Guide dogs for the blind: how does a guide dog know where to go when carrying a blind person?
Guide dogs serve as eyes and ears to their masters, and some of the earliest evidence of guide dogs for the blind was seen after World War I. Their main duty is to guide the blind, but many people do not know that dogs are color blind: color blind red and green in particular. Through training, a guide dog can learn to navigate objects, but cannot yet interpret signs and rules, whether written or drawn. They cannot understand the meaning of the images. This is where the help of your handlers comes in. It is a reciprocal companionship between the owner and his guide dog.
Professionals are providing extensive training not only to the guide dogs themselves, but to their keepers as well. The need for these dogs is greatest in those with restricted mobility. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your handlers will be completely blind. Guide dogs for the blind not only need the right owners to perform their role correctly, they also need to be educated in a very special way. Through training, they are taught the basics like walking, sitting, and staying, but when it comes to training, they will also be taught to observe smell, sights, and sounds.
They are trained to walk in a straight line unless there is a discomfort. They turn corners only when ordered by their handlers. They deal with traffic by listening for potential obstacles, such as an approaching car. They can feel it but cannot interpret the green or red lights in traffic. Their sensitivity to the people around them does not necessarily mean that they understand the words they are saying. Your drivers are the ones who listen to people and traffic so that they can give the signal to go when it is time to move forward. The owner is still the brain that commands where to go. The guide dog submits to that demand by using his vision and physical activity to lead his handlers to the desired destination safely.
Waiting is one of the important lessons a guide dog will learn in training. Guide dogs for the blind are trained to wait for their owner’s orders. This type of association is acquired and learned through mobility training in which dogs and the blind are taught. After that, these dogs will have an idea of the height and width of their handlers. They are also taught to judge the height and width of things around them so that they can get an idea of whether they will collide with something when heading in a particular direction. A guide dog is trained to walk in front of its owners’ toes and never behind the heels.
The teamwork between the two parties is developed through real work in the open air. After training, each lesson taught is applied in the actual daily setup. The secret to creating a routine is to do it regularly the same way it was done last time, if possible. The concentration of guide dogs is imperative so that when guide dogs are at work they should not be distracted from their duties by passersby or other animals. When guide dogs and handlers are perfectly matched and well trained, they can easily cope with these challenges.
Guide dogs are very loyal and submissive. Your obedience is admirable but there is an exemption. They will disobey if they believe that following directions could endanger their managers, and while they play an important role in the lives of their managers on a daily basis, their association will inevitably come to an end. Usually, after seven years of work, the guide dogs are retired. If they continue to work, their old age will affect their performance. Guide dogs have a retirement period where they can go from working guide dogs for the blind to charming pets. This is when they rest after long years of hard work and spend the remaining years of their lives in a loving and caring home.
