Guide Dogs
Overview of Guide Dog Services (GDS)
There are around 240 working guide dogs in New Zealand, all trained by the RNZFB's Guide Dog Services. The service has more than 40 full- and part-time staff and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Each year some 100 puppies are placed with volunteer puppy walkers who care for and socialise the puppies for around 12 months. Puppies then return to Guide Dog Services and begin their formal training.
Guide dogs assist blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people to get around independently, confidently and safely. They are trained to guide their handlers around hazards, negotiate traffic, locate common destinations such as the supermarket, and travel on planes and buses.
A unique and profound partnership develops between the handler and the dog. Their relationship is based on trust and respect.
It costs over $22,500 to breed, raise, train and match a guide dog. Guide dogs are provided to handlers without charge, and the costs are met by public donations, sponsorships and legacies.
Guide Dog Services' overall success rate in breeding, training and matching dogs places it among the top three accredited guide dog schools in the world.
For more information please contact Guide Dog Services by phone: 09 269 0400, or email: mailto:gds
Breeds of guide dogs
Many breeds of dog become guide dogs in New Zealand, e.g. Labrador Retrievers, German Australian and Belgian Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and some purpose-bred first crosses. Standard Poodles can be used in a home where someone is allergic to dog hair.
International relationships
Guide Dog Services is accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation, which assesses new and member schools on a five-yearly basis. It provides guide dogs to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, Hawaii, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Cadets from these countries who train in New Zealand contribute their labour in exchange for skills learned. Their input at Guide Dog Services increases the number of dogs trained, reducing the waiting list time for New Zealanders.
Tours of Guide Dog Services
We welcome both international and local visitors to the only guide
dog training centre in New Zealand. We show a video, answer questions
and invite you to meet and pat some of our training dogs, and view the
young puppies. The souvenir shop will also be open.
Tour times: Monday to Friday between 11.00am and
2.00pm, by appointment.
Duration: approx.1 hour.
Fee: none, but we are grateful for donations.
Bookings: phone 09 269 0400.
We look forward to meeting you on your visit.
The life of a guide dog
Conception: Brood bitches and stud dogs are mated either naturally or artificially through the Douglas Pharmaceuticals Guide Dog Breeding Improvement Programme.
Socialisation: At approximately seven weeks to 12 months puppies are placed with volunteer puppy walkers as part of the Guide Dog Puppy Development Programme. Puppy walkers socialise the young dog and introduce it to situations it will face as a guide dog.
Training: At around 12 months of age puppies return to Guide Dogs Services for six months' intensive training. They are assessed on 65 personality and temperament traits, 13 health aspects and 21 guiding tasks. Around 70% of dogs go on to be matched with a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person.
Those that don't qualify become service dogs, or may become their puppy walker's pet. If not, they are adopted out to selected homes.
Working: Adult guide dogs work 8-10 years before retiring.
Corporate support
Bayleys Realty Group
Guide Dogs aren't born.
They're made.
Becoming a guide dog involves hard work, a lot of time and extensive training.
Bayleys admires that dedication and that's why they are now Principal Sponsor of Guide Dog Services.
It's a three-year commitment that they're proud to undertake. By involving all of New Zealand's Bayleys branches - and their energetic and enthusiastic staff - they aim to raise the money to train over 100 new much-needed guide dogs.
To find out more about the partnership, visit the Bayleys website.
How to apply for a guide dog
- You must be a member of the RNZFB.
- Contact your local guide dog orientation and mobility instructor.
- A member of the guide dog team will assess you at work and at home to match you with a dog.
- Your name goes on the waiting list - usually for about 6-12 months.
- Your guide dog arrives and you get some initial time to bond with each other.
- An instructor then trains you with your dog for three to five weeks either at home or in a hired venue or RNZFB centre.
Where you can take your guide dog
- Any public place: restaurants, offices and clinics, hospitals, shops, beaches, cinemas, hotels, etc.
- Any public vehicle: domestic and international flights, ferries, ships, trains, taxis, shuttles, etc.
A few places where you may not be able to take your guide dog
- Into the animal enclosure areas at zoos (zoo management will look after your dog).
- Some hospital departments, such as the burns unit, oncology and intensive care wards.
- A marae or place of worship.
- Some national parks (a few have special status).
Check first with the hospital. Intensive care units in particular vary in their rules. Also contact marae, funeral parlours, etc. to check on what may be possible.
Fines of up to $3,000 or a year's imprisonment can be imposed on people who discriminate against you for relying on your guide dog.
Where to go for support
If you are asked to leave a public place, show your guide dog ID passport. If you are still refused access, contact the police or request the owner of the venue to do so.
Contact Guide Dog Services, or the Association of Blind Citizens of NZ.
You may decide to contact the Human Rights Commission.