Guide Dog Class Experience

By the time the dogs finish their final exams in Phase 8 of formal guidework training, clients have already been scheduled to arrive for the next in-residence guide dog class. Guide dog mobility instructors (GDMIs) conduct pre-class phone meetings to begin the matching process between client and dog. Matches are finalized once clients arrive at campus and class training has begun. 

To make the best matches possible, Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) has more class-ready dogs than clients in class. This means that there are dogs remaining for placement in a future class; these dogs continue in the guidework training program until they find their match.

Clients begin training with their new guide dogs in residential areas near our campuses (San Rafael, CA and Gresham, OR ) and transition to routes in a more urban environments (such as San Francisco or Portland). The new teams encounter many different situations together: public transportation (cars, city buses, subway systems, and ferries), heavy traffic, construction, escalators, areas with no sidewalks, etc. 

There are different training program options available to clients. GDB offers two-week classes for in-residence guide dog training on both campuses. GDB also offers a limited in-home guide dog training program.

For more information, visit The Guide Dog Class Experience section of GDB’s website.