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Guide dog service training
offers variety of courses
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Steps and glass doors offer a special challenge for the trainer.
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THE Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind (RNZFB) Guide Dog Services (GDS), provides Guide Dog Services free of charge to vision-impaired and blind people throughout New Zealand. It currently assesses and trains a variety of breeds of dog including Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, German shepherds, Dalmatians, standard poodles, curly coated retrievers, boxers and Border collies. Crossbreeds of these pure breeds are also bred by GDS and trained as guides. Most of our dogs come from the GDS breeding programme, but we also receive dogs from overseas, and others donated by local breeders.
GDS also participates in an International guide dog service support programme. Overseas guide dog schools, which are in the process of developing guide dog services, can send cadet trainers or staff on sabbatical to NZ GDS for training. This programme allows GDS to train more dogs for NZ applicants. We also receive income from the sale of dogs to these recognised international schools. GDS provides a variety of training courses (only available to GDS staff, or those selected for cadetship training). Vacancies for cadetships are dependent on an existing or perceived vacancy for qualified staff within the organisation. Opportunities are therefore limited and competition for these positions is high.
Guide dog trainer cadetship
Pre-requisite: applicant must be a staff member of GDS and have completed appropriate internal GDS qualifications. This cadetship takes two years full time to complete. Over that time the student is required to assess and train a minimum of 20 guide dogs. Supervision is initially high, decreasing over time as the person gains confidence and experience. They will usually train a variety of the breeds mentioned - theoretical study relating to guide dog training is provided by qualified GDS training staff members. They will also complete the Principles of Canine Behaviour paper through Massey University.
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The dog learns how to guide its intended owner through streets with heavy traffic.
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Guide dog instructor cadetship
Pre-requisite: must be a staff member of GDS and have completed appropriate internal GDS qualifications. Also must display attributes conducive to working with dogs and people. This cadetship takes four years full time to complete. Three years are spent both completing the guide dog trainer cadetship, and learning how to train a guide dog team, ie, the dog and the person. Theoretical study relating to guide dog mobility instruction is provided by qualified GDS training staff members. The final year is spent at Massey University completing a post-graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Studies including practical orientation and mobility training, an endorsement in visual impairment, and canine studies for rehabilitation.
Other GDS qualifications
Staff members of GDS can also complete internal training relating to canine care and handling, breeding services, puppy development and kennel services. These courses are taught by qualified GDS staff members and veterinary specialists appropriate for each module. The length of this training varies from one to two week block modules, to part-time study over one to three years.
Puppy socialisation
Pups are placed with volunteer puppy walkers at approximately eight weeks of age where they are socialised and habituated to the wide variety of stimuli that they are likely to encounter as working guide dogs. Puppy walkers are taught how to teach the pup introductory obedience and how to establish appropriate behaviour relating to play, toileting, sleeping, feeding and exercise routines. A GDS puppy-walking supervisor will visit each puppy walker every month to check on the pup's progress and provide advice about its development and socialisation.
Dog training
At approximately 12-16 months of age the dog will return to the Guide Dog Centre and commence an initial assessment usually lasting two to three weeks. During this time only very limited training is provided so that each trainer can observe the dog in a "natural state" ie, without the influence of training. The dog is evaluated on approximately 50 different temperamental and behavioural traits.
Each trait is scored and comments made where appropriate. The traits assessed include confidence, willingness, initiative, distraction, suspicion, sensitivities, social behaviour, anxiety, self-interest and excitability. If accepted from the initial assessment the dog will then begin in-depth training. This training takes approximately four to six months to complete, depending on the temperament and breed of dog being trained. During this time the dog is evaluated and trained using a variety of techniques including operant conditioning, counter conditioning, guided learning, and trial and error.
The dogs are trained as individuals, each progressing at its own pace. Each trainer is responsible for his/her technique to suit the individual dog's temperament and progress. Throughout the training process the trainer is not only training the dog, but also beginning to develop a good knowledge of the dog's particular temperament and behaviours. This in turn allows the trainer to better inform the guide dog instructors, who are responsible for training the dog with the client, about the potential advantages and disadvantages of each dog. This philosophy helps to increase the success of matching.
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The trainer shows the dog it must keep its owner safe when footpaths contain hazards like this Fish & Chips sign.
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Matching
Once the dog reaches an appropriate stage of training, it can then be considered for matching to a client. Matching is a consultative process involving the trainer, guide dog instructors, kennel staff members, puppy-walking co-ordinators, and management staff members. Matching is a complex process involving careful consideration of (a) the dog's abilities and temperament, (b) the perceived workload the dog will encounter, (c) the types of environment the dog will live in and work in, and (d) the client's handling style and personality.
Client training
Once the dog is matched to a client, it will usually be pre-allocated to the client prior to the team beginning its training programme. This pre-allocation allows time for the dog and person to bond prior to commencing training.
Training of the team will then take between three and six weeks to complete, depending on the progress of the training, the experience and skills of the person, and the development of the relationship between the dog and person. Regular follow-ups are provided by a qualified instructor - initially frequent, but expanding to annual visits as the team becomes more independent and confident. Additional support and training is provided on an individual basis as the need arises.
Adoption
If at any stage a dog is withdrawn, then it is considered carefully for re-homing or re-training as a service dog (companion/police/customs), or offered back to the puppy walker. If none of these alternatives are suitable then the dog is offered for adoption. People wanting to adopt a dog are carefully screened to ensure the dog will be well kept and appropriately cared for. The property must be fully fenced.
International programme
The Guide Dog Services take this opportunity to share the following information regarding the international programme - which has become an essential element of both the professional and financial structure of Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind Guide Dog Services (RNZFB GOS).
In doing so, it hopes to address comments expressed by breeding stockholders, puppy walkers and sponsors whose dogs have participated in this programme.
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Eventually the dog can 'step-it-out' when required, or gear down to a leisurely pace, but no matter what speed is its walking pace it knows there is nothing more important than the safety of the person it is trusted to work for. This is the only animal that by law has a right to be in any shop or any public place either with its owner, or while in training.
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Around seven years ago the RNZFB GDS was faced with the reality of not being able to keep up with the demand for guide dogs in New Zealand. A purpose-built facility was designed and built in an attempt to respond to this dilemma, however, the ability to raise the ongoing funds required to support the programme were limited due to the lack of government funding and the economic climate.
In addition, it competes for the charity dollar with a multitude of other not-for-profit agencies. Twenty new charities register with the New Zealand Charities Commission weekly.
To solve the problem the service developed an innovative approach, involving co-operation with emerging or established overseas-based guide dog schools requesting support. This approach involves the provision of fully trained guide dogs in an attempt to meet current demand, and also to provide eight-week-old puppies and breeding stock to meet future needs.
Each school must be or must become affiliated with the International Federation of Guide Dog Schools for the Blind (IFGDSB) - which is responsible for setting and maintaining acceptable standards. RNZFB GDS holds full membership.
Ian Cox, general manager, GDS, is a director of that organisation and an assessor, which illustrates New Zealand's commitment to the federation.
These schools are offered cadetships, ranging from one to four years, for members of their staff in breeding, puppy development, kennel health services, guide dog training and instruction (field services). Each cadet is interviewed and appointed jointly.
While the majority of training takes place at the Guide Dog Centre, tuition is also linked to established programmes based at Massey University - Principles of Canine Behaviour, and Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Studies.
Each cadetship offered is identical for both NZ and off-shore cadets and qualifications gained are recognised by the IFGDSB.
All costs associated with off-shore cadetships in respect of salary, tertiary studies, travel, accommodation, phone, fax, etc. are covered by the school/country of origin.
All training based at the Guide Dog Centre is provided free of charge. Where dogs are trained by overseas cadets, a minimum of 50 percent are matched with and allocated to New Zealanders while 50 percent or less are matched with and allocated to off-shore applicants prior to leaving NZ.
Each dog travelling off-shore is purchased by the overseas school sponsoring those cadets, which also covers all costs associated with dog travel. The price of each dog varies depending on whether it is trained by New Zealand or off-shore cadets/qualified trainer/instructor. This formula also applies where eight-week-old puppies and breeding stock are purchased and contracts are in place.
When matching applicants/replacements with fully trained dogs, irrespective of whether they live in New Zealand or overseas, the service looks at the entire pool of qualified dogs made available through on-shore and off-shore staff members to ensure the widest range of dog temperament and physical requirement is available. This in turn guarantees a more accurate match, as indicated in statistics relating to success rates in recent years since the inception of this international programme. In return for the free tuition mentioned earlier, the benefits have been considerable. To date over 100 New Zealanders have received guide dogs years earlier than they otherwise would have, hence the original objective has been realised.
At one time the waiting list for some applicants was four to six years, or more. It is now six to 10 months, approximately. The guide dog industry is both unique and very small by both world and NZ standards.
The one existing guide dog school meets the requirements of this country. Off-shore involvement means GDS staff members have been provided with an opportunity to expand their levels of expertise and at the same time this type of international interaction guarantees insulation from professional stagnation.
Blind people living overseas directly benefit from New Zealand playing a significant role in assisting other guide dog schools.
To date, income received from tuition/sale of dog packages has been: Year one, $40,000; year two, $145,000; year three, $296,000; year four, $312,000; year five, $287,000; year six, $257,000; year seven, $222,000.
While this income does not meet annual expenditure requirements, it plays a significant role.
Furthermore, it ensures the service is in a better position to increase the number of guide dogs available and at the same time deliver a quality service.
Over the last few years contracts have been gained with guide dog schools in Brazil, Fiji, Hawaii, South Korea, Japan and Queensland and it is pleasing to note RNZFB GDS is recognised as making a significant and valuable contribution in the international guide dog field.
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