[nagdu] Southeastern Guide Dogs - how to become a trainer

[Julie Phillipson]

here is the article
Do you love dogs and enjoy working with people?  Do you have a passion for 
helping others?  Do you enjoy working in a variety of situations, but don't 
mind lots and lots of repetition?  If you answered yes to all of the above, 
then becoming a certified guide dog trainer for Southeastern Guide Dogs 
might be a great career choice for you.

Southeastern's Apprentice Trainer program is at least a three-year 
commitment, during which time each apprentice must master a variety of 
skills in order to become certified.  Currently Southeastern Guide Dogs has 
eight apprentices working their way though various stages of the program. 
The curriculum has been determined by Southeastern, but meets all the 
requirements as laid out by the International Guide Dog Federation.  All 
guide dog schools must meet these requirements, but it is up to each 
individual school to determine how their apprentices will go through the 
process.

The majority of the apprentices in the program began their career working in 
the kennels.  There they hone their dog handling skills and have the 
opportunity to interact with the trainers to see what's involved in taking a 
dog through the training process.  Apprentices are selected because they 
have shown that they have an aptitude for dog training along with excellent 
people skills.  Both aspects are extremely important for a trainer because 
once the dogs are done with their training, then the trainers become 
instructors for the visually impaired handlers during their in-residence 
training.

Once an apprentice has been selected, they will be matched up with a team 
that includes a certified trainer who will act as a mentor.  They will then 
start training the string of dogs for that team under the mentor's watchful 
eye.  In order to be certified, each apprentice must log a certain number of 
training hours both shadowing a trainer and being shadowed.

When the team's string of dogs is "class ready" then the apprentices begin 
working with the students.  They will both shadow their mentor and be 
shadowed while teaching everything from the appropriate way to put on the 
harness, daily obedience sessions and actually working as a team with the 
dog.

The apprentices also participate in home interviews for prospective 
students, home placements (if a returning graduate needs another guide dog, 
but can't be on campus for the residential training, a trainer and dog will 
be sent to their home for training in their home environment) and follow-up 
visits for graduates.  They will also spend time working in Graduate 
Services/Admissions.  All of this gives them a well-rounded experience that 
will serve them well as certified trainers.

But the training doesn't stop there.  Apprentices must also read a number of 
textbooks on both dog behavior and human eye health, complete at least two 
professional education courses on appropriate topics, present a program to 
the entire staff, participate in immersion exercises to give them a feeling 
for what the students experience in their daily life and attend a conference 
hosted by either the American Council of the Blind or the National 
Federation of the Blind.

Throughout their training, the apprentices are expected to submit summaries 
of everything they learn to ensure all of the important concepts are 
solidified in their understanding.  Only after they have successfully 
completed all the tasks that have been outlined (and probably a few we didn't 
cover), will the apprentice be dubbed a certified guide dog trainer for 
Southeastern Guide Dogs.

About this column: Each week, Jennifer Bement of Southeastern Guide Dogs 
will tell readers what's new at the Palmetto-based nonprofit, the only guide 
dog school in the southeastern United States. Follow them at 
facebook.com/southeastern-guide-dogs and twitter.com/dogguidetrainer Related 
Topics: Blindness,
Julie Phillipson
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rovig, Lorraine" <LRovig at nfb.org>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 1:25 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Southeastern Guide Dogs - how to become a trainer


> Southeastern Guide Dogs - Their process for candidates who want to become 
> a certified trainer of guide dogs is described in this blog article:
> http://bradenton.patch.com/articles/weekly-tails-from-southeastern-guide-dogs-train-the-trainers
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