How to Train Obstacle Avoidance for Guide Dogs & Service Dog Leading and Navigation Tasks

[@DoggyU]

Are you teaching guiding or leading tasks to your guide or service dog? 🦮 Service Dog 101 Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-dog-101 🐕‍🦺 Behavior Interruptions & Alerts Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/bia 👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: www.doggyu.com/ 🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! 200+ Exclusive Training Videos!) patreon.com/doggyu

[@one_field]

Definitely--and you mentioned the reason in this video, for which, an enormous thank you! Psychiatric disabilities get forgotten a lot in discussion of the 'concrete' tasks--tasks like guiding safely to the exit when suddenly your vision becomes unreliable or you're shutting down and can't process your surroundings. It's hard to substitute anything for a living being who CAN process the situation and navigate around people and obstacles.

[@EpsilonAD]

@@DoggyU Yes. Eps knows lead me to the nearest exit to outside. We are working on multi-storey buildings elevator to exit which is a fair bit more complex.

[@jeanmorgan5410]

@@DoggyU I am training her guide so if we need her to guide my grandson if he gets disoriented she can guide him or us to him

[@katemoore8113]

Yesss, I am very very interested in guide work training.

[@Scarletlight525]

I'm legally blind and actually trained my own guide dog (with the help of a certified instructor in my country). I started teaching him the concept of straight lines and stopping at downward changes in elevation from day 1, simply because those were skills I needed him to know to even be able to take him for a walk. When he started getting reliable with the straight line/sticking to one side of the walkway, I went on to leash awareness, basically that if he went around a post he'd have to take the same path back to not tangle us up. Our obstacle avoidance started with all the electric scooters left here, there and everywhere, where I'd usually feel them with my cane and then walk around them, which, thanks to the prior leash awareness training, eventually lead to my dog pre-empting me in going around them. From there we just went along to new scenarios as needed/as they occured. In the beginning I just trained guide work using a leash clipped to a straight front harness, but after one time when I almost hurt myself tripping down a curb tha tmy dog had actually marked correctly (I just didn't react hin time) I finally got him a proper guide harness with a handle.He was about 2 years old at the time (the pandemic really slowed down our training) and has now been working in his guide harness for about two and a half years! I will be saving this video, though, for referance when it's time to start training his successor!

[@one_field]

WOW you are amazing. Training your own guide dog when you're blind is next level!

[@Scarletlight525]

@@one_field haha thank you! ♥️ Really I got the idea when my old family dog spontaneously started guiding me in certain situations, applying things he had learned in obedience training. I also have something like 20/400 vision which makes it unlikely that I'd be accepted if I applied for a trained guide dog in my country.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

@@Scarletlight525 congratulations on training your own guide. It’s something I hope to do one day. Would you be open to connecting, I don’t know really many people who have done it and would love any tips or advice you have.

[@Scarletlight525]

@@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084 sure. I know if I've mire in my country, there's also one in Switzerland named Charlie that's a whippet!

[@khanhhm5762]

@@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084 There are quite a few blind guide dog owner trainers in the U.S. To name a couple: Julie Johnson, Meghan Whalen, Brooke Silloby--she's actually in Canada, but she has trained at least two of her own guide dogs, and she competes in tracking and obedience. Also Cheree Heppe who has trained at least five or six dogs over a span of forty years, and Rox'E Homstad who has been an owner trainer since the early 2000's. I trained my third guide dog, and my next service dog will also be trained in guide tasks. You definitely can do it if that's something you would like. I would encourage you to not only connect with fellow owner trainers, but if you haven't already and if you can, get some dog training experience--not necessarily in guide work but just experience working with young and untrained dogs. Volunteer at a rescue group or shelter. Read and learn as much as you can about different approaches in training, and really study the breeds you're considering getting a prospect. Attending shows and different working events where you can meet with a variety of breeders can be helpful. I found that the more hands on experiences I had prior to getting my first owner training prospect, the better it helped me. By the time I was ready to get a prospect, I knew I wanted a working line German Shepherd with very specific traits and temperament. I also knew what I didn't want and didn't like, which made my search easier in some ways.

[@SomeoneBeginingWithI]

I would LOVE a series on how guide dogs are trained. I find this stuff so interesting!

[@DoggyU]

Hoping to have a series eventually! It won't be for a while though - gotta raise the pup first and see if it's a good fit.

[@open_mindeddog_training]

Yes, I would definitely love to see more guide work videos please

[@earth2wendy]

Love this! It helps me grasp the “why” of your extremely methodical approach to teaching your dog how to go kayaking! YES to more videos on training for leading/guide work. It’s highly motivating stuff when your goal is to learn to be a better, more patient trainer. Also, your sister is a HOOT!! 😆❤

[@DoggyU]

My sister IS a hoot - for sure! LOL! Glad you enjoyed. Yes, when you've spent your career training for really complicated tasks, breaking down behavior and foundation work is pretty critical!

[@LionessHiker]

I am visually impaired and have been training my dog to assist me. Thank you for the video. Very helpful.

[@DoggyU]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GuideDogBambi]

Before going blind I used to train dogs, after going blind I got a program guide dog and had an incredibly traumatic experience and have since met many more people with similar stories so I am now training my own guide dog. Thankfully from both my guide dog and training experience I don’t feel that I need any help however it’s great to see videos like this as it makes owner training way more accessible! I also love that we’re moving away from aversive training techniques! The program in my country claims to be R+ yet we’re using outdated training techniques and overly harsh corrections. I had my trainer at one point get in my dogs face, pick him up by the chest strap of the harness and scream at him. I was also told to slam my handle down hard on the dog’s hips, I have no issue with handle flicks when done properly and the dog is trained to respond but if I am slamming my knuckles into the dog’s hips and hurting my hand that’s abuse. That’s not even getting into the fact that the dog was overweight, had incredibly long nails, gingivitis and a double ear infection. His coat was also heavily impacted and I later was told I am never allowed to bathe him as “it destroys the healthy oils in the coat.0 He was also incredibly sweet but had severe behavioural issues including but not limited to severe seperation anxiety and fear based reactivity. I’ll leave it at that as this comment is already incredibly long but please do your research on what charities you support as things aren’t always as they seem!

[@DoggyU]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience! I'm hoping to do more of these style of videos with one of my future dogs to make training more accessible for owner-trainers :)

[@alexisrivas307]

Yes please do an in-depth series on guide work training. Guide work training is the hardest to find. It is also the most dangerous to train for. Maybe historically this training has been guarded so that visually impaired people will be forced to go to an organization. There are many situation why an organization won’t accept someone so that person is left to pay a hard to find guide work trainer. These videos would be greatly appreciated. I’d like to learn the ins and outs of this so I have an idea of why my next dog may be making errors and how to work with them to correct the behavior.

[@DoggyU]

Hey Alexis - I totally feel your frustration and yes there is definitely a lack of information out there (though wayyy more than 15 years ago). The difficult thing with training guides is that the process is long and complicated and requires lots of understanding on how to make decisions in the moment. There's a reason that GDMIs apprentice for 3 years before they are certified, and I didn't feel truly good at my job until 5 years. It's just a complicated skillset. On top of that, pace is a huge issue. The ability for schools to be able to match pace to the person is so critical because otherwise the dog and handler can get so frustrated with eachother, and pace isn't something you know when the dog is just a few months old. As a guide dog trainer, I had to vary my pace considerably based on the dog I was working, and that's not something most users can do easily depending on the mismatch. So when possible, I always recommend a person go to a school for their dog. But, that doesn't mean that everyone is able to do that. I'm hoping to make more in-depth videos if my next dog is suitable for the work.

[@Journal_Jonesy]

I'd love more guide work. Specifically finding an exit.

[@DoggyU]

I might be able to make this video soon with Lyric, though I will also be doing it with my next dog (eventually) so stay tuned!

[@donnajean411]

Yes, more guide work videos, please, and thank you!

[@EpsilonAD]

Terrific clip. Thank you. Back up, untangle, me first, you first are all handy cues Eps understands. Go in a straight line is something we will enjoy working on handler learning to cue clear. Your tips were, as always, clear and helpful. You are appreciated. 😎🐾

[@DoggyU]

Thank you! 😊

[@watchmoivies123]

This is wonderful. I do not have a service dog, but I still want to train my dog this to stop at every end of the sidewalk because he like bolts across the road so that was really good. Thank you very much and I did hit the like button if that’s what you mean

[@erinheathermcintyre5063]

I feel ya. I start to teach that one right away, as soon as she has enough of her shots I can walk outside in the green spaces in town with her. We stop at every street edge especially curbs when she is young because it's such a clear picture but do all eventually. Now I seperate them and I have no idea if that is correct or best practices. By that I mean we do curbs for a week or more till she automatically sits at a curb. Eventually she will sit unless I say cross. Then when she clearly understands curbs then introduce to where a road has no raised curb but a smooth ramp. One with 2 colors, black asphalt and grey concrete sidewalk. A clear color difference, a different direction, cars, ppl numbers start climbing up till time to cross. It's weird for her with lots of regular doy pressure she will need to work around but all this starts in low stimulation environments and move up. Finishing with areas the same color that flow into each other like a market Square ramp where it's asphalt and road is or its concrete around malls sometimes the concrete matches the cross walk. Sort of rinse and repeat with growing difficulty and proofing it I'll around. Cricket is maybe 80% or more to where she could preform under any situation 99.9999% cause we all have bad days * Not giving advice on someone else's page. Just sharing my experience and always open to criticism to help improve what we are doing to make it better and why I might want to change some stuff up.

[@watchmoivies123]

@@erinheathermcintyre5063 oh I love this thank you very much

[@singlesightart]

Been a grad of The Seeing Eye for 20 years (currently on my 3rd Seeing Eye dog, 1st was a lab and currently with 2nd shepherd). I love learning about the thought process behind the training process for these amazing dogs and seeing the differences the different orga and private trainers use.

[@AdellynClark]

Please make more of the guide videos! It would help so much!!!

[@Whiskeytoller]

Loved this video Laura! It was so interesting to watch and I love that we’re getting further away from Punishment when training dogs 🙏💕

[@DoggyU]

So glad you enjoyed it, Amber!

[@one_field]

Definitely interested in a further video on training more leading tasks! If you find time. I'm SO excited to see you work with your new puppy! Mine just turned a year old and he's really showing a lot of promise; the early work and a lot of training tips from your videos have helped a ton. A graceful exit task combined with a find the door task are big hurdles for me right now; my pup already knows the word "door" and that it means to sit at the door, and wait for a release word before passing through it (whether it's open or not, and if I open it, or someone else does). I hope that that's the first step for back-chaining the task, and that the next will be teaching him a cue to go and find a door to sit at, and then to do it with me in tow. Then a final (but actually the initial) cue that tells him to sit front and nose-boop my thigh repeatedly, as though he needed to go potty (it isn't actually his potty signal and he won't know that humans will assume that's what it means), so I can apologize to the humans and give him the cue to go find the door. Am I skipping steps, do you think? I may be oversimplifying, and I really have no idea how to teach him how to specifically seek an exit door, not just a closet or something. My boy already does great at stepping to the correct side of narrow obstacles, like T-posts and tent poles, to stay with me on leash without tangling. He knows to stop at curbs and to wait for me to pick where we're going to go if there is a large obstacle in the way. It's just a huge step to go from that to training how to navigate in a crowd and indoors... which is generally where I need help, because my vision is usually fine outside in a low-crowd and low-stress situation. Only among humans do I struggle, and he adores humans, so right now he's actually more of a hindrance than a help (we still have a lot of training ahead of us before he will pass a public access test for ignoring people who want to greet him). I will be working on the basics of polite leash walking and manners, and ignoring friendly humans, but any suggestions for how to train leading tasks around people would be a great help in figuring out steps he can learn now that will help him learn that when he's ready. Thank you as always for the amazing work you put into these!

[@DoggyU]

So finding an exit is backchaining, just like you mentioned. Whether or not the dog sits at the door isn't typically a part of the training. You can teach them to pause at the door if you are blind or VI and want to know that you're passing through a threshold, but otherwise the door is typically 1)shut so they will have to stop or 2) a sliding door and you'll hear it or 3) you can see the door so stopping isn't required. So, after teaching them to pull into the harness, you start by having them target doors, generalize that, and then add in the nose boop cue (after training the nose boop). I hope the my next dog will be appropriate for this type of tasks so I'll be able to make videos. :) Happy Training!

[@Postit_all]

Definitly up for guide training !

[@emberpawprint]

That happens to be a niche topic I'm *fascinated* with, so I'd love a future series about training guide work!

[@milokurschner885]

I would love more videos on guide work. I am currently introducing my SDiT to guide work and would love love to hear your methods and tips. Great video as always! I love your way of explaining things and always understand it so well, which is not the norm hahaha

[@Boone22]

Yes,please move videos on guide dog training. Also,mobility/wheelchair service training.

[@oneof7billionhumans]

i never heard if back patterning! i’d love to learn more about guidework!

[@DoggyU]

I know I've discussed back chaining on Patreon, specifically in my video on training the dog to find home, as well as in my free part 1 retrieve training series, but I'm not sure if I've ever talked about it on this channel. I'll make a mental note and see if I can incorporate it into another video. Such a helpful training method to have in your back pocket!

[@oliviamiller8617]

I would love to see more guide work videos 😍 aspiring GDMI here 😂

[@DoggyU]

Hey Olivia! Hopefully I'll have more in the future! I do have this playlist on guide dogs if you haven't checked it out: kzbin.info/aero/PLOv3ykszW9t-Fxnm4zaHhYPeoBgi3EI0k And I also have a few guide dog specific videos over on Patreon at Patreon.com/DOGGYU I wish you the best of luck in your GDMI journey!

[@HiImlizzmitchell]

Girl, I just made a video myself and mentioned that I was thinking about if I needed a service dog for visual issues, and other issues too. Then I see this video a few hours later. Your also in the same state as me apparently

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

This is a great video and super interesting. I always wondered about the foundations of formal guide work and how the transition from on leash patterning to in harni guiding the end. Thanks so much as always for your detailed and will broken down explanations and I would very much interested in any more videos about Guide work you could show

[@HACPOA.SecretAgent]

I would love to see more videos about guide work! Thank you!

[@DoggyU]

Awesome! Also be sure to check out my guide dog playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLOv3ykszW9t-Fxnm4zaHhYPeoBgi3EI0k

[@windywilliamson5069]

Sure, love to see more of this ❤

[@nicoledelieto1735]

One of the biggest obstacles with somebody on the autistic spectrum is, we do not have depth perception. When our brains get very overstimulated, we bump into our environment. This skill is very crucial to safety. I am very awkward in my movement when I am in big crowds or in tiny spaces. My sensory issues also make me have challenges when I am in aisles or when I am walking. I noticed when I have Freja with me,she helps me walk more in straight line. I use a gentle to help with the pulling and training Freja to walk in a straight line on my left. I walk with Freja. I train this while Freja ,and I are walking along busy roads when I am in town ,and I try to teach her the straight line. I really like this video Laura because I feel that autism service dogs do need guiding and leading work as well as guide dogs. We do not judge distances well.

[@sara-dr9ep]

I relate to this SO MUCH! Thank you for this comment.

[@nicoledelieto1735]

@@sara-dr9ep oh thank you! I know Asperger’s syndrome is not a term anymore, but I still use it to define that I am on the higher end of the spectrum. Sensory issues are no joke when it comes to big crowds. I am sensitive to my environment, even though I have been a service dog handler for a year. Overstimulation is a serious safety issue and can be physical at times.

[@megandmauiguidingpaws]

I liked hearing about what goes into training a guide dog as I have a guide dog from OCCUPAWS this is so cool

[@DoggyU]

Very cool! I've never worked with an Occupaws dog/team but I've heard good things!

[@Linus.the.doodle]

Thank you!! I have really bad anxiety and mobility issues and I'm trying to train my sd guide for dissociation and sometimes blurry moments!

[@jeanmorgan5410]

Sure would love to see these videos. You are a big help for me

[@DoggyU]

Glad to hear it!

[@jeanmorgan5410]

@@DoggyU I have a service dog for my grandson she is a psychiatric autism medic alert service dog 🐕‍🦺. You are an amazing trainer. You help me fine tune her training. I’m a trainer but I’m not as good as you. Thanks for all you do.

[@DoggyU]

@@jeanmorgan5410 Thanks so much Jean

[@ciaramae]

Thank you so much x

[@DoggyU]

🙃

[@bonnieharris5916]

Even though I do not have visual issues this is applicable to my city in Mexico I have balance and space issues and it is a bloody obstacle course popped up stones on side walks, cobblestones roads, some curbs are normal height others double. Even obstacles sticking out from walls on narrow sidewalks. So many women fall here it is called the city of fallen women.

[@DoggyU]

Physically navigating a lot of older cities, even here in the states can be incredibly challenging for a variety of disabilities unfortunately :(

[@Indigo_Ivy]

Thank you so much for this, it was so interesting and I can’t wait to teach this to my SD (who will be learning leading tasks). I’d definitely be interested in similar videos!

[@DoggyU]

Yay! Glad it was helpful. Be sure to check out my guide dog playlist for a few more videos that might be helpful: kzbin.info/aero/PLOv3ykszW9t-Fxnm4zaHhYPeoBgi3EI0k

[@ritadighent]

Yes, absolutely interested! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm training my ACD and my instincts, when I'm watching this video, is that you're avoiding the obstacle and the guide dog is just heeling. Could you explain how you go from that to having the dog signal you rather than follow you? Again, thank you for your dedication and for sharing your knowledge.

[@DoggyU]

So the dog needs to be able to pull into harness first. If you watch the first part of the video, I discuss a little bit the process of teaching them to drive up to the curbs in harness, but you can also start out at home by teaching them a front foot target, or even a nose target and then beginning to pick up the handle as they move towards that target.

[@dorothybrumlow8430]

Yes would love info on training gude dogs!

[@FenrirAldebrand]

It's funny, I was about to ask how to get my dog to stop at curbs, and it was the first thing you talk about 😂. I have ADHD, and sometimes curbs or roadways get completely missed when I'm in my head, or heavily distracted, so I've been trying to get him to naturally stop at curbs. Ironically enough (as i continue watching the video) back chaining is really good for trying to pronounce a new word, especially in other languages! Like this word in Finnish: Epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydellänsäkäänköhän.

[@earth2wendy]

@@FenrirAldebrand Eh, oui ! The linguistics angle did not escape me either! What does that word mean, please?? Not having any luck with using cut & paste for Google translator…

[@DoggyU]

I am not convinced this is a real word, let alone that I'd ever be able to pronounce it, even with backchaining! 😂

[@FenrirAldebrand]

@@earth2wendy I just found it on a list of longest Finnish words, but this seems to be the generally agreed upon definition everywhere : " I wonder if - even with his/her quality of not having been made non-systematized" or "not even through the lack of one's own ability to delegate to someone the act of making something non-systemic, do you suppose?" It's like... One of those words that doesn't do well in English 😅

[@FenrirAldebrand]

@@DoggyU Thankfully Finnish is one of those languages where the letters you see are how it's pronounced (the actual name for.. PHONETIC. It's a phonetic language! So it's easier than you think as long as you know how letters are pronounced and you break it down correctly. EDIT: Damn this sentence is an ADHD mess. I apologize but I don't know how to fix it.

[@earth2wendy]

@@FenrirAldebrand No kidding! Agree on that point! 😵‍💫

[@GsMnTc]

It would be very cool to see how you teach your guide dogs

[@DoggyU]

I'm hoping to have a full series in the future :) But it's a bit of a ways off - gotta raise a puppy first and make sure it's suitable for the work.

[@khanhhm5762]

As always, another great video. I'm way behind because for the last week plus, I was taking care of twenty plus dogs, not including my own. I'm glad you put out this content Laura, but Fidelco lost a great trainer when you left. When will you take my suggestion of having yourself cloned so you can be in more than one place? I think I'm slightly hurt and pouty that my suggestions are being ignored! Heeheehehee.

[@DoggyU]

😂😂

[@ScarletCandlelight]

More on guide work please and do a Playlist

[@DoggyU]

I actually have a playlist that has a few videos right now: kzbin.info/aero/PLOv3ykszW9t-Fxnm4zaHhYPeoBgi3EI0k I also have a few videos over on Patreon discussing guide dog training, training "find home" and explaining some segments of how the general training works: Patreon.com/doggyu

[@ScarletCandlelight]

@@DoggyU fantastic thank you

[@nova-4316]

what is your opinion on training a dog on all of the things? or do you recommend getting a dog for specializations? I have my puppo who I take everywhere with me and she's a psychiatric service dog in training, but I'm also interested in teaching her some grounding exercises as well as some guarding exercises. to build her confidence and my own. thanks for reading!

[@DoggyU]

First, I want to point out for the benefit of those reading the comments that it is not legal under the ADA to train your service dog as a personal protection dog. However, if you are talking about blocking behaviors, where the dog creates space for you without any aggression involved, that is totally fine. In regards to training many types of tasks, in general, that's totally fine. I just always want to think about how much responsibility I'm putting on my dog. For instance, guide work is an incredible amount of responsibility, which is why most guide dog schools don't cross train for other disabilities. But it sounds like what you're looking to teach would typically not be an issue.

[@HeatherKentAspen]

❤❤❤

[@debb6054]

Good information 😊 Thank you. How does the dog know how to judge distance to keep you from touching obstacles? And keeping safe crossing streets with traffic, I would love to know.🐾🙂

[@DoggyU]

I build the distance into the foundation training, like in the video, giving width. But we will also do training where the obstacles are close together and we'll stop for them, tap them and tell them to watch. Traffic training is super complicated and involves the use of an experienced traffic driver and really should be undertaken with a professional. I may cover it in future videos once I'm training my new pup for guide work, but it's wayyy more than can be put in a comments section.

[@debb6054]

@@DoggyU Thanks.🙂 I just signed up to follow you on Patreon.

[@DoggyU]

@@debb6054 Thanks Debb!

[@lucynyu8226]

I am very interested in guide work

[@Mx.RumpusParable]

For the first time this detail popped into my head, but it should've long back. I'm sure this must come up and be handled in training, but I have to ask anyways: How common/difficult is it to be able to get a trained SD or find a trainer to work with for left-handed people? While we go through life learning to do so many things like righties, watching this obstacle and mobility focused video it just occurred to me just how very much holding a harness handle with my left hand would be problematic for the episodes that I'd need to. Those are Not Times when becoming right-handed for an uncertain length would be wise. I know I'm not the first lefty in the world so it must be addressed with folks, but how common/difficult is the issue? Are dogs trained two work with either-handed folks or only one and you have to get a.... correct-sided... SD? Or, since they already know the tasks/behaviors can they easily learn to adjust to doing things on the right of a person? Not meaning to do a hundred questions, sorry, it's just that as I said the issue and how big being a lefty affects things didn't register with me until now. So, to put it more neatly: What is done about SDs, in general and mobility-aiding especially, and folks who are left-handed? With a trained dog or finding a trainer to work with?

[@DoggyU]

So, this dog is actually my dad's dog and my dad is a lefty! But he doesn't have any issue working her on the left hand side. The school I was at specifically trained a dog for the right side due to a hand injury for one of the clients, but that is not the norm. Typically lefties just work the dog on the left. That being said, I had to train a guide dog for a private client on the right and it BROKE my brain LOL! It was a really good mental test of my skills, but it was totally do-able. The problem is that when you're talking about a school, the dogs are all trained on the left because you don't know who the dog is going to until they are almost all the way through training. But in general, you should be able to find a trainer to work with who is able to generalize skills to the right hand side. Hope that helps!

[@Mx.RumpusParable]

@@DoggyU Thanks a bundle for the info! Lol, sounds like a real time of it while you trained the lefty-dog!

[@DoggyU]

@@Mx.RumpusParable ha it was! When your muscle memory for 10 years is all on the left, switching sides is a real mind-twister! LOL

[@shiori510]

It's even more fun when you drive a wheelchair!

[@DoggyU]

💜

[@robertroberto7459]

What organization certified you?

[@DoggyU]

My GDMI is through Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. My service dog certification is through Atlas Assistance Dogs

[@tessi6886]

I'd love to know how to teach a dog to avoid moving cars. My dog seems to have no idea that cars will run right into her 😮

[@DoggyU]

Traffic avoidance is a pretty complex behavior to teach and requires the help of a skilled driver who understands the training as well. Hopefully I'll show it with my puppy eventually, but unfortunately it won't be for a while.

[@EmilyEverglot]

Do some dog "naturally" avoid obstacles?

[@DoggyU]

While some dogs naturally avoid obstacles, few dogs will naturally leave a wide enough berth if the obstacle is on the human’s side and now the dog’s side.

[@EmilyEverglot]

@@DoggyU super helpful feedback thank you.

[@DoggyU]

@@EmilyEverglot Welcome! :)

[@EliMayyt]

My pup is quite harness shy, which we are working hard on. Could I start this before she’s able to have a harness on, or is it best that they associate it with the harness?

[@DoggyU]

You could definitely start the stopping at curbs on leash. The only issue is that you eventually want them out in front of you, so you don't want them to get too used to stopping basically with your help next to them. You really want them in that guiding position pretty quickly so they don't pattern incorrect positioning. I'd say you could pepper it in, but that I wouldn't do too much of it without also teaching harness work. But, if you're working with a trainer, I would do whatever they say, as they'll know your situation better :)

[@EliMayyt]

@@DoggyU Thank you! We'll try the stopping at curbs, and getting her into that! I'll have to try to teach my partner how to train that, since I'm currently mostly in my wheelchair when I'm out, since one of my illnesses is quite poorly managed. The plan is for her to guide and/or fmp later, when I'm able to be walking more. I'll of course have her stopping at curbs too, but the placement is more difficult in a wheelchair. Thanks again!

[@alexisrivas307]

Yes please do an in-depth series on guide work training. Guide work training is the hardest to find. It is also the most dangerous to train for. Maybe historically this training has been guarded so that visually impaired people will be forced to go to an organization. There are many situation why an organization won’t accept someone so that person is left to pay a hard to find guide work trainer. These videos would be greatly appreciated. I’d like to learn the ins and outs of this so I have an idea of why my next dog may be making errors and how to work with them to correct the behavior.

[@khanhhm5762]

As someone who has experience owner training a guide dog, I wouldn't necessarily say that guide tasks are the most dangerous to train. What is the most important skillset to have--only in my opinion--is very good orientation and mobility skills, especially if you do not have any usable sight. You always start off in environments that you know like the back of your hand, and you'd better be prepared to get you and your dog out of situations when either the training is over or the dog becomes stressed. You need to be able to deal with getting unlost when you get lost, and you need to be able to know when to drop your trainer hat and let the dog work vs when to step in. You also need to have a solid plan for teaching traffic training; ideally this should also involve someone you trust to be your driver when doing systematic traffic checks. It's definitely very possible, but it does take meticulous planning and a deep commitment to making it work. It can be financially cheaper depending on how you do it, but it is a lot more emotionally, physically and mentally draining.