PUPPIES 'N' PHASE

Puppies in Phase ‘Puppies in Phase’ is the next step for our puppies after they leave our house. After evaluations of our puppies over the course of their time with us, Guide Dogs For the Blind decides when it’s time for our puppy to go back to school for their formal training. This is where educated trainers from the school work with the dogs to give them the skills to become a guide dog. There are 10 phases the dog goes through before becoming a guide. The trainers teach them everything from stopping at a curb and crossing a street with traffic, to identifying low overhead clearance and boarding, riding and exiting an escalator. Raisers are kept informed by email of their dog’s progress in a weekly Phase Report. On this report, the raiser finds their dog and it will have a number 1-10 beside it, depending on their progress. If a dog is career changed, the raiser is one of the first people to know and then can make a decision on taking the dog back or giving them up for adoption. If a dog makes it through all the phases, they are matched with a partner and they are ‘In Class’ together where they learn to work as a team. At the end of class, which takes 2-4 weeks, the school holds a graduation for the students and dog partner, family members and raisers. ‘In Phase’ is an exciting time for the raiser. It’s fun to watch the dog you cared for and trained, climb the phases to a hopeful ‘guide dog and partner’ beginning. Below are the dogs that are in formal training and the phase they are currently in.

Updated  05/08/2008 06:57 PM MST