Monday, March 7, 2016

A special visitor in class!

In read, write inc we have been learning all about guide dogs for the blind. We were very lucky to have Mrs McAllister come and talk to us, because she used to train guide dogs! 


Mrs McAllister told us about all the things that a puppy needs training to do, so that they can look after their owners properly. They have to learn to use all sorts of transport so that they are not scared of noises. 
We learned that guide dogs learn to go to the toilet on command, so that they don't go when their owner is out and about. The guide dogs also learn to eat their food when their owners blow their whistle. 


We learned that all the puppies in one litter have the same initials. So Mrs McAllister trained Phil and all the other puppies would have had names starting with P too. 



Mrs McAllister showed us all the obstacles that she needs to train the guide dogs to learn to move around. The trickiest object for a guide dog to learn about is a height object, like tree branches. The dog learns to be aware of height objects by looking above their own height level, so they protect their owner.

Mrs McAllister trains each dog for about 4-5months, before they go to their owner. She has trained about 50 dogs altogether! Wow! We think Mrs McAllister is A-MAZING! 

Look out for some news soon about Rowan Class sponsoring a guide dog.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for letting me come and talk to you today about my time as a Guide Dog Trainer, I had a lovely morning. You all asked fab questions and were great listeners! Kind Regards, Mrs McAllister

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Mrs McAllister! We learned absolutely loads from you and were so interested in everything you told us! We really appreciate you coming in and helping us with our learning.

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  2. Lucas came home and told us all about the guide dogs and the important work they do. Thank you Mrs McAllister!

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