Guide dogs learn through praise, not treats

When a guide dog is wearing the harness it is working and must not be disturbed

Sade

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By Johanna Mannila
     
      Sade, 2, is a yellow Labrador retriever in the second grade in a Guide Dogs' School.
      Her formal schooling will soon be over, as she will begin to train how to cooperate with a new mistress.
      For visually impaired people, the chances of getting a guide dog are on a par with winning the lottery, or at least getting six numbers right out of seven. As a rule, they have to wait for their first guide dog for a couple of years.
     
Sade has been attending school for more than five months.
      When her trainer Kirsi Vass says ”over you go”, she starts to cross the busy road along a pedestrian crossing.
      ”Good, good girl, that went well”, Vass praises her on the other side of the street. A guide dog never starts to cross a street without first receiving a command.
      When a guide dog is trained, the most important thing is that it is praised constantly, Vass notes. Guide dogs should never be rewarded with treats for doing the right thing.
      Sade is excited about her work, which she shows by wagging her tail vigorously.
     
At present, Sade knows more than 20 commands. She will learn more, when she gets to her new permanent home.
      Sade knows how to find a door, to stop before a flight of stairs, and to go around obstacles. The dog also knows how to behave in a supermarket, at the bank, and at a café.
      ”How to behave at a supermarket is something that has to be trained a lot, as Labradors rather like food, and there are lots of delicious scents in the air at grocery stores”, Vass points out.
      Guide dogs also know how to travel on a train and a bus.
     
”When a guide dog has the harness on, it is a working animal and must not be disturbed”, Vass says firmly.
      This means that a guide dog who is on duty must not be spoken to, let alone fussed over.
      Instead, one can tell the dog's owner when it is safe to proceed[, if the traffic lights do not have any audible warning system].
     
Deni and Glenda are first-graders in the Guide Dog School, and they are given private lessons in the mornings and afternoons by instructor Janne Ruokonen.
      A dog is admitted to the first grade if it passes the physical examination and a series of aptitude tests.
      ”A guide dog has to be able to concentrate. It must not be too shy or nervous”, Kirsi Vass notes.
      Deni and Glenda train how to move around in cities, either in Vantaa’s Tikkurila, in Kerava, or in Järvenpää.
      They manage to concentrate on training for an hour.
      The breaks they spend in the back of the car, sleeping or dozing.
      How to move around in the centre of Helsinki will be on the curriculum later.
     
Not all visually impaired individuals can be given a guide dog, as they should be able to take proper care of the animal.
      ”Labrador retrievers need a lot of exercise”, Vass notes.
     
     
FACTFILE: The Finnish Guide Dog School is located in the Itä-Hakkila district of Vantaa
     
      There are 195 guide dogs in Finland, and 60 of them live in the province of Uusimaa. Almost all guide dogs are yellow, chocolate, or black Labrador retrievers.
     
      A guide dog can be given to any blind or visually impaired adult who is able to take care of a guide dog properly.
     
      Guide dogs are bred and trained at the Guide Dog School in Itä-Hakkila, which works under the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired (Näkövammaisten Keskusliitto ry.) and is a member of the International Guide Dog Federation.
     
      The Guide Dog School has its own kennel, producing around 70 puppies every year.
     
      Before they can begin their training, the puppies need foster homes where they grow up until they are 18 months old. Then the foster families return them to the Guide Dog School.
     
      The puppies are first tested when they are six weeks old, and when they reach 18 months they are given a closer evaluation. The purpose of the tests is to define the dogs' suitability for guide dog use. Only half of them pass the tests and are admitted to the training programme.
     
      Guide dogs retire at the age of 10 to 12.
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 8.9.2011
     
     
This article is one of several published in the newspaper on September 8th, which was designated International Literacy Day by the United Nations in 1965 and has been celebrated annually since 1966. The idea of the articles is that they should be read by parents together with their child or children.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Börje the Reading Assistance Dog just puts his head on one side and does not carp or criticise (21.6.2011)

Links:
  International Guide Dog Federation
  UN International Literacy Day, Sep. 8th.
  Finnish Guide Dog School

JOHANNA MANNILA / Helsingin Sanomat
johanna.mannila@hs.fi