How to Train a Seeing-Eye Dog

• STEP 1 Seeing-eye dogs start their training when they are just eight weeks old. What can a puppy learn at such a young age? That’s simple. It learns to love people.

  As it gets older, the puppy learns basic skills. The pooch is taught to sit and stay. It learns to walk beside someone and not to pull on its leash. The puppy learns to be a well-behaved dog!

• STEP 2 When the dog is a year and a half old, its training really takes off. An instructor works with the dog every day. The dog learns voice commands. So if a person says, “Halt,” the dog knows to stop.

  The pooch also learns other important tricks of the trade. The instructor teaches the dog to look both ways before crossing a street. The dog is also taught to tune out distractions. Why? A seeingeye dog must not chase animals or follow tempting smells. Its owner’s safety is more important than anything else.

• STEP 3 Soon the service dog has mastered the basics. Now it must learn to lead. The pooch is taught to guide an instructor onto buses. It learns to lead a person safely around town.

  The guide dog must also learn to disobey. Why? If a car is speeding down a street, the dog should not cross—no matter what the instructor asks it to do. So the dog learns to use its own judgment.

• STEP 4 The dog must first pass a few tests before it can go to work. The instructor wears a blindfold. Then the dog shows off its skills.

  The dog guides the instructor up stairs and along crowded sidewalks. It goes across busy streets. It leads the way through office buildings and malls. The dog even goes onto escalators and elevators.

  The tests are tough. But the training is tougher. The pooch can go to work as soon as it passes its tests. The dog will “see” for someone who is visually impaired.