GDUI

GDUI Guide Dog Schools Survey 2006

(Section Summary)

TRAINING  AND STANDARDS FOR GUIDE WORK

 

1.         Upon completion of team training, clients can be assured that a dog from

your program (check all that apply):

 

will be house broken.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will have been trained to behave well in public, eg. no barking or stealing food.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will exhibit no aggression toward people or other animals.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will respond to basic obedience commands.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will disobey the handler's commands when it would be unsafe to comply (intelligent disobedience).  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to work safely in traffic.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GEB, KSDS, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to safely negotiate “traffic checks”.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to work in a variety of street crossing settings.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to reliably stop at changes in elevation, i.e. steps, curbs and drop-offs.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to  reliably avoid or indicate obstacles.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to reliably avoid or indicate overhead obstacles.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to reliably turn left, right or to move forward on the hand signal from the handler.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GEB, Leader, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to reliably turn left, right or to move forward on the verbal command of the handler.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to ride escalators.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GEB, KSDS, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to safely navigate revolving doors with its handler.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GEB, KSDS, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to follow members of the public when commanded to do so by the handler.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDB, GDDI, GDF, KSDS, Leader, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to enter, exit and ride quietly in passenger cars or other vehicles.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to enter, exit and ride quietly on buses.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will be trained to enter, exit and ride quietly on subways, light rail systems or passenger trains and to safely navigate elevated platforms.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GEB, Leader, Seeing Eye)

 

will have been exposed to security checkpoints such as those found in airports.  (Fidelco, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, KSDS, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will have been trained in urban environments.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will have been trained in small towns or suburbia.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will have been trained in rural environments.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will have been trained to guide safely along roads with no sidewalks or footpaths.  (All schools indicated “yes”.)

 

will have been trained to work in environments such as university campuses or shopping malls where there are multiple locations which must be accessed via nonlinear pathways.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GDTX, GEB, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to reliably retrieve dropped items for the handler.  (Fidelco)

 

will be trained to locate some specific objects/landmarks on command.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDDI, GDF, GDTX, GEB, KSDS, Leader, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

will be trained to reliably come when called while off leash.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDF, GDTX, GEB, KSDS)

 

will be trained to formally guide on leash.  (Fidelco, GDF, Leader, SEGD)

 

other:  (GDDI: travel on an airline, GDF: not specified)

 

 

2.         How long (number of hours of actual training) is formal guide work training for dogs in your program?

 

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation: 60 hours

Freedom Guide Dogs for the Blind: 80 hours minimum

Guide Dogs of America (GDA): “This depends on each individual dog to complete the qualifications set forth by GDA.”

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB): “average 45 workouts per dog, each workout is 20 to 45 minutes in duration” (15 to 34 hours total)

Guide Dogs of the Desert International (GDDI): minimum of 100 hours

Guide Dog Foundation (GDF): 4 to 6 months or 80 to 120 hours

Guide Dogs of Texas (GDTX): 120 hours minimum

Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB): 40 to 60 hours per dog

KSDS: 100 plus hours

Leader Dogs for the Blind: 20 to 25 hours

Pilot Dogs: 35 hours

Southeastern Guide Dogs (SEGD): 35 to 40 hours

The Seeing Eye: 60 hours minimum, more if necessary

 

3.         Are the dogs tested by instructors under blindfold?

 

Yes, all dogs are tested by instructors under blindfold.  (All schools said “yes” to this option.)

 

Yes, many of our dogs are tested by instructors under blindfold.

 

Yes, a dog may be tested by an instructor under blindfold.

 

No, our instructors do not generally test the dogs by working them under blindfold.

 

 

4.         Please mark all statements that describe the components of your program’s matching process. 

 

Information gathered from our application process is used to match a student with a dog. (All schools said “yes” to this option.)

 

Instructors contact the incoming student by telephone prior to class to discuss issues relating to the match.  (Fidelco, Freedom, GDA, GDB, GDDI, GDTX, GEB, KSDS, Leader, SEGD)

 

Instructors assess a student for a suitable match when that student arrives in class.  (Fidelco, GDA, GDB, GEB, KSDS, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

When a student begins class, our instructors continue to assess that student for a suitable match.  (Fidelco, GDA, GDB, GDF, GEB, KSDS, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

Students test walk a few dogs prior to the match to assist in the matching process.  (SEGD)

 

The class instructors meet to discuss and formalize dog matches prior to issuing dogs to students.  (Fidelco, GDA, GDB, GDF, GEB, KSDS, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

The student and instructors periodically meet during training to discuss the viability of the match.  (Fidelco, GDA, GDB, GDF, GEB, KSDS, Leader, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

An alternative match is available to a student if the need arises.  (Fidelco, GDA, GDB, GEB, Leader, Pilot, SEGD, Seeing Eye)

 

An alternative match for a student is sometimes possible.  (Freedom, GDA, GDDI, GDF, KSDS, Leader, Seeing Eye)

 

Our focus is on training the student with the dog selected for him/her and not really on arranging alternative matches.  (Freedom, GDDI, GDTX)

 

 

5.         In the past two years, what percentage of dogs were returned to the school within a year of being placed with a handler? (Please indicate percentage of dogs returned here.)    

 

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation: 7%

Freedom Guide Dogs for the Blind: “1 dog, which was replaced in short order and is working fine with their new master”

Guide Dogs of America (GDA): “a very low percentage”

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB): 12% (see individual survey for full explanation)

Guide Dogs of the Desert International (GDDI): 6%

Guide Dog Foundation (GDF): 11%

Guide Dogs of Texas (GDTX): 0%

Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB): not available

KSDS: 17%

Leader Dogs for the Blind: 5%

Pilot Dogs: 6%

Southeastern Guide Dogs (SEGD): “1 dog was returned in 2 years”

The Seeing Eye: 5%