Changing Lives One Dog At A Time
The Smart Service Dogs – Guide Dogs-Difference
Smart Service Dogs – Guide Dogs – knows that every person who is blind is different from the next. So are we. We create a special partnership between each student and their dog guide – and support that partnership throughout their lives together.
What sets The Smart Service Dogs – Guide Dogs apart from other guide dog schools?
Individualized Programs
The Smart Service Dogs – Guide Dogs is not one-size-fits-all; we celebrate each student’s individuality. We offer several flexible training options, including On-School Training on our Hillcrest Venue; Home Training for those unable to travel; Specialized Training for students who have additional challenges such as gait and balance issues, cognitive challenges, and hearing loss. During each program, our instructors refine their training further to meet each student’s needs – doing whatever it takes to ensure success.
Exceptional Guide Dogs
Our Breeding Program is built upon best-in-class analyses of genetic and behavioural data from every step of a dog’s life. Our Golden Retriever and Standard Poodles dog guides are recognized as among the best in the field, known for their exceptional temperaments and success at helping people gain independence.
Proprietary Relationship-Based Training
Dogs sent to the Durban based training school learn the concepts of guiding in small steps with each lesson building on previous lessons, and these skills are later proofed in a wide variety of environments and situations. Guide Dog Mobility Instructors develop a relationship with their dogs in training through a healthy balance of both work and play. The instructors typically train a dog for three to four months to get them ready for placement with a blind or visually impaired person.
A guide dog is ready for placement with a blind partner when the dog responds safely and reliably in all the work situations it will encounter while guiding, such as indicating changes in elevation, navigating around obstacles and being comfortable on all types of public transportation. We carefully match each guide dog with a blind partner based on walking speed, daily working environment (large city, small town, rural), and other critical factors including pull in the harness, control around distraction, and personality.
For more information or application form feel free to contact us on email: grant@smartservicedog.co.za or mobile: 0812704672