Learning new routes with your guide dog is key to your partnership and provides many benefits. You'll be able to discover new places, giving you a sense of independence and access to a wider range of destinations. Along the way, you'll also build your confidence, and let's not forget the fun your guide dog will have, experiencing your new shared journeys.
Planning a new route is a positive and exciting experience, but it's also natural for you and your dog to feel a bit overwhelmed at first. However, help is at hand as there are many resources and support options to assist you along the way.
Learning new routes requires a high level of concentration from your dog, and you’ll need to ensure you consider the four Guide Dogs principles when you’re introducing your dog to new routes:
A sighted guide is a trained companion who walks alongside you, offering verbal directions, identifying obstacles, and helping you navigate new routes safely. They help you to plan the safest and most straightforward path while you’re getting to grips with a new area. However, a friend or family member can also be your sighted guide.
When planning a new route with your chosen guide, there are a few key stages to keep in mind:
When planning routes with a sighted guide, whether it's a family member, friend, or trained individual, the five stages above will help you to get familiar with the route before introducing your guide dog. Once you feel comfortable with the route, it's time to walk it with your chosen guide while your dog is on a lead. Take your time and repeat this process until you feel ready to progress.
As you move forward, your chosen guide can step back and take on a more supportive role, allowing your guide dog to take the lead in their working harness. Your guide will still be there to step in when needed, ensuring you and your guide dog are safe, until you're ready to walk your new route independently.
Your loved ones can play a crucial role in supporting you as you scope out new routes. Having them act as your sighted guide provides an added layer of comfort and security as they can offer encouragement, identify obstacles and landmarks, and give emotional support throughout your learning process.
Remember, planning a route with a familiar person or using a cane doesn't diminish the partnership with your guide dog. It's just a temporary measure while you gain confidence and familiarity with a new route. As you become more comfortable, you can gradually transition to relying more on your guide dog.
Once you’re familiar and confident with your new route, you’ll want to get your guide dog onboard too. Teaching your guide dog, a new route requires patience and planning, but a few simple techniques can make the learning process more manageable for your guide dog:
When introducing a new route to your dog, choose quieter times of the day and week, such as avoiding school pick-up times or busy bin collection days. This lets your guide dog focus on the route rather than the additional distractions. Once your dog is confident with the new route, you can come back at different times to introduce them to other challenges.
You can enhance your confidence, as well as your dog's, by knowing new routes well before introducing them to your guide dog. Before you leave to go out, it’s always worth checking your route on an app like Google Maps in case there are road closures or heavy traffic that you need to be aware of.
Breaking down your long-term goals into smaller milestones is an effective technique for learning new routes, and the same is true when introducing your dog to a new route.
Splitting a new route into sections lets you focus on each section in-depth. Before you do this, you should walk the full route several times with your chosen sighted guide, first with your dog on a lead and then moving to the working harness. From here, you can move to teaching the route in sections without your guide. Once your dog is comfortable with a section, you can start to fit the sections together, continuing to recap when needed. This step-by-step approach helps both of you feel safe.
When it comes to planning your routes, safety should always be your top priority. Remember that the shortest path may not necessarily be the safest one. Instead, select the most straightforward and secure route for your journey.
By prioritising safety as part of your route planning, you'll feel more confident when you're out with your guide dog.
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When it comes to knowing where you are when you're out and about, you have an incredible set of tools at your disposal - your senses! Here are some tips on how to use your senses to stay oriented.
Pay attention to sounds around you, such as traffic noise, children's voices in a school playground and other sounds associated with particular locations. These auditory clues can give you valuable information about your environment and help you maintain your sense of direction.
After Lyn’s guide dog retired, she was worried about how she was going to cope without her. Since joining the Ready to Train programme Lyn has received 1:1 support from Rachael, a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist to learn new routes using her cane.
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