How guide dogs recognize moving cars

Abstract

In Guide Dog training, it is a common practice to perform “Traffic Training” in which guide dog candidates learn to stop immediately when approaching traffic is recognized. However, there are no certain guidelines as to how many traffic training sessions are necessary and how it should be done. In this paper, the main discussion point is as follows; how Guide Dogs learn to recognize and respond to moving cars. In the results, it is observed that untrained dogs have little aversion to moving cars, because most of them have had happy experiences going out in cars with puppy raisers. Also, traffic-trained dogs could respond to moving cars only when the cars approached to within a distance of 1 meter, especially if the traffic was coming from the right, left, or from behind; this result was more obvious (responses were slower) when dogs concentrated on the tasks in front of them, such as curbs and obstacles. From these observations, this paper refers to the following: 1. Guidelines on the distance a guide dog is expected to keep between the dog and car, 2. The possibility of introducing traffic training during puppy scheme, and 3. Important technical advice to visually impaired persons when walking with a guide dog.