Feature Man’s best friend Though the world will be watching the preened pooches at Crufts later this week, for some dogs there’s a lot more to life than looking good. Rigorous training, difficult decisions, responsibility for human lives — they take it all in their four-legged stride. |
|||||
|
The world is a very lonely place when you’re deaf. Over half a million people in the UK have severe or profound hearing loss and cannot hear everyday noises. Since 1982, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire have been training unwanted dogs to act as assistants and companions to the deaf, bringing them back into contact with the world around them. Ben Sargeant, training co-ordinator at Hearing Dogs, puts pups through their paces. “There’s a 12 to 18 month waiting list for dogs, which includes people from all over the UK. Once we match a dog with a deaf person, the dog is put through a four-month tailor-made training programme. We might teach them to work around cats. Or if the owner is in a wheelchair, the trainer will use one so the dog gets used to it. If the owner has very poor speech, we will train the dog using very little or no speech.” Dogs are taught to respond to common sounds, from an alarm clock, doorbell and phone to a smoke and burglar alarm. “When the alarm clock goes off the dogs are taught to lick the face of the owner until they wake up. For other noises during the day, we teach them to do an alert by coming up to the owner and putting a paw on their leg, or to get in the way if they’re standing. Then it’s up to the hard of hearing person to signal ‘what is it?’ with their hands, and the dog takes them to the sound, whether that’s a crying baby or the postman at the door.” When a deaf person takes their hearing aid out at night, it can be a very worrying time. “If there’s a fire or an intruder, Hearing Dogs wake their owner by licking their face, and when asked ‘what is it?’ they’ll lie down by the side of the bed. They’re only taught to do that when there’s danger.” For the Hearing Dogs, it’s all a big game. Ben continues, “When the dog takes you to the right sound, it’s important to give them a reward, like a dog biscuit or their favourite soft toy. Once we place a dog with a recipient, if they don’t keep up that motivation, the dog stops working. They’re essentially working dogs, not pets, and they can’t wait for the next sound for the chance to win another treat.” At the end of the dog’s training, the recipient (and sometimes their family) will come to the training centre for a week. “Then we’ll teach them how to work with the dog, taking them to the park and into town until they’re fully confident. Then, the following week, one of our placement officers and a vet will spend three days with the Hearing Dog and new owner at home, teaching the dog where everything is in the house. So when the doorbell rings etc, they can tell the owner what it is and where the noise is coming from.” First meetings can be emotional, Ben explains. “The type of dogs we look for are very loving, so often the dogs run straight up to the new owner — and people do burst into tears.” Jenny Smith from Tring reveals how her life has been changed by her four-legged helper. “Life was so stressful before I had my Hearing Dog. If someone said they would phone me back, I would wait for two hours by the phone. And I was always checking to make sure no-one was standing at the front door. “I’m now so dependent on Riley — I’d be totally lost without him.”  For info on Hearing Dogs and to help raise funds for a branch in Scotland, visitwww.hearing-dogs.co.uk or call 01844 348100 (voice and minicom). By Nora Cleeve |
|
||||
|
Guide Dogs are not just for the
blind — they give independence and freedom to thousands of visually
impaired people in this country. “To qualify for a dog you must be over 16 (there’s no upper age limit), a UK resident and we have to be sure that a dog would suitably enhance safe and independent mobility,” Guide Dog Mobility Instructor Dave Mathews explains. He’s one of over 800 professional staff employed by Guide Dogs but there are thousands more who carry out voluntary work and raise funds as the association relies entirely on donations. Dave works at the training centre in Forfar, Angus and is keen to show what Ashley (right with Dave), just 20 months old and undergoing final training, can do. The young dog leads Dave through an obstacle course, stopping to let him know when to step down or step up as they reach kerbs, taking him round a bar across the pavement and finding the level crossing post. It’s an impressive performance which has taken a great deal of preparation. So where do all those calm, clever dogs come from? “We breed our own stock,” Dave explains. “We do use primarily black or yellow Labradors and retrievers and cross lab-retrievers. But we also receive dogs by donation.” Around 1200 puppies are bred by Guide Dogs each year and when they are six to eight weeks old they go to a small army of Puppy Walkers. “The Puppy Walker works with the dog for around a year, then the dog comes to school at a training centre. They’ll work with a Guide Dog Trainer for 20 weeks and then they’re passed on to a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor for the last 10 weeks of training to be matched to a new owner,” Dave reveals. Dogs will learn to walk in a straight line (it’s the owner who decides when to tell them to turn left or right) and judge height and width so they don’t lead owners into obstacles. They can also be trained to find specific places. But one thing dogs can’t learn is the Highway Code. “The dog has the same attitude to traffic as a four-year-old child — it’s the owner who decides when to cross the road. If you see an owner holding the handle of the harness on the back of their dog, waiting to cross the road, they need help to cross. If in doubt, ask.” Having undertaken three years of training to become a GDMI, Dave knows just what his dogs are thinking and how to handle them. “Distraction is the biggest problem we have in training,” he reveals. The dogs must learn to ignore interesting smells, any food which might lie in their path and the attentions of interested dog lovers. “If you see a dog training in its brown harness, do not distract it.” There’s no magic titbit to bribe dogs into good behaviour — it’s all a matter of praise when it’s due and playtime after work. And once the dogs are ready to go to work in their white harness, Dave will match them to a new owner. “We look at a person’s size, age, how fast they walk, their environment, if they travel on public transport or not, if the dog will be living in kennels or at home.” Once matched, Dave will work with the new owner and dog for up to four weeks, with part of that time spent together in the owner’s own hometown. There are follow up visits and continual support throughout the Guide Dog’s working life. “Then, after around eight years work, the dogs are retired,” Dave explains. “Often they’ll stay with their owner if they have room for two dogs (as a new Guide Dog will soon be in place) or they will nominate a home for the dog with a friend or relative. There’s also a waiting list of people hoping to provide retirement homes for the dogs.” There is an 85 per cent pass rate but early retirement is not an option for dogs that don’t make the grade. “Rejected dogs are offered to other dog associations such as Police, Customs and Excise, and Hearing Dogs.” While Dave admits it’s disappointing when dogs are not suited to the work, the rewards when they do well are immense. He talks about the tears and hugs from people who discover a new independence through their Guide Dogs. “The biggest reward is knowing you have made a difference to someone’s life,” he smiles.
For more info on Guide Dogs visit
www.guidedogs.org.uk or call 01189 835 555. By Mary Hynd |
|
||||
|
Scooby Doo may be the world’s most reluctant canine sleuth but some dogs are eager to play their part in front line crime-busting. One such heroic hound is two-year-old German Shepherd Rudi, a valued member of the Northern Constabulary Dog Branch. Rudi and his handler, PC Ewan MacLeod (right), specialise in search and rescue and crowd management as well as carrying out general police duties, operating from their Inverness HQ. Ewan has been a police officer for 14 years and in the dog branch for 18 months and knows what makes a good police dog. “They must have drive and confidence,” Ewan explains. “We need dogs who want to run around all day long — and still be hungry for more. They must be agile, obedient and emotionally intelligent. The dog has to sense their handler’s approach to a job. We could be called out to a search and later we may have to apprehend a criminal who is perhaps running from a stolen vehicle. Obviously situations are very different and demand different approaches — we need dogs that adapt and react quickly.” Some police dogs, such as Rudi, are specially bred for the work and trained at the Strathclyde Police Dog Training School. “Rudi was one of a litter of nine and now all the dogs are working in Forces across the country,” Ewan reveals. “Their parents have worked in the Force beforehand, so essentially the police life becomes instinctive and is fine tuned by on-going training. “There’s also a scheme where people can donate German Shepherds who have the essential characteristics of being eager and alert. They’re put through an intensive 12-week training course but only one in 15 dogs donated makes the grade. There’s also an annual assessment to see how handler and dog are progressing.” Rudi was assigned to Ewan when still a pup and they went through training together. “A great deal of trust has built up between us and our relationship doesn’t end when I start and finish a shift — he comes home with me at night. The only time we are apart is if I go away on holiday. He’s part of my family. “Rudi has been conditioned into getting results on a reward basis. If we’re doing criminal work, like chasing a suspect, the reward is a teddy he can toss around. Similarly, with a missing person, he gets a ball to play with when he locates the individual.” Already Rudi and Ewan have put their training to the test, saving two lives. “In Rudi’s first shout in early November we were called to search for an elderly woman who went missing from her nursing home in a freezing Highland woodland.” After a three and a half hour search, Rudi started barking at the edge of a clearing. “At the other side of the undergrowth the woman was lying beside a burn, almost sleeping — she’d obviously fallen and had cut her head. I doubt if she would have survived the night if Rudi hadn’t tracked her down. “We were also called to a similar job in the middle of winter in woodland near Fort William. The only difference was it was a man who had gone missing. Rudi tracked him down but I doubt if the man would have made it through the night in the freezing temperatures.” By Euan Duguid Back to Features Archive |
|
||||
|
|||||
