Latest news with #puppyTraining
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Guide Dogs Sheffield appeals for people to foster puppies
Guide Dogs Sheffield is appealing for volunteers to foster puppies to ensure there is no delay in their charity aims to train 45 puppies a year at its centre in Tinsley but there is a shortage of fosterers who can look after pups at home from a few weeks old to about 14 is also a lack of fosterers who can look after older puppies on evenings and weekends while they finish the final stages of their Dogs says the two roles are "vital and without volunteers there's a risk of delays giving someone with sight loss their independence". Sarah Longley has fostered Vector since he was eight weeks old and started his initial training at her home."It's similar to normal puppy training but we introduced him to trains, buses, shops and noisy places so he is hopefully a well-rounded puppy ready to go to the next stage."Vector is now 14 months and is moving on to the next stage of daily training at the Guide Dogs cannot keep him as part of his training is adapting to a new family, but she hopes to get another foster pup."I thought I would learn something new, it would be fun and it was giving something back," she said."He'll leave us and it will be really hard saying goodbye but it's emotional in a good way as hopefully he's going on to do a brilliant thing." Kirsty Simpson is employed by Guide Dogs to train older puppies during the day on a mock street with bollards, bus stops and fake pedestrian Kirsty is their trainer, Guide Dogs still need fosterers to look after the older pups in evenings and weekends until they fully qualify when they are about said: "Fosterers are families of all sizes, it doesn't matter if you live alone or you have children, you can even have other pet dogs, because our dogs need to be okay with other animals in the home. You don't need a big garden either."You don't need previous experience with dogs, we train everybody and fully support people. Guide Dogs will fund everything such as food, vaccinations and equipment, we just ask for a loving family and a lovely home."If people are out at work all day, Kirsty suggests fostering an older puppy."They are training all day Monday to Friday so you can drop off from first thing in the morning and collect at teatime, then you get to enjoy the dog throughout the rest of the evening and over the weekend." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Guide dogs attend Royal Ascot as part of training
Guide dog puppies have been attending Royal Ascot as part of their socialisation training ahead of the race research from the Guide Dogs charity suggests nearly one in eight dogs can be "confused and scared" when confronted with oversized puppies, who range from 12 weeks to 10 months, were exposed to "new sights, sounds, and scents" to help their development advisor at the charity Chloe Southby said Royal Ascot offered a "unique training opportunity" of being exposed to "extravagant hats and fascinators". Ms Southby said: "Some dogs are wary of new or unusual objects like hats and may find them unsettling, especially when worn by someone they know. "It can make familiar people seem unfamiliar."That's why environments like Ascot are so valuable for socialising our puppies – helping them grow into confident guide dogs who can support people."Corporate social values manager at Ascot Racecourse Jacqui Greet said: "We are proud to provide an accessible environment for all racegoers and welcome any guest with an assistance dog." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Banbury charity reveals how life-changing assistance dogs are raised
"The need is always there - not just for assistance dogs but for positive connections with dogs."Dogs for Good in Banbury, Oxfordshire, trains dogs to help people with physical disabilities, autism and charity is currently caring for Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever puppies at the very start of their journeys to become assistance Phelps, from Dogs for Good, told the BBC the charity was "involved in every step of every dog's life". The charity has its own breeding programme, through which it selects its broods and stud Phelps said volunteers look after the mothers and their puppies for the first eight weeks of their said: "During that time, our puppy team will come and visit mum and puppies to make sure that everything's progressing as it should be and that everybody's happy and everybody's safe."The characteristics that we look for in a puppy mum is calm, confident, adaptable - those really positive mothering instincts and a good all round dog that's going to be a lovely mum to her puppies."Each puppy will be with their volunteer for about 16 to 18 months until they return for formal Phelps said it was a lot for the female dogs to look after their litters, which could often be up to 12 puppies, and a week after giving birth were often ready to be "free" and "just be the pet dog again".Before they leave their mother, the puppies must be fully weaned, so that they are able to eat and drink independently. Ms Phelps said the charity was "more than a supplier of assistance dogs". "Twenty years ago we used to supply assistance dogs to physically disabled adults and children. "And we are really proud of that heritage - it is where we come from. "But, actually, it's only about 20% of the people that we connect with dogs that want an assistance dog."The charity's community dog programme, for example, involves a specially-trained dog and professional handler working together to support an individual's needs such as building self-esteem and overcoming said the charity was "broadening horizons all the time". "The need is always there, not just for assistance dogs but for positive connections with dogs," she said."That's why having a broad brush of service is so vital." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Times
11-05-2025
- Science
- Times
How Terry the guide dog puppy was bred for perfection
On a quiet street in Berkhamsted, a puppy named Terry is embarking on a journey that could one day transform someone's life. At six months old, he is still learning the ropes — how to walk confidently on a lead, how to respond to his name — but there is more to Terry than meets the eye. Terry is no ordinary puppy. He is the result of decades of research into behavioural science and genetics and part of one of the most advanced canine breeding programmes in the world, run by the charity Guide Dogs. For more than 90 years, the organisation has been helping people with sight loss navigate more freely, thanks to these extraordinary animals. Behind each working guide dog, there is an
