Have you ever imagined what it might be like to have a guide dog? Visit the Guide Dogs for the Blind booth and take a test drive! The booth is a great place to connect with GDB staff and graduates, learn the basics of working with a guide dog, and actually have the chance to take a walk with a trained guide dog.
GDB alums can get the inside scoop on clicker training and the details about this convention's alumni reunion at GDB's convention booth. Clicker training is a form of operant conditioning using a clicking noise to mark a desired behavior in the dog and reinforcing that behavior with a food reward. GDB's Director of Training, Terry Barrett, and Director of Research and Development, Michele Pouliot, will be conducting classes on clicker training for GDB alumni and their guide dogs throughout the course of the convention. The classes will discuss the theory of clicker training and then provide you the opportunity to introduce your guide to clicker work and complete a clicker exercise. Alumni and people considering the guide dog lifestyle are invited to join us on Tuesday, July 11 from 7-8:30 a.m. for a yummy breakfast. Visit our booth in the exhibit hall for location and details. After the breakfast, please plan to attend the convention awards ceremony where the 2006 recipient of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Dorthea and Roland Bohde Scholastic Achievement Scholarship will be announced. Finally, throughout the convention, Guide Dogs' human resources staff will be on hand to conduct brief informational interviews for those interested in employment opportunities with Guide Dogs for the Blind. Sign up for interview times at the booth.