Puppy socialisor for assistance dogs

Does/Has anyone on Dogsey done this for any of the charities? i.e Hearing dogs for the deaf, Guide dogs for the Blind or Dogs for the disabled etc?

We are currently considering the possibility as applying for Dogs for the Disabled. Its quite a decision to make as giving them up after a year will be hard.....then again we have been fostering for a rescue for years and have given up dogs that have been with us 8/9 months before.

Will having an assistance dog in training be emotionally different/harder than rescue dogs looking for homes?

I 'think' we could be suitable, we seem to meet the criteria listed on the site, however of course we wouldnt know for sure until we applied and spoke to them. I would also wander whether we would provide the right start for the dog.

We can train basic obedience......after all we have done it with numerous others, we can take them to all the new situations needed, shops, buses, trains etc......but there is still the element of doubt at the back of my mind......exactly how high a level of obedience is expected in an assistance dog in a socialising home for the 1st 12 months.

My dogs are well behaved.....but can be a bunch of cheeky monkeys that push the boundaries....would that be a bad influence on the pup? The last thing I would want is to hamper the chances of it being a succesful assistance dog.

Thoughts?

Hi,

I'm about to begin training my yo9ungest GSD, YIannis (10 months old) to be an assistance dog as I have a physical disability. I know it's different, but his specific training will be done away fomr the other dogs because of the level of attention and focus he'll need. But they day to day living with other naughty pooches shouldn't be detrimental to his training.
It just means he has more "life" experience when he's completed his training rather than ONLY being trained and never having done anything outside that training.

Maybe it's different if you're training for a charity rather than your own dog, but that's my take on it.

I think depending on the circumstances it may take him a bit longer to compelte the highest level of training but living with other dogs shouldn't hinder him much I wouldn't have thought.

Laura xx

We have done 16 puppies for a dog guide school and soon will be sending our third to an assistance dog school. Our daughter has done 3 more since she was married.

It is a very rewarding form of service. Yes, it is tough to say good by. But if you are able to start a new puppy right away, you may miss your sleep, but don't have time to miss the old dog.

Most of the schools provide extensive support. You are mentored by the best professionals around. They have been doing it for years. Some of the dog guide schools go back almost 100 years. Assistance dog schools are newer, but have had a long time to build experience and have learned from the dog guide schools.

I am far more involved with the dog guide school than just raising puppies. The puppy I raised last year is training with the person that will be her partner. I have been invited to meet them next Saturday. I won't be going. I will be working in a booth at a pet fair promoting the dog guide school. I have been given a display and additional training. a lady that has a dog guide will be there too. We were working another fair last Saturday. It is hard to understand how much the dogs mean to these people. Have you ever asked for help and gotten a bunch of questions and advice you didn't think you needed? Pick up the leash and the dog is there when you want to go, no questions asked.

While you are expected to produce a well behaved dog, you don't have to reach obedience champion levels. What is absolutely essential is a sound dog, comfortable where ever it goes out in public, accepting of strangers, but not overly excited.

I will be happy to answer any specific questions, but each school has their own ways of doing things and you should mostly depend on your mentors at the school. We have to switch gears slightly as we alternate schools.

Thank you to you both, its certainly put my mind at rest knowing that im expected to produce a well rounded dog rather than a superhero dog

Its a topic of great discussion at the moment in our house, do we want a 6th dog, albeit only for 12 months, can we commit etc etc. I think the way forward is to complete the application form and talk to the organisation. I just dont want to waste anyones time if its not for us in the end.

Ramble used to do guide dogs for the blind - I'm sure she'll catch up with this thread when she's next on, but if not, I'm sure she'd be happy to get a pm from you.

One thing I think I do remember her saying though is that they have restrictions on the number of other dogs living with the pup.

Thats interesting to know and one of the things i did wander about......

After all if the dog gets used to a large group of dogs, will it be happy/content if it then goes to live as an only dog.

I look forward to Ramble coming along, this is all really helpful

Hello!
Sorry not been on today and just popping on breifly now.
I puppy walked for Guide Dogs as Hali said.
We were not allowed to have more than 2 dogs of our own. I don't know if that is the same for all the assistance dog charities, but I suspect they may be reluctant to put a pup in as dog number 6 in a household. Puppy raising/socialising/walking is hugely time consuming and the pup needs a great deal of one to one attention. (In the end I think our pups were out one to one for almost 2 hours each day,sometimes more. You can think 'ah I'll pop to Tescos and take the pup' and imagine it will take 10 minutes..but in actual fact in takes an hour and a half as everybody wants to speak to you.)
I think they may also be concerned that the pup would become too dog focused in such a doggy household.
Cosmo's (our own dog)brother is a registered Dog for the Disabled and i know his socialiser had other dogs, but only one or two.
The best thing you can do is phone them and ask. I think they are a smashing charity and would certainly work with them...but they don't do anything near me...yet!!!!

As for giving them up...yes it's very hard and it doesn't get any easier.

Feel free to PM me...I'm a bit mad busy this weekend so this is a short and quick reply...but hope it helps a bit

Just to add...the level of obedience differs from dog to dog and situation to situation...they are basically looking for a dog with good manners when it leaves you...one who is happy in any situation you put it in (within reason obviously) and one who doesn't beg or jump on the furniture etc...anything else they can sort out when the dog goes on for training. The dog also needs to be in a good spending routine (they cannot spend/toilet on lead walks.)
Just a well mannered dog...not anything too hard...but of course you put pressure on yourself

As I said schools vary. Unless I am forgetting one, my friends have 7 dogs in their house including 2 foster puppies for the dog guide school. While in training, the dog guide school lets the dogs play in groups of 30. So they are all used to being around other dogs when they are assigned to a partner. I have never heard of a dog being rejected because it didn't get along by itself after it was working. It is important for them to play well with other dogs. Some of the monthly training sessions include time for the puppies to play together. I love the one picture I have of one of my puppies playing with another working dog guide in a back yard in China. Many dog partners become friends with other people with a service dog and give their dogs a chance to socialize when they aren't working. For a while,we had a lady bring her seizure response dog out to play with our puppy.

It is much more important for a dog to quietly lie under a table in a restaurant or keep its nose out of a meat counter than have its butt hit the ground the second you stop.

Thank you all again for this - I let the thread drift a bit whilst i waited to hear back from them. I didnt want to get my mind/heart set on anything if my lifestyle was not right for it.

Anyhow they have e-mailed me back today saying that they think our experience would produce a good pup for them to work with. Their concern is that my dog/business will be affected by the amount of time i spend on the puppy.

Its a hard one, I cant seem to make a decision as untill you are doing it you dont know how much time it will take. As a general rule of thumb I work approx 3-4 hours spread throughout the day and have all of the rest of the time home or out and about with the gang........now that seems plenty of time to me....but who am i to know!

They have confirmed also, no jumping up/sitting on furniture....now i dont have issues with that and can completely understand it for potential assistance dogs......BUT......will the puppy struggle to understand with 5 others allowed on the sofa when they are not? I suppose I could use it as a golden opportunity to retrain my gang but we like our comfy snuggles.....