Puppy Open Day

The Puppy Open Day is held every couple of months where the Puppy Raising team and Assistance Dog Training team work together to host all the puppies in training with their volunteer Puppy Raisers.

Puppy Raisers bring the puppies in training, of various ages (5 months to 18 months) to spend the morning with the staff at different stations of activities at our premises.

The theme of our day was International Guide Dog Day that was celebrated on 24 April as well as Freedom Day that was celebrated on 27 April.

The Puppy Raisers were doing rotation between 7 stations of which each station had its own activities and agenda.

  • Station 1: Handling – making sure the pups are happy being touched and can relax with their raisers with other people and dogs around – it is vital they like to be touched and is happy with it without getting aroused or excited.
Puppy raisers physically touching the puppies
  • Station 2: Obedience and Mind Games – making sure the dogs and their raisers can do basic obedience like down, stand, stay and doing it on a platform whilst there is distraction from other dogs and people around. The mind games is a fun factor for the dogs to engage their mind to do problem solving games to get treats as the reward.
Puppy and his raiser doing a 'down' on an activity mat
  • Station 3: Orientation and Mobility Awareness – our team from Orientation and Mobility gave the Puppy Raisers a quick insight on different visual impairments and how to do small tasks when having a visual impairment.
O&M demonstrating their services
  • Station 4: Loose Leash Walking – This station was testing the ability of the pups and their raiser how they can manoeuvre around obstacles, walking next to a pram and walking past food distractions on the ground. This is preparation for them as working dogs to stay focused and guide their handler safely from point A to point B.
Puppy obstacle course
  • Station 5: Chill and GDA Trivia Competition – This is where the pups and their raisers can have a break and rest while playing along with the other raisers in their group to answer different trivia questions about Guide-Dogs and things that gets done while the puppies are with them. There were images and clues around the field for the Raisers to see before going to that station.
Taking a break from all the fun
  • Station 6: Transporter and Car – This is where we assess the pups getting into a different car into the footwell to see how comfortable they are with it and to expose them to the transporter van where they travel while during their formal training process.
Puppy happily getting in the transporter with some treats
  • Station 7: Distraction – This station tested the pup’s resilience to noises, novel objects and moving things from a vacuum-cleaner, fan, heater to food distraction on a table to a different breed dog moving around them while the pups need to stay focus and not react by pulling or barking.
Puppy successfully passing the vacuum distraction

The highlight of the day was to see how well everyone did and the love, care and commitment the raisers have for these dogs. Thank you to everyone who participated.

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