Guide Dogs Regional Centre South East trains nearly 250 guide dogs each year. At any one time there are over 100 dogs at the centre. Most are undergoing their first stage or “early” guide dog training. A small number are doing second stage or “advanced” training.
Dogs come to centre from puppy walking when they are about 14 months old. Their early training takes around 16 weeks. 20 professional guide dog trainers introduce the young dogs to a harness, encourage them to ignore distractions and teach them the basics of guiding which includes: leading a person in a straight line without pulling, stopping and sitting at changes in the ground level such as kerbs and steps, and avoiding street obstacles.
This centre is the hub for puppy walking. The puppy walking team manages over 600 puppy walkers who currently look after more than 420 puppies. Regular puppy training classes are held at the centre where local puppies and walkers come together for a couple of hours of schooling and socialising!
Guide Dogs Regional Centre South East is the location for the re-homing of dogs that have been withdrawn from training or guiding and retired guide dogs. A team of re-homing staff find new careers and new homes for over 200 withdrawn and retired dogs each year.
Counties covered include: Kent, East Sussex, Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, West Sussex, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, London.
Contact:
Findlay House
Manor Road
Woodford Green
London
IG8 8ER
Tel: 0345 1430225
