Appropriate Conduct When Working With a Student With a Seeing Eye Dog

As faculty, you play a significant role in the success of the working partnership between a student with a visual impairment and his/her Seeing Eye dog.   It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of the first few weeks at home in the development of the relationship between them.   In that time, the success of the two as a working team will be determined.   Good teamwork develops when the owner follows three rules in dog handling: consistency, praise when earned, and correction when necessary.

Faculty, classmates, friends, and family can help by observing a few simple rules of their own:

1. When owner and the dog arrive, greet them in a relaxed manner.  Do not rush up to them.
2. Give the owner and dog a change to adjust to its new surroundings gradually.
3. Let the dog make the first advance to greet you.  Don't stare at the dog; it's unnerving.
4. Never follow the team when it is working.   The dog will recognize you and look back at you rather than paying attention to its work.   This is a serious distraction and will prevent the team from working safely and effectively.
5. The owner has been taught to correct the dog using a leash.  A leash correction does not hurt the dog; coupled with affection, it results in efficient guide work and good behavior.
6. The owner has learned how to groom and care for the dog completely. It is the owner's responsibility to feed, groom and take the dog out 3 or 4 times a day to meet its needs.
7. A Seeing Eye dog is not a pet, but the others need not ignore it.  The important thing to remember is that the greatest amount of affection and care must come from its owner.
8. Even though the owner has a wealth of experience gained from working and living with a previous dog, a new dog means a new relationship.  The owner needs to help the dog adjust to new working conditions away from The Seeing Eye and the instructor.  Each dog has a unique personality and will be quite different from its owner's previous dog.

This information will help you become more familiar with the Seeing Eye program and more confident in your role of helping to strengthen a wonderful working partnership.