While it may have taken my sweetheart of a Schnauzer, Freud, two years to learn “sit,” such is not the case for guide dogs-in-training.  By the time they are two years old, they have learned more than 40 commands.

These guide dog commands can be roughly broken down into three different categories; obedience commands; directional commands; and “find the” commands. The obedience commands are the starting point for the pups and they begin right from the start at Southeastern Guide Dogs.

The puppies all take part in Early Puppy Socialization where they are introduced to the collar, leash, puppy coat and a variety of obedience commands.  By the time they go home with their Puppy Raisers at 9 to 10 weeks of age, the puppies have certainly heard: sit, stay, come, no noise, and busy busy.  For those of you not familiar with Southeastern-speak,  “no noise” is the command given when the puppies/dogs vocalize inappropriately (as guide dogs must always be quiet so as not to disturb those around them) and “busy busy” is the command for the pup to relieve (as guide dogs are taught to go to the bathroom on command).

From the easy stuff, the dogs then move onto the harder concepts of directional commands.  It’s easy enough for some of us to mess up our left and right, so imagine what a daunting task it is for a dog to learn. But, they do. The command “left” or “right” is given when the guide dog team is standing still and the next place they want to go is to the left or right of where they presently are.  The handler would tell the dog either “left” or “right” and the dog would turn in that direction at a 90 degree angle. Simple, right? Well, building on that concept are “left, left” and “right, right.”  These are commands that are given while the team is in motion.  If the handler knows that there is a left or right turn coming up that they want to take, they would give the dog the “left, left” or “right, right” command which signals to the dog that at the next opportunity, they should turn either left or right.

Once the dogs have mastered the directional commands, they move on to even more difficult tasks – the “find the” commands.  Unique to guide dog work, the “find the” commands really give the dogs the chance to show their worth.  Here they can lead their handler to a door, car, chair, exit, elevator, stairs, etc.  For many first time guide dog users, being able to give the command “find the door” and have their dog confidently lead them there is very exciting.  They never have to ask a passerby for directions to the door or the elevator. Their dog will find it for them.

Here are some other commands you might find interesting:

“Switch” – this is used when the team comes to a door.  The dog should always go through the door first for the obvious reason that they need to lead their handler through, but also so that they are clear of the door and there is no worry of their tail or another part getting caught in the door (no one likes to have the door closed on them).  So, if the door opening is on the left (the side where most dogs work), then there is no need to switch, but if the door opens to the right, the “switch” command would be given and the dog would switch sides over to the right and move through the door, returning to the left on the other side.

“Down/Under” – since guide dogs go everywhere with their handlers, they are often in areas where they might get in the way.  The “down/under” command would be given to have the dog lie down and scoot back underneath the chair in which the handler was sitting – you’d be surprised how these big dogs can curl up under a chair.

“Take a Break” – this command lets the dogs know they are not working anymore.  It is commonly used as a release to partake in food or water.  The dogs are made to sit first, food is placed in front of them, but they won’t begin eating until they are given the command “take a break.”

“Forward Around” – if the guide dog team comes across an obstacle in their travels, the handler will give the “forward around” command and the dog will then pick the safest way to get around the block in their path.