Guide dogs in training get socialized at Montgomery Co. rescue squad station

Several guide dogs in training spent Sunday afternoon sniffing around the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad station and socializing with various crisis personnel in Montgomery County Maryland Jeanyne Gembarski noted the outing class was used to help future guide dogs get exposure to the sights sounds and smells of an exigency response situation She s a regional puppy instructor with Guiding Eyes for the Blind an organization that trains guide dogs for the visually impaired The noise part of it is really pivotal because they re going to be experiencing sirens a lot in their lives as guide dogs so we don t want them to be afraid Gembarski announced We don t want them to lose focus on their work when they hear a siren Each dog was accompanied by a puppy raiser someone who assistants through Guiding Eyes to take a pup into their home for around a year to teach obedience socialize and house train the future guide dog The puppy raisers wore packs around their waists holding treats Each dog then had the opportunity to walk around ambulances and other equipment socialize with emergency personnel and listen to sirens We do use a lot of positive reinforcement when we train our dogs Gembarski reported We want to reward them for the good choices that they make So we reward them for being calm and not jumping and we reward them for being polite We also reward them for not pulling on leash and being connected with their handler the bulk of the time Capt Gregory Mitchell of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad wore his uniform and hat as he crouched down to greet the dogs If we re responding to a fire or an exigency curative call and the dogs have never seen us then the dogs become a distraction that can authentically take away from the sufferer care Mitchell explained Captain Gregory Mitchell of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad crouched down to greet the dogs at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad station WTOP Grace Newton Thankfully he announced the outing class was no burden on the station s operations As you can see staff from all of our stations came to see it Mitchell revealed Countless of them diverted their days so that they could spend chosen time with the dogs Source