Frequently Asked Questions About the Guide Dog Board
- Who does the Guide Dog Board serve?
We serve you:
- If you are legally blind.
We make sure that guide dog schools and instructors meet high safety standards so you and your dog are a confident, capable team.
- If you financially support guide dog schools.
We ensure that your money is used appropriately. All licensed schools must give us copies of certified audits of financial records and similar documents.
- If you are a member of the public.
We ensure that guide dog handlers can manage their dogs, that guide dogs are properly trained, and that everyone—you, the dog's handler, and the dog—is safe.
- What does the Guide Dog Board do?
We license and regulate guide dog programs in California, making sure that instructors are qualified, training is standardized, and schools are well-managed.
To become a licensed guide dog instructor, a candidate must complete a three-year apprenticeship with a licensed instructor at a certified guide dog school. (The school's curriculum is mandated by California's Guide Dog Act.) The candidate must then pass several exams. In addition, all licensees must take continuing education courses. California is the only state in the nation to require licensing of guide dog instructors and schools.
- Why is expert training so important?
The knowledge, expertise, and commitment required to train guide dogs and their blind handlers far exceed the skill of the usual dog trainer. A guide dog must meet the highest standard of obedience and performance.
Dog handlers' safety—and sometimes their lives—depends on their dogs. The value of a guide dog becomes clear when the team negotiates everyday obstacles that sighted people take for granted—a speeding car, a truck backing up, or a torn-up street. High standards and rigorous training give both the dog and its human partner the skill to meet these challenges.
- What does "legally blind" mean?
"Legally blind" is having corrected vision that is less than 20/200 or a corrected field of view of less than 20 degrees. Most people who are legally blind can see light or have partial field of vision. Imagine that you can't see the big E on the top of an eye chart, or that you are looking through a rolled-up newspaper. That is legally blind. A person who is legally blind may apply for a guide dog.
- Are guide dogs restricted from some places?
No. By law, guide dogs can accompany their handlers anywhere the public is allowed, including restaurants, hotels, taxis, grocery and department stores, hospitals and medical offices, airplanes, theaters, health clubs, and parks.
- Are other assistance dog trainers licensed?
Currently, there are no legally defined dog training standards for any assistance dog trainers outside the Guide Dog Act.
