Copyright © 2007-
Visit Guide Dogs Today
Click here to visit Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. on the web
GUIDE DOGS for the BLIND
Toll-
San Rafael, CA Campus:
350 Los Ranchitos Rd.
San Rafael, CA 94915
(415) 499-
Boring, OR Campus:
32901 S.E. Kelso Road
Boring, OR 97009
(503) 668-
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Raisers receive their puppies when they are between 8 and 12 weeks old. Puppies are raised and treated as members of the family until they are 14 to 18 months old. During this time, raisers train the puppies in basic commands, teach them good house manners, introduce them to a variety of social situations and give them lots of love!
Click here to see our current puppies.
When a puppy is about 14 to 18 months old, it is ready to go back to Guide Dogs for the Blind for advanced training, primarily focused on the all important harness work. During this training the puppy will learn all the skills necessary to safely lead its visually impaired partner. Intact puppies enter into a separate evaluation by the Breeding Department for a possible career as a Breeder.
Click here to see our dogs in formal training.
Once fully trained, the guide dog is carefully matched with a blind or visually impaired
partner.The newly paired team will spend two to three weeks on campus learning how
to work as a coordinated team. GDB is internationally recognized as a leader in
providing outstanding guide dog team training and graduate follow-
Click here to see our dogs that are working guides and K-
Not all dogs are suitable for guidework. "Career changes" are what we call puppies who have been released from Guide Dogs for the Blind programs, usually for medical, temperamental, or behavioral reasons. Dogs can be released at any point during their training. While they may not be successful in the guide dog program, these dogs are far from failures! Many career change dogs have gone on to other careers in search and rescue, hearing/service dog training, medical alert assistance dog training, drug/bomb detection, therapy work, tracking, obedience work, or agility.
If the dog is career changed, puppy raisers are offered the opportunity to accept the dog back as a pet or place it with a close family member or friend. If the puppy raiser does not wish to keep the dog, it will be placed in a carefully screened home selected by Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Interested in adopting a career change? Click here.
Click here to see our dogs that have been career changed.
A few select dogs are chosen to be breeders for Guide Dogs for the Blind based on their outstanding health and temperament. Other dogs may be chosen as breeders for guide dog schools in other countrires. Although most dogs selected to be breeders do not go on to become guides, a few “charter” breeders may be returned to training after producing one or two litters. Raising a dog that becomes a breeder is a tremendous honor, and usually the dog’s raiser is given the opportunity to raise a puppy from one of his or her litters.
Click here to see our dogs that have been chosen as breeders.
