Pedro Márquez, instructor of the ONCE Guide Dog Foundation, performs a stair training session with Wasa /
Two years of education until being the ‘eyes’ of those who do not see
Wasa will be ready in half a year to be the ‘eyes’ of those who do not see. Since she was born, she has received a daily education to train as a guide dog and to be able to safely accompany a visually impaired person. “It is capable of memorizing routes, objectives and indications, as well as recognizing and avoiding static or moving obstacles, whether at ground level or at height,” points out Pedro Márquez, the instructor-in-training at the ONCE Guide Dog Foundation, who is in charge of training this yellow Labrador retriever.
Wasa lives in the facilities that ONCE has in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid), the only breeding and training center in all of Spain. About 150 dogs leave here every year to be assigned to blind or severely visually impaired people who have requested it. But the animals will always belong to the foundation, which will oversee the treatment of the dog throughout its life.
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Virginia Carrasco
The training of a guide dog is expensive – around 30,000 euros – and long, but the user does not pay anything. “The aim is for the animal to be calm, ductile, willful, friendly… that it has a good presence, with social acceptance, that it does not bark much and with a good level of initiative,” they describe.
Labrador, German Shepherd…
“Hence, the Labrador is the most common breed since it adapts better to any person,” says Márquez. Then there is the German Shepherd, which is “‘the Ferrari’ of guide dogs”, but it is not an animal that is made for everyone, since it is more difficult to control, shows some protective tendency and goes faster. “It adapts very well to very active people, but it has the drawback that it generates some type of suspicion that is greater than another breed on the part of non-users,” says the expert, who points out that they also regularly use Golden and crosses between them to get the best.
Each breed has different qualities. For this reason, what is required for this work is an animal trained so that it does not think about its interests, but about those of the blind person. That is, he cannot be distracted from the task, since he is not just any pet, he is a professional. And how is this accomplished? The first key is to control him and then trust him. “Trusting a guide dog is an act of faith,” acknowledges the instructor, as he politely asks people approaching with another dog not to bring him near Wasa. “He is working and needs maximum concentration.” An oversight could cause an accident in the future.
intelligent disobedience
The animal is in training through the streets of the Moncloa neighborhood, in Madrid, and has previously visited other parts of the community, where it has been entrusted with different jobs, just as it will have to do tomorrow. Wasa stops at a red light and the instructor gives him the opposite order, to pass while cars are coming. «You must learn intelligent disobedience. That is, learning to breach an order when it puts the user at risk. It is the most complicated part, “acknowledges Márquez. But Wasa has understood and she stands still. “She has done it perfectly, a situation like this can save lives,” the instructor congratulates himself.
And just as they train you at traffic lights, they do so at crosswalks, sidewalks and any obstacle that may be in the city. It always walks on the left side of its trainer and, if there is a difficulty in the way, the animal turns to avoid it. When he comes across a step, he stands in front of it until the person he’s accompanying notices it. “It marks the arrival of the curb, stairs or unevenness,” details the instructor, who stops at the height of its front legs. «Advance, straight, stay…». Wasa knows all the instructions.
Many blind people change their cane for a dog and assure that it changes their lives radically. “It’s like riding a bicycle instead of walking”, graphically points out Pedro, who points out that the animal has the initiative to find the best possible alternative route. “Look for the crossroads,” he tells her so that the dog can locate the target. Now it’s time to catch the bus and Wasa doesn’t take long to approach the nearest canopy – it’s another of the orders that he has been given during this instruction walk. Upon arrival, Pedro asks him to feel for a place and the animal approaches his snout to one of the benches. «Learn by concepts. In case there had been a bus I would go directly to the door.
GUIDE DOGS
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The most used
The breeds that are used are the Labrador Retriever (60%), the German Shepherd (15%) and the Golden (5%) and the crosses between them, as they are the ones that best adapt. -
Socialization
At 8 weeks old they are handed over to a volunteer family that will be in charge of educating them and helping them to socialize for a year. -
Training
The dogs return to the training school to receive an instruction that usually lasts between 6 and 10 months, the maximum being one year. -
Assignment
With two years of life, the dog is ready to be assigned to a user. The waiting list can be up to 5 years. -
Training
The blind person attends a course at the training center that later continues in their place of residence, where they work on routes and specific needs. -
Retirement
The working life of these dogs is a maximum of 12 years, so they would be a guide for a decade.
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