Let’s Go Sightseeing

When visiting somewhere new, what’s better than sightseeing? Just like us, GDB puppies need to be introduced to the world in a positive way, by giving them the opportunity to absorb the environment. There are so many sights, sounds, and smells; a puppy’s first few months should focus on nurturing curiosity and exploration rather than engagement or obedience.

Why It’s Important
Guide dogs travel through a busy world - one of the most important things that we do as puppy raisers is to help develop confident pups that are ready for their role as service dogs. Letting puppies observe and process their environment, especially when they are younger, will help build confidence as they mature.

Pre-requisites

The puppy has been introduced to walking on the leash and readily comes back when they reach the end of the leash, in a variety of areas in/around your home

Getting Started
Use a 6’-8’ leash attached to the puppy’s flat collar for these walks and outings. This allows the puppy room to explore without having to manage too much leash if the puppy needs to be reeled in. Choose a quiet destination without a lot of hustle and bustle. If you live in a busy area, try going out early in the morning or later in the day! Be sure to follow our Health Care Policies for disease prevention; avoid areas that are frequented by other dogs, like pet stores or public parks with lots of dogs until one week after the puppy’s 16-week vaccines. Most quiet neighborhoods are a great option for early sightseeing adventures!

Here’s a Tip!
Offer the puppy an opportunity to relieve before you leave home. If an accident occurs while you’re walking, don’t scold them. Give more time to relieve or take a shorter walk next time!

Outing Pointers
On these sightseeing outings, go at the puppy’s pace (within reason – don’t go racing down the block together!). Older puppies will eventually learn to come along for errands and life activities at our pace, but for now, we want to allow plenty of time for the puppy to stop and watch the world go by if they want to. If the puppy wants to move more quickly than you can comfortably follow, change directions or encourage the puppy to come back to you for a food reward. This will help keep the pup aware that this is a shared adventure without inhibiting them too much.

Puppies often mirror our emotions, so try to stay relaxed and calm. This is important both for overexcited and worried puppies.

Use soft, gentle hands on the leash, and try to primarily use your voice and luring if you need to redirect the puppy. Avoid constant tension or abrupt jerking on the leash.

If the puppy finds something to put in their mouth (almost anything can be tempting for a young pup!), gently draw the puppy away and change direction to interrupt the behavior. It’s not a big deal if the pup picks up debris so long as it isn’t gobbling anything dangerous. Use your high value treats for a trade.

If the puppy seems worried about something, back off to a distance where they can comfortably observe. Encourage and reward the pup for being curious and checking out the spooky thing from a safe distance. This will help build confidence!

Keep initial sightseeing adventures short and sweet - five to fifteen minutes is more than enough time! Puppy brains are working hard with all the new things they’re seeing. Over time, you can gradually build up to longer outings as destinations become more familiar. Just be sure the pup remains comfortable and you make it home before they need a potty break or get over-tired.