PUPPY RAISING
At seven weeks of age, puppies bred at the Guide Dog Center are placed for one year with families known as Puppy Raisers. Puppy Raisers are dedicated volunteers who commit themselves to socialize the pup in all aspects of social behavior.

At the end of this period they face the difficult task of returning their much loved pup to the training center for assessment and training.

With the support of the center's highly trained staff, volunteer Puppy Raisers socialize the young pups until they are 12 months of age. This Puppy Raising period
is crucial for the development of the future Guide Dogs. While living with the Puppy Raising family the pups will be house trained and learn how to walk correctly on a leash. Puppy Raisers provide the young pups with a wide range of social experiences they are likely to encounter during training and subsequently work as a Guide Dog. Socialization includes visiting shopping centers, railway stations and city centers.

Puppy Raisers make an extraordinary commitment to the pup and their future potential. Their goal is to present the training center with a dog that has been well-conditioned and socialized with everyday events and occurrences. A Puppy Raiser must have a positive attitude and a true commitment to this voluntary activity.

Puppy Raising supervisors make regular six to eight week visits to assess the pup's development, address any behavioral problems and advise what is now required for the pup's progression.

ASSESSMENT FOR GUIDE DOG TRAINING
At 12 months of age, the young dogs return to the Training Center for a vigorous physical and temperamental assessment. On arrival the center's Veterinarian gives them a thorough health examination. They complete a one-week temperamental assessment during which the instructors note the dog's reaction to different situations that are common in many environments. For example they assess their reaction to other dogs and cats. They also assess whether they are distracted by food, noise or other circumstances that would be likely to produce an anxious reaction in the average pet dog. The criteria for selection are extremely stringent as the personal safety of their future vision impaired handler is paramount. This is why just under fifty percent of pups are accepted into the guide dog training program.

CLASSIFICATION OF ASSESSED DOGS
Dogs assessed as having the potential to train as Guide Dogs undertake five months intensive Guide Dog training. Dogs which are unsuitable for Guide Dog work are reclassified and may be trained as Therapy dogs or pets that are offered to the Puppy Raiser or members of the general public.

How you can help?
Although our affiliated training centers endeavor to replicate real life situations in their training, it is obvious that Guide Dog work is best observed on the streets. You can assist blind and partially sighted people accompanied by a Guide Dog by resisting the urge to distract or pet the dog while it is working, as this may endanger the Guide Dog team's safety.

Don't whistle or offer food to him. If you are walking with your own pet dog, it does help the Guide Dog team if you avoid confrontation with them by crossing the street before you reach them, rather than requiring the dogs to pass closely.

GUIDE DOG TRAINING
Dogs assessed as having the potential to train as Guide Dogs undertake a 5-month training program.

Each Guide Dog instructor will work a group of 6-8 dogs and during the training period they will develop a detailed understanding of each dog's physical, temperamental and working abilities.

During more than 80 training sessions, the dog learns to walk in a straight line; ignore distractions like cats, food and other dogs; indicate a curb by stopping, and the meaning of many commands such as "stop", "forward" and "straight to the curb". The dogs are trained under various conditions: in suburban residential, semi-business, city and rural conditions. A fully trained Guide Dog will have had experience in guiding a vision-impaired handler whatever their home locality is likely to be.

During the second month of the training program, the dog is introduced to the body piece of the harness (without handle). At this time the instructor is teaching the dog what it will be expected to do - e.g. go round obstacles rather than under them. (Round overhanging trees, rather than running their handler into them.) When the dog is demonstrating the correct behavior, it receives lavish praise and encouragement.

During the final stages of Guide Dog training, the dog is checked for traffic safety. The instructor will work with the dog on a number of routes where its guiding ability can be demonstrated and assessed. It will experience walking to a railway station, boarding a train to the city, traveling up to street level from the underground, and finding its way to a City destination. It will experience getting on and off a tram and perhaps returning via bus to the starting point.

This training simulates the reality of the guiding work that the dog will be required to do when it is matched with a blind or partially sighted person.

THE GUIDE DOG TEAM
While the Guide Dogs are being trained, people who have a vision impairment are making inquiries about Guide Dog training. They are interviewed and assessed to determine their readiness to undertake a Guide Dog training program.

Most assessed people train with their new Guide Dog at the Training Center where they undertake a four-week intensive training program to form an effective team.

At the beginning of the training, because the dog does not immediately give respect to the new handler, it is necessary for the instructor to connect their leash to the dog whilst the blind person holds on to the handle.

Guide Dogs provide safe mobility to their vision-impaired handler because they respect that person as being their leader. During the 4-week program, Guide Dog clients receive practical training in various environments they might be expected to encounter at home, whether it is a suburban street or a rural locality. The training is supported by a series of lectures which will reinforce their learning process.

At the conclusion of their training program, the instructor will return home with the client and transfer the learning to the client's actual home environment. Together they will learn the most important routes which will form the every day routine of the handler using his/her new Guide Dog - e.g. how to get to work, the local shops and school, the bank etc.

Eye of the Pacific doesn't just leave them there to cope. Our affiliated training centers provide follow-up services for each client every 6 months to ensure that there are no problems that may affect the guide dog team's effectiveness and safety. Our clients also have communication access to their respective training centers for ongoing question and answer dialogs.

Throughout the Guide Dog's career, Eye of the Pacific provides after care services that are designed to assist the Guide Dog handler cope with any specific remedial situations they may encounter - e.g. aftermath of a Guide Dog being attacked by an aggressive dog.

The average working life of a Guide Dog is approximately 10 years. From about 8 years onwards, the Guide Dog team are reviewed by Eye of the Pacific on a six monthly basis so that the Guide Dog handler can commence to prepare for the change over from his/her aging Guide Dog to a young newly trained Guide Dog.