Piper lends a paw at Pauline’s talk
Pauline Duff, a volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind, was guest speaker at the latest meeting of the Rotary Club of Lockerbie and District.
Pauline had brought along a special guest – Piper, an eight-month-old Labrador.
Pauline said: “Piper is the sixth dog I have actually raised. We get the dogs at eight weeks old and I will have them to around 14/16 months old when they go on to the big school to be trained as a guide dog.
“As a volunteer I am not qualified as a dog trainer. My role is making sure the dog learns to behave. They learn about sights, smells and sounds, such as busy roads, going on buses and trains etc. They are taught to walk ahead on a lead and words of command like sit, stay, down and come. During this time, they are always rewarded for good behaviour by way of a treat.”
Pauline demonstrated this with Piper.
She continued: “At school the dogs learn how to walk in a straight line unless there’s an obstacle, which unfortunately more often today is a vehicle parked on the pavement. They also learn to stop at the kerb or wait for the command to turn left or right.
“Next the dogs are matched with their owner. Once matched the owner and guide dog train together. They train on the routes their person needs to know to get to places such as the shops, work and home. If the training is successful their lifetime partnership then begins.
“We train various breeds to become guide dogs, the largest being labrador/ retriever with a smaller number of German shepherds and poodle/curly coat retriever crosses.”
Pauline concluded her talk by answering questions from those present.
On being called to give the vote of thanks Rotarian Sybil Williamson thanked Pauline for a fascinating and most interesting presentation into the training of guide dogs.