When Future Leader Dogs reach 12 to 15 months old, their dedicated volunteer puppy raisers return them to the Leader Dog campus. This marks the beginning of their formal guide dog training. These puppy raisers have already instilled in them the basic foundations of good behavior and obedience. Now, it’s time for our guide dog mobility instructors to leverage that foundation and equip them with the specialized skills essential for guide work.
Guide dog training is divided into four phases. Each phase introduces more challenging work and extends for approximately one month. Our expert guide dog mobility instructors operate in teams. As a new class of dogs arrives, each instructor is assigned a “string” of about eight dogs. Each string encompasses a variety of sizes, breeds, and temperaments. This diversity is vital to ensure we can find the perfect match for each client.
The Stages of Guide Dog Training
Foundations: Building Trust and Reinforcing Basics
During the foundations phase, the primary goal for instructors Are Guide the dogs and build and solidify their relationships. Instructors reinforce the skills already taught by puppy raisers, focusing on loose leash walking (maintaining a heel position alongside the instructor without pulling), settling calmly, and demonstrating obedience (sit, down, stay, stand, etc.). This reinforces the learned skills and helps dogs understand that these skills are transferable to a new handler. It also provides the instructors with the opportunity to assess each dog’s skill level and gain insights into their individual personalities. Praise and treats (low-calorie Charlee Bear treats are preferred for maintaining the dogs’ healthy weight) are used to reward and reinforce positive behaviors. The dogs are introduced to the guide harness and begin curb work, learning to stop at curbs before crossing streets.
The initial two weeks of the foundations phase are spent on the Leader Dog campus. Subsequently, the dogs progress to practicing on quiet streets, mastering fundamental cues.
Basic: Mastering Core Guiding Skills
In basic training, instructors build upon the foundation of skills necessary to are guide the dogs by further developing core guiding behaviors. This includes stopping at curbs, maintaining a straight line, avoiding obstacles, making turns, and halting for traffic. They also introduce new skills, such as guiding the handler to an empty chair. Instructors and dogs travel in training trucks to our auxiliary training building in downtown Rochester, which serves as a home base for training on local streets. Dogs are trained in quiet neighborhoods and the bustling Main Street area.
Instructors also lead group obedience classes. This will ensure the dogs respond to instructors independently. To increase the complexity, instructors introduce distractions during these group sessions. The veterinary team conducts another health exam during this phase. Instructors also assess the dogs’ training progress through a blindfold exam. During the exam, the instructor is blindfolded, and the dog must navigate a specific route in Rochester while demonstrating the learned skills. A spotter ensures safety during each exam.
Intermediate: Expanding Skills for Diverse Environments
This phase broadens the training scope to include country travel and navigating larger urban areas. By this stage, the dogs have demonstrated fundamental skills and met established standards. In country travel training, the dogs learn to walk safely along the left side of the road in areas without sidewalks. Instructors focus on advanced guide skills, such as recognizing overhead obstacles, traffic responsibility, and intelligent disobedience.
Leader Dogs learn to identify overhead obstructions, such as low-hanging tree branches, that could pose a hazard to their handler. They then guide their handler to safety. Traffic responsibility teaches the dogs to slow down or stop when a vehicle encroaches on their path. Instructors also teach intelligent disobedience: if the instructor gives a command to move forward, but a hazard like a vehicle is present, the dog must consciously disobey the command. Many clients share stories of how their guide dog’s intelligent disobedience has protected them from dangerous situations like stepping into construction zones or being struck by a car.
Dogs being trained for our Deaf-Blind program may learn specialized skills, such as alerting to sounds like doorbells or knocks.
The client services team and instructors begin the process of “pre-matching” dogs with prospective clients. A dog destined for a large city will undergo different training than a dog meant for a rural setting.
Advanced: Mastering Complex Challenges
The advanced phase is the most demanding of all. To be prepared for client matching, the dogs must conquer complicated situations, heavy traffic, busy streets, and challenging obstacles. Training takes place in Detroit, offering a wealth of distractions, complex obstacles, and unique environments. Instructors are guide the dogs to navigate people, smells, the people mover and other challenges present only in the city.
During the final week of advanced training, the intensity decreases, and the dogs transition to quieter residential areas. This prepares them for their upcoming partnership with their new “forever person.” As part of the application process, clients submit a video of themselves navigating their home environment. This information allows instructors to understand the client’s daily travel needs and walking pace. Instructors carefully review client videos to facilitate the best possible client/dog matches. Typically, approximately 25–30 dogs are ready for clients at this stage. The number of available dogs usually exceeds the number of clients, which gives us options when making matches.
Each dog undergoes a final health exam and a second blindfold exam with their instructors, using a less familiar route with more complex obstacles. Successful performance on this assessment qualifies them as “class ready.”
Class: The Beginning of a Lifelong Partnership
This marks the true beginning of the journey! Class begins in the Polk Residence Center on the Leader Dog campus, where clients reside during their training. Instructors meet their clients and begin with two days of JUNO training. During JUNO training, the instructor simulates the role of the dog by holding the harness and guiding the client. This experience allows the client to learn the commands and techniques that they will use with their Leader Dog. It also helps instructors evaluate whether they’ve selected the optimal dog for each client.
With JUNO training complete, the highly anticipated moment arrives: dog issue day! All the dogs are groomed and eager to make a positive first impression. Instructors bring the dogs in individually to introduce them to their new handlers, conducting the introductions privately in each client’s room. Clients and dogs then spend the remainder of the morning bonding and getting acquainted.
In the afternoon, the new handler and dog teams take their first walk on the practice course on campus. The instructors provide close supervision and gradually reduce support until the handler and dog are confident walking together independently. Over the next few weeks, the instructors, clients, and dogs practice navigating quiet residential areas, progressing to busier and more distracting environments to solidify each team’s skills. They also practice specialized skills, such as locating specific objects or locations. Instructors discuss individual goals with each client to incorporate them into the training. For example, if a client is planning to attend college, the instructor and handler/dog team can visit a nearby campus to practice navigating that environment.
After three weeks of training together, clients and Leader Dogs return home. Clients introduce their Leader Dogs to their new environment and start establishing daily routines. The 18 months of growth, learning, and practice that each Leader Dog has completed forms the cornerstone of a person’s independent travel.
You can play a role in a dog’s journey to becoming a guide dog – become a puppy raiser today. Are you interested in obtaining a Leader Dog yourself? Explore our Guide Dog Training program.
