Guide Dog Home Training

 Tami and I have been undergoing home training for the past 3 weeks, in my local area, since returning home from our residential training at The Mercure Hotel, in Bolton.

I already have a foundation route which I built upon for 8 months during my mobility training with a long cane, from August 2013 to April 2014, with a mobility instructor based within the Salford Sensory Team. This route enables me to go from my house to the top of the road where the butchers, hairdressers, and convenience stores are located - with the library, post office, Co-op and Tesco Express further down the main road.

With this in mind, I began by learning newer routes such as to my Grandad's house - which is a good 20 minute walk away - with my Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. It was a route new to me and to Tami so we could work on it together and break it down into chunks. The main bulk of the route was already there from my previous mobility training, so I could guide Tami to start with. Now that I have repeated the route many times, Tami even knows which gate belongs to my Grandad and pokes her nose through to push it open!

My GDMI and I worked on a few more routes including to my Auntie's, the swimming baths, the Pharmacy, the Doctors, and then tackled public transport. There are only two buses that come in and out of Irlam - the 67 and the 100 - with the 67 going to the Manchester town centre and the 100 going to the Trafford Centre. The 67 is the bus I will use often as it stops at the Eccles Interchange where the trams are. This opens up a lot of options to me in terms of routes that I will use regularly; going to Salford Quays, MediaCity UK, Old Trafford, Piccadilly station and various points in Manchester city centre such as St. Peter's Square, Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens.

I then looked at making my own way to Henshaws in Old Trafford; by taking the bus to the Eccles Interchange, boarding any tram (as they all go to Cornbrook) allowing me to then change for the Altrincham tram and waiting for the Old Trafford stop. I can then make my way over to the tactiles, cross the tracks, walk towards Talbot Road and cross the sets of lights. There is a pen in the back of the car park in Henshaws, so I can spend Tami before undertaking my work placement or social groups.

On December 17th I had a Christmas lunch to attend with the ladies of the marketing team at Henshaws, so I wanted to learn the route to Manchester Piccadilly station next so that I could make my way with Tami independently without having to rely on having a lift - as I previously would have done. My GDMI and I worked a full day orientating myself around the station as to where the tram pulls in, where to go to the steps to access the main level of the station, locating where the information help desk is, where the platforms are and where the seating area is. I'm pleased to say that Tami and I did fantastically well and used the bus, tram and train to make our way to Leeds and back for a lovely meal. The staff even offered a bowl of water for Tami, which was a really kind gesture after her busy work!

My training halted in time for Christmas Eve and I used this opportunity to go to the small Tesco Express on my own and get some last-minute bits and bobs for Christmas. I have never been shopping on my own before so it was slightly scary to start with, but Tami was brilliant in finding the main checkout so that I can ask for assistance - and in the 3 times I have been, they have been so helpful in locating my items for me.

I continued training today, on New Year's Eve, to learn the route to my brother's flat located on the Salford Quays waterfront. It's a good 10 minute walk from the tram stop but I now know to cross and walk up the main road with the traffic on my left-hand side and then turn right to the Abito building where he lives with his girlfriend. There are a lot of restaurants nearby, including Chiquito and Matchstick Men, so I can go and visit him with Tami when he's off from work and go out for lunch!

I am so incredibly impressed with what Tami and I have achieved so far and I cannot wait to start the New Year and continue travelling with Tami by my side!

Audio Diaries

As with my residential training, I created audio diaries (and will continue to do so until my training is complete!) on my audioBoom channel documenting the progress in my home training. You can listen to my recordings below:

Guide Dog Residential Training

I have been undergoing Guide Dog training with my dog, Tami, for the past 10 days as part of a residential training course at the Mercure Hotel in Bolton with the Manchester Mobility Team.

During the 10 day course I've learned a variety of new skills when working with Tami, including; using clear commands, kerb work, navigating crossings, stairs and lifts, off-kerb obstacles, traffic training and using public transport.

The residential stay began on the morning of December 1st and, after unpacking and a quick run through of orientation in the hotel, I met with the fellow handlers on the course and we introduced ourselves. The Guide Dog trainers began the day with an introduction to house rules, spending and feeding routines of my dog as well as my own daily routine for the coming days, and then talked through the agreement and signing procedure which I will be completing after qualifying at home. The session was concluded by receiving my needed equipment; a dog lead with velcro hi-vis Guide Dog band, a whistle, two bells, a spare Guide Dog disc (each dog has its own individual ID number on its allocated disc), grooming equipment, flea treatment, a hi-vis Sam Brown belt and reflective stickers for the harness.

After lunch, the Guide Dogs were then brought in to the handlers and I and they were our responsibility from then on! Feeding, including weighing of the food, spending and grooming were all things I had to do independently right from the beginning of the course. I was taught basic obedience commands and also had the chance to walk Tami around the hotel on the short lead to familiarise her with her new surroundings. The rest of the first afternoon and evening were focused around myself and the others on the course bonding with our dogs through affection and play; with both dog and handler getting used to each other.

On the second day, the morning was mainly focused around the basics of using the harness and the trainers used an empty harness as an example, with us handlers giving the correct hand gestures and commands from kerb to kerb. This formed the foundation of my training. I then practiced again, this time with my Guide Dog, to put into practice what I learned so far and to get a clear picture of what it's like to be guided when using the right voice commands, hand gestures, and foot positions.

As each day passed on the course, more techniques and skills were learned in various locations; from a precinct, busy main street and large grocery shop to a park, train station and bus stop. I tackled 2 walks a day which extended to hour-long walks further on in the training process, both morning and afternoon, in all weather conditions. Towards the end of the course, I also tried being guided at night to experience the polar opposite of the conditions I had trained in.

Throughout the course I regularly visited the Guide Dogs Training Centre in Atherton, Leigh, where I had my work placement in August as part of the Henshaws employability course, Skillstep. I used various facilities including the indoor arena, outside obstacle course, off-kerb obstacle set up on surrounding pavements in the centre, and the car park which is implemented with small islands used for traffic training.

The handlers and I also had visits from key staff members and volunteers based at the training centre. Allan Drysdale (Guide Dog Mobility Instructor) assessed one of our earlier walks, Nicola Smith (Dog Care and Welfare Advisor) touched upon checking our dogs for ailments, registering with our local veterinary clinics, first aid and emergencies, foods to avoid, and so on, and Mike Tupper (Service User Representative) gave a brief overview of the Guide Dog service in the North West as well as volunteering and campaigning opportunities and his own story of sight loss.

Now that I have finished my residential training, I now move on to domiciliary training at home until Christmas Eve - looking at routes in my local area and using public transport, mainly buses and trams, to get to the places I visit regularly in Manchester city centre and Old Trafford.

I look forward to keeping you updated during the next stages of my training with my Guide Dog, Tami!

Audio Diaries

Throughout my residential training, I posted daily audio recordings to my audioBoom channel documenting the beginning of my journey with Tami. Listen below to find out more:

First Walk with Tami!

This morning I met with my Guide Dog Mobility Instructor, Sue Scott, at the Mercure Georgian House Hotel in Bolton. This allowed me to have a dry run so I know how to get there, and also to orientate myself around the hotel in preparation for when I begin my training with Tami on December 1st. I'm now aware of where everything is located; from the rooms, lounge and dining area to the reception, gym and spending areas.

After having a run through with my long cane, it was then time to have my first proper walk with Tami! Tami and I were recently matched on 6th November 2014 and had our first meeting the day after but couldn't have a walk together as my area is unfamiliar and wouldn't give a proper overview of Tami's abilities. We did some routes around Bolton that Tami would be familiar with from her training sessions - and she breezed through it! She obeyed all of my commands and we crossed kerbs, zebra crossings and lights down busy streets and side-streets, and she was a dream!

We are truly a perfect match, from our matching small heights to our moderate walking speeds, and I can't wait to begin my training with Tami at the beginning of December!

Introducing Tami

I have now finally been matched to my Guide Dog, and I would like to introduce Tami to my readers! She is a Labrador cross Golden Retriever and will be turning 2 years old in a few weeks time.

My journey has lasted 14 months from first signing up, last September at the Fun Day event at the Guide Dogs Training Centre in Atherton, Leigh to then having my initial assessment, mobility assessment and final assessment this past August. I received the call yesterday that I had a potential match, and I wanted to meet Tami as soon as possible so the meeting was scheduled for this morning.

She was incredibly excited to see her basket of goodies waiting for her, including; bedding, bowls, toys and grooming tools! The first thing she did was pick up her squeaky bone and cat plushie!

Tami has recently joined the Guide Dog Twitter community online by taking the plunge and creating an account! You can visit her profile by clicking here.

Tami and I are a perfect match and we will be meeting again in 2 weeks time. I will officially begin my training at the Mercure Hotel in Bolton on December 1st!