of a good guide dog is based on the dog’s character. That is one of the reasons why it is necessary for the training of guide dogs to run on a professional level. Each dog must be under a strict control from the time that they are puppies until the finishing their training. It is a process that takes about 1,5 years. Due to that, the financial expenses for the training are very high, but it is necessary to take into consideration that there is vision-impaired person and his health that is given into the paws of a guide dog.

   A one-year old youth that comes into our institution is put into the kennel of other dog students. Within 6 to 8 months of living at our institution, the puppy will no longer be a student, but he will be a graduate in the field of guiding and a companion to a vision-impaired person. He can also be a dog assistant for people with different, even combined handicap. Of course, it is impossible to explain to a dog what is waiting for him in his life, so he must be educated so that he can be used to being in contact with various different people. For the dog, a person must become his best friend because only then the dog is able to work with will and gladness. The time spent at our institution and the presence of high number of other dogs shows the types of conflicts and problems a dog may have, or if he has a tendency to attack other dogs. These characteristics are not welcome and unacceptable for guide dogs. The group of dogs put into training at the same time consists of around 24 dogs. We have a large spectrum of dogs qualities and we can observe them due to the large group and we can pick out the most convenient and most qualified individual for our client.

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