Formal Guidework Training Phases
Overview
There are currently eight phases of formal guidework training, and descriptions of activities included in each phase are included in the links below.
A dog is placed in a phase once all of the exercises in that phase have been completed (i.e. when a dog is in Phase 3, it has completed all of the exercises listed in Phase 3). In an effort to keep raisers and leaders informed about the progress of dogs in formal training, Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) provides a weekly report showing the training phase of each dog. Puppy raisers can track the dog they raised by the phase number and then refer to the matching phase narrative to better understand GDB’s training process and the individual dog’s role in it.
Guide dog training is a systematic and often seamless process; each dog is treated as an individual and progresses at their own pace from one phase to the other as skills are learned.
Phases generally last a week or so, depending on the individual dog. At times, it may seem like some dogs advance quickly through phases and others linger. Neither situation necessarily indicates success or failure in the program. If a dog remains in a certain phase longer than average, it may mean that the dog is working on proficiency in one area, or Training or Veterinary staff are investigating a potential behavioral or health issue that needs extra attention. Puppy raisers are encouraged to be flexible and refrain from either being discouraged if progress seems slow or overly eager if progress seems quick.
Puppy raisers are also advised against plotting out on a calendar an anticipated graduation date. Once a dog begins formal training, it can last three to five months, and some dogs may be at GDB longer. GDB’s training model allows guide dog mobility instructors (GDMIs) to spend comprehensive, one-on-one time, every day, developing each dog. Extra time spent in training likely means that GDB Training staff like the dog very much and they are doing their best to give the dog all the love, care, and training that it needs to become a guide dog prospect.
In some ways, today’s guide dog needs to be “Super Dog.” The world has become an increasingly demanding environment for guide dogs. Cars are faster and quieter, noise has increased (construction equipment, concerts, movie theaters), and intersections are varied with different designs of intersecting paths, slopes, and angles. Take a walk on a busy city street and study it from the perspective of a guide dog needing to travel it safely, calmly, and confidently. Quite amazing, isn't it?
At times, dogs that may have been ideal guides in the more slow-paced, straightforward world of yesteryear might be career changed today. GDB believes in breeding exceptional dogs, maintaining high screening standards of the dogs for both health and temperament, and having raisers and instructors work proactively to prepare each dog, all in an attempt to navigate a very complex world.
In the phase descriptions, GDB shares training exercises and verbal cues that are not taught in the raiser homes. The success of GDB's guidework training program depends on all raisers’ support. It is important for puppy raisers to refrain from using or teaching the formal guidework training cue words and exercises. Raisers who attempt to give their dogs “a head start” by teaching the guidework exercises may, in fact, negatively impact the dog's potential to become a guide. Raisers are expected to only teach the behaviors outlined by their leader, puppy raising field manager (PFM), and the puppy raising Guidebook.
Formal Guidework Training Phases: Brief Descriptions
Phase Zero
Health screenings (x-rays/eyes); agility; kennel enrichment; campus walks, community run intros
Phase 1
Load clicker, tethering/collar response; food reward and refusal intros; obstacle course; 1st up-curb exercise; “over here”; agility; back-up chute; harness exposure; treadmill; off leash recall; begin formal obedience and pattern training
Phase 2
Pattern training continues; 2nd up-curb exercise; distraction route in town; responsible lead exercise; food protocol continues
Phase 3
3rd up-curb exercise; sidewalkless technique intro; preliminary obedience & guide work testing (instructor under blindfold)
Phase 4
Work inside buildings begins; intelligent disobedience and overhead introduction; traffic introduction; natural traffic checks begin
Phase 5
Natural traffic checks continue; formal traffic training; total barricades; city routes; escalator intros; city bus route
Phase 6
City routes continue; sidewalkless; platform training; light rail route; begin leash relieving
Phase 7
Advanced overhead training; more complex routes
Phase 8
Finishing/maintenance routes; class preparation final tests: a blindfolded GDB instructor tests the dog in the following:
- Obedience
- Guidework
- Work inside buildings
- Final traffic
Dogs that pass these tests are deemed “class ready.”
Other work: finishing routes; pre class phone meetings with clients; hand & chair targeting intros; pole targeting on route; student residence building exposure; pre-class physicals; pre-class meeting with instructor team, training supervisor, dorm manager, and nurses.
Formal Guidework Training Phases: Comprehensive Descriptions
Screen Time
Check out this video playlist by GBD's Training Department covering the phases of formal guidework training.
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