Guide Dogs for the Blind - Eli's 12 week update

Monday 7th November 2011

On August 4th 2011 Elite's sponsored puppy Eli was born!

Eli is a black Labrador from a large litter of puppies, his mother and father are Cookie and Mason, his ten siblings are Buddy, Ernie, Eric, Spencer, Ron, Edward, Elliot, Gracie, Tasha and Evie.

How does Eli become a Guide Dog?

0 to 6 weeks

Eli will be living with his mum and siblings in a Guide Dog volunteer's home. As well as playing, exploring and napping, he will go to a state of the art breeding centre where he will receive health  checks and at six weeks his immunisations.

6 weeks to 4 months

Eli will move to his Puppy Walker's home. During these crucial months, he will start learning good manners and basic commands, such as 'sit' and 'down' - as well as how to walk on the lead.

12 Week Update

Now that Eli is twelve weeks old we have had news  on his progress from his puppy walker.

"From the day that Eli arrived he has been sleeping through the night and is already feeling at home. He has made a good start with his training and seems to enjoy being out and about exploring the world around him. He has visited shops, supermarkets and garden centres and has even been to the town centre, he shows no concern about the crowds or loud sounds.

Eli is doing very well with his basic command work. Having mastered 'sit' and 'down' we are now working on 'wait' this is a big ask of a little puppy and it is something that he will learn in time. He has only just started lead work but this is going well. He was happy to have his collar and lead on and will stride out in front, if anything he is too enthusiastic! Again this is age related and something that will come with maturity and practice.

At home Eli's favourite toy is a bear that he loves to take everywhere and curls up with to sleep at night, he is adorable and I love having him"!

4 to 14 months

Eli should now be starting to get used to the area he lives in. He will learn how to negotiate flights of stairs, busy shopping areas and various means of transport. Eli should also get used to being around people and other dogs.

14 to 17 months

It's time for guide dog training school. A professional guide dog trainer will introduce Eli to a special brown training harness. It's also time to start learning guiding skills such as dealing with kerbs and avoiding obstacles.

17 to 20 months

At this stage, a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor will start to pull all Eli's training together, so that he learns to use guiding skills in everyday situations. They will also start the matching process, finding a blind or partially sighted person who is just right for Eli.

20 to 22 months

Eli will now be matched with a person with sight loss so they can get to know each other and start their partnership training.

22 to 24 months

Hopefully Eli will have begun to change a blind or partially sighted person's life forever! He should have now settled into his new home and be practicing his regular routes. A Guide Dog Mobility Instructor will keep visiting to check how it's all going.

Over the course of the next 24 months, we will be updating our news with Eli's progress.