New Ways New Challenges

In the first two weeks of guide dog training, all the new things we had to learn were like being behind the wheel of a fabulous sports car. My guide dog was raring to take me to new places but I didn’t have the skills yet to ‘drive’ her onwards. No fancy spins around the block – my trainer made sure we had the basics well under control: SIT, DOWN and STOP had to be mastered before Dindi and I could GO anywhere.

I imagined invisible L-plates attached to my back as Eamon instructed me in the corridor or out in the car park as we trained using an assimilated guide dog on wheels! We were too busy training to take a photo so you have to picture this:

…I am holding a guide dog harness attached to a fake stuffed toy-dog that is strapped to a metal thing with a long handle on wheels. The trainer uses the handle to manoeuvre the fake dog on wheels around the enclosed environment. We practice real life scenarios and pretend we are moving with a guide dog while I learn how to work alongside the metal contraption praising it as if it were my real guide dog…at times, with other guide dog staff driving past.
Blush red, and wave. ‘Hellooo – meet my new friend!’

But during the many role-plays, I realised how important it was to get my own movements and voice commands right so I wouldn’t confuse Dindi when we went for a real test ‘drive’. The ‘gears’ I had to learn were a series of voice commands and body gestures that would help Dindi keep moving smoothly to our destination and past distractions along the way. The keys to our successful teamwork would be consistent steady movements, calm control over voice commands and lots of praise – for both of us!

The 3-D’s: Distraction, Distance & Duration.

One thing I really enjoyed was learning some of the dog psychology that goes into the training of a young dog to become an obedient working guide dog. During its several months of training, the dog learns its many skills through a series of repetitive tasks and rewards. In short, the young dog learns good behaviour and certain words by incremental challenges. The cadet-dog is never set up to ‘fail’ the test but is encouraged to try again.

For instance, ‘Distraction, duration and distance’ are used to make a task slightly more challenging each time the dog masters the basic skill to SIT and STAY. The trainer will walk away a little further, adding more challenge to take it to the next level, and the dog is expected to STAY. Move a little further away and the guide dog makes it to advanced level as it shows it can SIT and STAY when the trainer is no longer close by.
Now throw in a ‘distraction’ which may be another person walking by or a dropped apple on the floor – the dog must still show it can SIT and STAY.

These were some of the techniques we learned as the guide dog’s new handler. As much as our dogs were not set up to fail, neither were we: learn a handful of commands, master those, and move on to the next skill.

Back in our room, I tried out the ‘3-D’s technique. I placed Dindi on her bed and asked her to STAY. I increased the challenge slightly by getting her food bowl. Slightly? She’s a Labrador…OK, well I increased her challenge considerably – and she passed the test! Only after I had put her bowl down and given her the command to eat, did she JUMP off her bed like a true Labrador.

Our guide dogs were not the only ones who enjoyed a reward after hard work and good behaviour. It became a regular necessity to visit a coffee shop somewhere on our outings as the 5 guide dog handlers needed a break from concentrating too. Luckily, our trainers knew all the good cafes nearby and all were happy.

Positive Behaviour Has its Rewards

From here, our trainers took us one by one to walk around the neighbourhood and try out our newly learned techniques. While walking with Dindi, I had so many things going through my mind: am I positioned correctly, when do I point my foot, is my arm at the right angle, did I use the right voice command, steady her pace, follow my dog when she swerves slightly, keep praising her…and that was only to the first kerb!

What I came to love about Dindi in these early training days was that she showed how keen she was to be my guiding eyes, how focused she could be even though she had a tendency to be a little curious along the way, but her goal was always to get us safely back to where we had started. The amazing skill she showed from day 1 was her ability to walk up to a kerb and stop with unwavering purpose. When you have struggled to see landmarks as a person going blind, trusting my guide dog who could obviously keep me safe brought tears to my eyes.

As we travelled down a busy street, staying calm and steady, Dindi led me confidently past all sorts of obstacles: road works in progress, cafe tables and signboards, shops full of interesting scents. Dindi picked a path through all these distractions and then it happened. I stopped abruptly – a flood of emotion swept over me. Overwhelmed with relief and gratitude I was fighting back tears of joy. It had dawned on me that with Dindi guiding me, I could keep my head up high and look straight ahead, something I was not doing when using a white cane.

Eamon, my trainer came running.
‘Are you OK?’What happened?’
Poor guy. He thought his sharp observation had missed something.
‘I’m fine. I’ve just realised how this feeling of freedom is how it should be. I am so proud of Dindi. I’m crying with joy.’
‘Phew! Eamon smiled, and added, ‘That’s great. But give yourself credit too for getting this far in such a short time.’

Salute to Puppy Raisers

I felt overwhelmed in that moment because I also realised how many hearts had been invested in making Dindi the working guide dog and affectionate companion she is today. Her Puppy raising family, two guide dog trainers, a special financial sponser who gave Dindi her name and so many other caring people she has met on her journey from ‘Pup to Partnership’.
To all of you – I say a huge THANK YOU!

Watch the GDV Pups to Partnership and see if you can pick Dindi out of the adorable pups in training. Her puppy raiser, Mandy, makes an appearance too.

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Preparing for Guide Dog Training
Guide Dog Training: Breakdown to Breakthrough
Smelling the Trees

Copyright © Maribel Steel 2019