Today is International Guide Dog Day, that magnificent animal that provides invaluable help to people with vision problems, facilitating mobility and independence.
Guide dogs are extraordinarily intelligent, capable not only of memorizing an enormous number of commands to provide their human companion with the accessibility they need, but also of ignoring a command or acting contrary to it if they perceive that command endangering their owner .
It’s a bit like Asimov’s first two laws of robotics; the guide dog seeks the safety of its owner, and obeys his orders as long as they do not conflict with the first precept.
Specific physical traits
Not every dog is good for a guide dog. To determine suitability, the candidate must meet certain essential parameters. For one, the size . A Pug or a Dogo Argentino are not good guide dogs; the first is too small, the second gigantic. On the other hand, in addition to high intelligence, a high degree of cerebral alertness is necessary, that is, an ability to reason, remember, learn, adapt and even plan. Finally, they must be sociable with other animals and with humans, and know how to remain calm even in situations that would be stressful for any other dog.
The first guide dogs were German shepherds, but currently the most used are retrievers , especially the golden, the Labrador, and to a lesser extent, the flat-coated . They are docile and loyal animals, but they do not show shyness or cowardice; very self-confident, highly adaptable, and capable of making decisions. In addition, they are very affectionate and helpful and go out of their way to take care of their owners.
There are different ways to train a guide dog, and not all places do it the same way; in this aspect «each master has his booklet». But, in general, the process usually begins with the selection of the puppy.
The optimal puppy
The training of a guide dog begins before it is born. The parents are carefully selected for their traits, always taking into account their ancestors to avoid consanguinity problems. At just one month old, the puppy is subjected to the first tests through temperament and behavior evaluations.
On the one hand, its passive temperament is evaluated, checking the time it takes to sit down, lie down and go to rest position when it is ignored. The test measures the puppy’s temperament under normal quiet conditions, and also with a sudden external noise before starting the test.
Another evaluation test is related to the type of reaction —barking, jumping, shrinking, hair erection…— and time of approach to an object that appears suddenly. The level of distraction of the puppy when viewing another dog is also analyzed, factors such as the frequency of moaning, barking, tail movement, panting…
The puppy that passes the different tests is welcomed at two months of age in an educational family, where it will basically be trained to walk on a leash and with a harness, obey simple commands or follow a schedule to eat and relieve itself. The animal, in this period, learns to live with close and strange people, it gets used to the noises and sounds that it will face in its adult life.
Hard training for a noble purpose
When they are between 12 and 14 months old, the dogs enter a training school, with people other than those who have educated them until then, so, again, adaptation to this new and unknown environment supposes a filter more .
At school they are taught more specific commands: walk on the left side, avoid obstacles, point to curbs and steps, avoid distractions, or wait patiently when the owner stops. They also have to learn to communicate the elements of the environment effectively through their harness.
In this learning process, the principles of operant conditioning are usually applied, based on rewards and punishments. In general there are four types of stimulus; reinforcements and punishments, and in each case, positive and negative. The reinforcements, in general, seek to perpetuate a desired behavior, in turn, the punishments try to eliminate the unwanted behaviors.
Positive reinforcement is based on rewarding a good action, for example, giving him a treat when, at the order to sit, he sits down. The prize encourages that action to be repeated in the future. Negative reinforcement also seeks to perpetuate a behavior, but by removing an uncomfortable stimulus. For example, at the command to sit, the back of the back can be pressed uncomfortably until the animal sits up, at which point the pressure is released. In this way, the behavior is perpetuated by removing something negative.
Positive punishment is one that adds something negative to a behavior, causing it to stop being carried out; for example, if the dog wants to go further than he should, being yanked on the leash would be a positive punishment. Negative punishment, on the other hand, removes something positive when you carry out the unwanted behavior; For example, if a dog is barking a lot when out for a walk, the trainer will stay still and only move forward when the barking stops.
When training a dog —and even more so a guide dog—, you have to combine the four types of punishments and rewards, although taking particular care with negative reinforcements and positive punishments, which must be applied in moderation and never reach the limit. cruelty, because they can undermine the trust between the dog and the handler. Losing access to a positive experience is always preferable to actively applying a negative experience.
The trainer must also adapt to each animal; each one has its peculiarities and a reinforcement that works very well in one dog —for example, giving him a treat as a reward or scolding him when he did something wrong—, may not work in another —because he does not like that treat, or because he interprets the scolding as positive because it has received attention.
In addition, the guide dog must learn intelligent disobedience, that is, learn to disobey an order when it puts the user at risk.
Ready to work
When the animal completes its training, it is assigned to a user. Each dog, depending on its abilities and characteristics, will be ideal for one or another person depending on their needs and their environment. The dog and its future owner enter a new phase of training in a controlled environment, in which they will then learn to work together, communicate with each other, and establish an intimate bond.
Since then, dog and person will act as companions, taking care of each other, helping each other, in a mutualism in which both win.
REFERENCES:
Lazarowski, L. et al. 2021. Development and Training for Working Dogs. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 51(4), 921-931. DOI: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2021.04.009
Tomkins, LM et al. 2011. Behavioral and physiological predictors of guide dog success. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 6(3), 178-187. DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2010.12.002
