How to Do Guide Dog Training at Home

Guide dog training can be simply done at home. You can train a puppy to become a guide dog for blind people or you may choose to train a puppy to help a relative or friend. Make sure that the puppy is of appropriate age first before you start training it. The puppy needs to be between 8 and 10 weeks old, and the training will last approximately 16 months.

Step 1 – Taking Care of the Puppy

When you get the young puppy into the house, take care of it as if it was a pet. The puppy must be aged 8 or 10 weeks old, therefore you need to plan a time-table first. Leave enough time for feeding, training and playing.

You must teach the puppy to sleep always in its kennel or bed, and that it should never climb on furniture or beg you to feed it. Avoid taking the puppy to the park until it gets all the vaccinations necessary.

Step 2 – Exposing the Dog to the Outside World

You can begin the training by taking the dog out in the neighborhood and let it meet several people who come from different age-groups. You must always control the dog with a leash. You can also take the dog with you when you go for a short drive with your car. Teach the puppy how to behave well with your family. Allow the dog to trust you enough to let you touch its tail, feet or ears. Brush the dog everyday and remember that the most important thing to do is showing the puppy a lot of love.

Step 3 – Training the Puppy

Take the puppy to get its last vaccine when it is about 4 months old. It is now time to start taking your dog out to the park and allow it to make contact with other dogs, preferably not much larger than itself living in your neighborhood. Let it play with such dogs so that it will not be scared or shy. Make sure that the dog is able to walk on a leash very well.

Whenever the puppy comes in front of a parked vehicle or statue, and it stops, you must stop too and wait to see until the dog reacts to the object in front of it. If you want, you can lead the dog around the object to show the dog how to overcome an obstacle. Teach the dog that there is no need to be afraid of certain obstacles. You need to repeatedly take the dog in front of the same obstacle until it will finally learn that the obstacle is something that it must ignore. Remember to praise the dog every time it shows even the smallest sign of improvement.

Step 4 – Teaching Your Puppy to Climb Steps

When the dog is between 6 and 12 months old, teach it how to climb stairs outdoors. You may have already started teaching the dog how to climb up and down stairs at home. Make sure that the dog is able to climb both indoors and outdoors steps. Solve any bad habits that the dog may develop during the training.