Phase 5: Continued Traffic Training and City Work

A guide dog mobility instructor walks with a guide dog on a train platform.

Formal Traffic Training
Dogs are taught responsibility in making emergency decisions with traffic problems. Dogs learn to decide when to stop, hold their line, back up, or even move forward on their travel line for safety of the team. Dogs learn to maintain position, face the vehicle, and to proceed on the original line when danger has passed. Lots of support, praise, and food reward are provided on these routes to reinforce the decisions and instill confidence in the dogs.

For dogs that need to either build confidence or create more of a buffer from the vehicle, supplemental training in backing up are done on campus (with a vehicle simulator prop or slow moving vehicle).

Advanced Obedience and Distraction Training
New animal and common dog interest distractions (scent, cat, etc.) are sought out and responses are evaluated. Distraction interests for individual dogs are worked on separately (i.e. squirrels for some, birds for others).

Advanced Guidework Training
Routes continue in suburban areas and may progress to downtown urban areas. Building exposure continues (stair work, elevators, tight clearance work on slick floors, etc.),

Focus on improving any weak responses noted at preliminary blindfold testing and working the dogs at a pace and pull that is appropriate for a client.

City Routes (San Francisco/Portland)
New work areas include difficult crossings and clearances; challenging line and curb approaches; animal distractions; surface issues, and pedestrian islands.

Heavy urban environment: crowded sidewalks, heavy/close traffic, different pedestrian climates.
Large government and business building work.
City bus ride.

Intensive Indoor Mall and Store Training

Working at a slower pace for more cautious work past store displays and shoppers.
Navigating crowded aisles.
Riding elevators.
Taking multiple stairways (up and down).
Exploring various colors and textures of slick, shiny floors
Reinforcing patience while standing in line, working with a cashier, etc.
Setting up food distractions (food held at dog's level, placed on seats/benches, or on the ground); may involve training in a food court.

Total Barricade Training
Dogs are taught to show the handler any objects (most often parked vehicles in driveways) that completely block the travel path (sidewalk), and are then taught how to work safely around them.

Obstacle Course Progression
Dogs guide through challenging clearance courses. Course design becomes increasingly more difficult and requires continued development of problem solving skills and intelligent disobedience responses.

Advanced clearance problems that were first introduced to the dogs on the campus obstacle course are now sought out on real environment routes. Situations continue to be set up to reinforce both cautious navigation and intelligent disobedience.

Body Handling Acceptance
New handlers are regularly added to body handling sessions. Any issues that are still present at this stage are concerning and may interfere with a dog’s viability as a guide dog.

Light Rail, Subway Systems
Dogs practice edge avoidance on a platform when the train is absent, and boarding/riding on available trains.

Socialization Programs
As training progresses, individual dogs may require supervisor-directed specialized socialization programs to overcome any fear, distractive, or other type of reaction as needed.

Canine welfare training technicians (CWTTs) continue to focus on kennel enrichment, relaxing time in community run, grooming, and campus walks.

Vet Meeting – Review of Health
Each dog’s health history to date is reviewed by a staff veterinarian. Viability for care by a client is assessed. Health release decisions may be made for individual cases on some dogs; however, most dogs have timelines for improvement or other medical procedures/testing prior to such a decision.