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What makes a good Guide Dog Handler?

A Guide Dog will help you travel and keep you connected to the community.

1. A person who likes to get out and about
   Travel and getting out of the house should be something you’d like to continue and improve on. A Guide Dog is a working dog and is designed to have an active lifestyle to help you achieve some independence around that
2. Previous orientation and mobility skills are a benefit
   White not a pre-requisite, some orientation and mobility training would be a benefit and assist the transition to a Guide Dog. This is because Handlers must direct their Guide Dog and still use their pre-learnt skills. For example, a dog might correctly find the crosswalk, but it’s up to the Handler to listen for the sound to know it is safe to cross.
   
   
3. Ok with responsibility of taking care of a dog to Guide Dogs standards
   To gain access to enclosed areas, there’s a level of cleanliness and training that has to be present with a Guide Dog. Your dog must be well groomed and odour free. If you have NDIS funding, you can charge regular grooming costs to your plan.
   Taking on a dog is a responsibility everyone should be prepared for. We can provide education to help you and your family care for your Guide Dog, and offer regular follow ups and support throughout the working life of the Guide Dog.
    
4. Have some independent travel needs
   A Guide Dog needs to be worked on a regular basis to maintain its trained behaviour and its general health and wellbeing. This does not prevent you from travelling with friends or loved ones and we would be happy to discuss this with you further if this is a consideration for you.
   

It’s a misconception that there’s a huge wait list to get a Guide Dog. We’ve catered for demand and now is a great time to consider a Guide Dog. 

Join our next online Guide Dog info session:
Date: 26 March
Time: 7 pm (AEST)
Register: https://events.humanitix.com/guide-dogs-victoria-join-us-for-a-short-information-session

Or talk to our team directly on getting paired with a Guide Dog now on 1800 804 805.