Guide Dogs for the Blind - Spokane, WA Puppy Raisers

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Guide Dogs for the Blind - Spokane, WA Puppy Raisers We are an all-volunteer local puppy raising group for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Please reach out to us if you would like to get involved!

If you have any other questions, such as how to apply for a guide dog, K9 buddy, service dog resources, etc. please reach out to GDB directly. Local meeting schedule (every other Sunday): https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=o87jbhdeeiq9aj3nkjuqo8l7h0%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FLos_Angeles

🦆Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 4 (Small Animals)🐿Did you know that it is perfectly normal for dogs to be distract...
10/16/2026

🦆Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 4 (Small Animals)🐿

Did you know that it is perfectly normal for dogs to be distracted by small animals?

Continuing our series on our top distractions for our puppies, we take a look at a particularly challenging distraction: small animals that often run or fly in the opposite direction. Birds, squirrels, and neighborhood cats are usually the most common culprits and can cause a lot of excitement and leash pulling when spotted. One easy way to desensitize puppies to small critters is by playing videos on TV with the sights and sounds of small animals before moving outside for more intense training. Raisers work with their puppies outside in many ways, including observing small animals from a distance, moving in closer with time and good behavior, and working near small animals while in motion. This is best accomplished with lots of delicious food rewards and happy social engagement with the puppy to remind them that small animals, while fun and exciting, are to be left alone and ignored.

PD: Two photos of YLGXF Corina working on small animal distraction. In the first photo, Corina is standing in her living room in front of a brick fireplace and is looking up at the TV, where her raiser is playing a video with seals swimming as a way to help desensitize Corina to interesting animals. The goal is that Corina gets bored with the animals on TV and learns that she doesn't need to react to small animals in real life either. In the second photo, Corina is working from a distance with a flock of wild turkeys in the road. Her raiser is rewarding her for sitting calmly and observing, not pulling toward the funny birds.

10/16/2026

10/15 Phase Report:
Tairn - 8

🍽️Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 3 (Food) 🍽️Did you know that delicious food distractions are often the easiest to...
10/09/2026

🍽️Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 3 (Food) 🍽️

Did you know that delicious food distractions are often the easiest to teach and for a puppy to learn?

Our puppies must not be distracted by either human or pet foods while working in public or at home. Raisers start from day one by only rewarding a puppy with kibble from their hand and only feeding the puppy from a food bowl, lick mat, snuffle mat, or food toy. These simple, yet consistent steps ensure that a puppy never considers food placed elsewhere, like on a table or counter, to belong to the puppy. Some puppies will need extra encouragement and reminders with specific training with food, where the raiser will reward the puppy routinely for ignoring the food distraction, similar to how they learn to ignore a dog or people distraction. Alternatively, a raiser will often train a puppy in a particularly tempting area (like a pet food store or a street fair) where the puppy will again be routinely rewarded for ignoring the tempting smells and remaining focused on the raiser. With time and patience, a puppy learns that those other foods are not his to enjoy, and he will keenly wait for his own reward.

PD: Two photos of GLDM Lucky working on food distractions. In the first, Lucky is lying down next to a small table with some delicious fall drinks and pumpkin donuts. Lucky is ignoring the food and is focused intently on his raiser, waiting for his kibble reward. In the second photo, Lucky is working in the pet food aisle and is lying down, facing his raiser, and again remaining calm and focused even though the aisle smells like heaven! Great work Lucky!

10/09/2026

10/8 Phase Report:
Tairn - 6

👭Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 2 (People)👬Did you know that people are our puppies' favorite kind of distraction?...
10/02/2026

👭Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 2 (People)👬

Did you know that people are our puppies' favorite kind of distraction?

Continuing our series on the top distractions for our puppies, we move on to dogs' best friend! Our puppies LOVE people, and that is part of what makes Labradors and Golden Retrievers such versatile service dogs, but it is a skill to learn to ignore all those friends unless they are holding the leash.

Raisers work on people distractions in a multitude of ways. Luckily, people are easy to find, and walking and working around many types of people is usually an easy task to accomplish. Most raisers will not allow their puppies to be greeted or touched by people while the puppy learns that all those other people are not their own handler. This can lead to the puppy expecting and soliciting attention from humans, which will create an even bigger distraction for the puppy.

Many raisers will sit and observe people in all sorts of situations, such as the mall, a park, a busy event, a street, or a restaurant, and with consistent repetition of rewards for ignoring people, our puppies learn that people, while dogs' best friend, are off-limits to greet and play with until given the go-ahead by the handler. Ideally, a recall-ready puppy can be in any situation with other people present, be it a crowded event or meeting a single person on a walk, and will ignore all except for their raiser.

PD: YLM Sammy is working on people distraction at the Crown Jewel of People Places; Costco! Sammy is lying down near the busy checkout area and observing all of the people coming and going. His raiser is rewarding him for remaining settled and focused on her, regardless of how many people comment on 'that beautiful puppy!' Sammy is looking up at his raiser with a focused expression and is wearing his green puppy vest and black head collar.

10/02/2026

10/1 Phase Report:
Tairn - 5

This weekend, our club enjoyed a beautiful fall outing to the pumpkin patch with a yummy treat of pumpkin donuts and c**...
09/28/2026

This weekend, our club enjoyed a beautiful fall outing to the pumpkin patch with a yummy treat of pumpkin donuts and c***r. Thank you to Sunset Orchards and The Farmhouse on Greenbluff for hosting us for photos, fun, and great puppy socialization!

🐶Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 1 (Other Dogs)🐶Did you know that our puppy raisers work hard to acclimate their pu...
09/25/2026

🐶Fun Fact Friday: Distractions - Part 1 (Other Dogs)🐶

Did you know that our puppy raisers work hard to acclimate their puppies to the many distractions the world has to offer?

A distractible puppy can't focus on work, which is not a good quality in any service dog, so raisers spend a lot of time teaching a puppy that distractions aren't truly that interesting. Raisers teach this skill by rewarding their puppy for consistently ignoring the distraction - in the form of verbal praise, physical praise, and food reward. A puppy is introduced to the distraction from a distance at first and then rewarded for maintaining decorum and poise. With time, a raiser works their puppy closer to the distraction and will eventually add more of that distraction to the environment. Depending on the type of distraction, raisers can also use desensitization techniques in the home by playing sounds and/or videos of the distraction for the puppy to become used to and bored of.

Over the next several weeks, we will be profiling the major distractions that puppy raisers work on with their puppies, both in the home and in public. Let us know how your puppy reacts with these distractions!

PD: BLM Dart works on a big distraction for our puppies - other dogs! In the photo, Dart is approaching a small brown dog on a red harness and leash. Dart is paused with his raiser, standing at her side with relaxed attention on the smaller dog. Dart's raiser isn't approaching the dog and is instead rewarding Dart for maintaining position and attention on her vs. the small dog. With time and practice, the goal is that Dart will pass right on by that small dog with barely any interest in him. Good work, Dart!!

09/25/2026

9/24 Phase Report:
Tairn - 4

🍂Happy First Day of Fall from the People and Pups of Guide Dogs for the Blind - Spokane Puppy Raisers! 🍂“Come said the w...
09/22/2026

🍂Happy First Day of Fall from the People and Pups of Guide Dogs for the Blind - Spokane Puppy Raisers! 🍂

“Come said the wind to the leaves one day, Come o’er the meadows and we will play: Put on your dresses of red and gold, For summer is gone and the days grow cold.” —George Cooper

PD: CC BLM Darnell is seated in front of a colorful display of fall flowers and mini pumpkins. Darnell is wearing his orange CC scarf and a happy smile.

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Spokane, WA
99205

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