Training tips

All dog owners can take a lesson from guide dog trainers.

"What fascinates people is that guide dogs are so well behaved in public," said Emily Simone of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, Calif. "That doesn't happen in a vacuum."

It's not magic, although it may seem that way. Much of it is based on familiar recommendations, including socialization, positive reinforcement -- and remembering that training means lifelong learning.

Socialization starts with volunteer puppy raisers who make sure that puppies become accustomed to a wide range of situations in and out of the home. Constant contact with people teaches puppies "that their life revolves around a human," which is critical to a successful dog and handler team.

For training specific behaviors, food rewards are now standard. It's the clearest way to communicate to a dog that he's done the right thing. Simone has been in the field long enough to see the change from older methods of training: "What I'm seeing now with the food -- their work is so consistent. The dogs understand their job."

Finally, it's crucial to remember that training a dog isn't like programming a machine; you don't just do it once and it's done. This is especially important for guide dogs, who must be taught "intelligent disobedience" to disobey a handler's command if obeying it would result in harm, such as walking into traffic. This is good for the dog in some ways. "The dog's confidence explodes during that part of the training," Simone said. "They learn that they can think."

But, she said, "These dogs have to make decisions on their own, which can easily escalate into thinking they don't have to listen." So it's strongly recommended that handlers do a few minutes every day of basic obedience commands with their dog, to remind them who's in charge -- a good idea for people whose dogs don't always listen.

-- The Associated Press