When the puppies are seven to nine weeks old they are delivered to their raisers. The
raisers teach the puppies basic manners and provide socialization experience. At the
beginning this includes housebreaking, crate training and teaching the puppies to pay
attention on command.
Later, the training includes walking in a controlled manner and behaving calmly around other people. Many regions
provide classes for raisers. As the puppies mature and exhibit increasing confidence, the
raisers expose them to new experiences and
environments, always working to make the experiences positive to build the dogs'
confidence. Raisers also provide healthy doses of play
and exercise.
Quarterly, a Puppy Evaluator from Guiding Eyes travels to the region. She
evaluates each puppy's behavior in different situations. This helps Guiding Eyes evaluate their breeding
lines, identify issues that raisers should address and determine when puppies are mature
enough for formal training.
When the dogs have matured, usually between the ages of 18 and 22 months, Guiding Eyes transports them to Yorktown Heights, New York,
for an In-For-Training Test. This test evaluates the aspects of temperament essential to
good guide dogs, such as confidence. Dogs that pass the test and that are in good health
are trained for a minimum of five months by Guiding Eyes' training staff. This training
teaches the dogs the skills they need to be guides.
People often ask if it is hard to let go. After watching and guiding a puppy as it
grows from a cute seven-week-old to a confident and mature companion, it is a time of
strong, mixed emotions. The sorrow of
missing the dog is tempered by pride in how you have helped it realize its potential and
understanding of the mobility and companionship it will provide if it succeeds as a guide
dog.
Dogs that successfully complete the training are carefully matched with a blind or
visually impaired person. The person and dog train together for three weeks to develop the
teamwork required for them to navigate the world together. Raisers are invited to a
graduation ceremony at the end of class and have the opportunity to meet their puppy's new partner and to celebrate in the
accomplishment of having helped make this possible. For many raisers, this completes the
circle that started when they first met the small bundle of joy that eventually grew into
someone's Guiding Eyes.
For a variety of reasons, not every dog succeeds as a guide. For dogs that do not
become guides, if their raisers can provide a good home the raisers can adopt the dogs as pets.
If you are interested in raising a guide dog puppy, contact us. If
you're not in the Monroe Region (Monroe/Wayne/Ontario county area of Upstate
NY), consult the directory of regions
page. This can be found at The Directory of
Puppy Raising Regions Page. Contact that region's Area Coordinator (listed in the
directory) or print the puppy raising application.
The application can be found at
The GEB Application page.
If you have questions about puppy raising, or are not sure if you are
near a puppy raising region, please send email to GEBlind@aol.com.
