[blparent] Guide dog questions

[Sarah Clark]

I agree with Melissa. Home training may be a good option. Numerous schools provide it to their graduates if it is needed. And some provide it even if you're not one of their graduates. I know Guide Dog Foundation will do it because I applied there and they were willing. And Guide Dogs of the Desert will also do it. I went to Guide Dogs for the Blind for my first dog, but due to need of a specific breed, I had to go to Desert for my current dog, and they were willing to do in home training with me. I ended up opting to go to the school to train, but they would've done it in home if I wanted. They are a small school, but they do a decent number of home placements throughout the year, and particularly during the hotter months when they can't hold classes and can't do much training in the desert. But since they are small, they do have a waiting list, which may be a bit longer if you want in home training -- I'm not sure on that. But if you give yourself plenty of time when applying, it shouldn't be an issue.
And an FYI, though Guide Dog Foundation was also willing to do in home training with me, this was made difficult by the fact that I live in California. California has strict laws regarding training, where the instructor must be licensed in the state in order to conduct training here, so this limits the number of people a school outside the state has available to come train here, which is why I didn't go with GDF. They only had 1 person licensed here, so my wait would've been a lot longer for in home training. But if you're not in California, this would not be an issue.

Sarah