Let me introduce you to the puppies, this little Lady is called Megan and in this picture she is only six weeks old.  At this age all she is interested in is playing with her toys and running around playing outside.  She is a bright and confident little pup and is very friendly with everyone.

Megan is approximately 10 months old in this photo and is making great progress.  Her training is a very important part of her progression to become a guide dog and this is coming on in leaps and bounds.

Megan knows her basic commands like "Sit",  "Down" and "Stay".  She is a very adaptable little pup who is always eager to please.  She is a very quick learner, and will do anything for a treat!

  Megan is 1 year old now and is excellent on the lead.  She is getting used to lots of different environments and has been out shopping in the town centre with her trainer.  She is being taught to stop and wait before she goes down steps, she is learning this as when she is with her owner this will indicate to them that it is steps they have approached.  She has been going to puppy classes which she loves and has fun socializing with all the other pups and likes to learn new things.

Megan went on holiday this year where she went on a steam train and wasn't at all bothered by the noise and just curled up under the seat and went to sleep.

Megan is going to be a wonderful guide dog and whoever  her new owner is will have a loving and faithful companion as well as being a guide.

THIS IS THE FINAL UPDATE BEFORE MEGAN AND NORRIS MOVE ON TO TRAINING SCHOOL

Megan has been progressing well with her training and knows the basics, which will help her at the next level.  She has been visiting lots of new and exciting places, including an airport.  She wasn't fazed at all by how busy it was and coped very well walking around avoiding obstacles including suitcases and people hurrying past. She took everything in her stride and her puppy walker actually thought that she liked how busy it was. When she was at the airport Megan walked up glass steps, this is usually a bit disorientating for dogs as they can't quite work out what they are, but Megan was fine.

Megan is now at training school with her new trainer.  At first she found it difficult to adapt to a new handler and different environment, however this has been worked on and things have dramatically improved and dog and handler are building a mutual trust, Megan is settling well. 

Megan is very good in crowds and really benefits from busy environments which help keep her focused but can sometimes be distracted but this is being worked on.

Megan has taken well to wearing her harness although her handler sometimes uses a treat to encourage her, she says "This just reinforces to Megan that wearing the harness is a good thing".

Megan has improved dramatically with her training since going to school.  She is extremely bright and very capable of performing the guiding role using her initiative.

Norris has settled in very well with his puppy walkers, they say that he has made himself right at home with them.  Norris is a very laid back, gentle pup who loves his bed!  He is very sociable and loves to be around people, although he likes playing with other dogs, he is very much a people person.

Norris loves his puppy classes and his basic commands are coming on well. His obedience is great, but he can sometimes get distracted.

Norris has been getting used to the different environments and has recently been on a trip to the theatre where he was really involved with the music as he started howling and wouldn't stop, it was funny but we were asked to leave early.

Norris is now one year old and his level of training has been upped considerably. The only problem at the moment with him is that he tends to pull a little when on the lead therefore a puppy supervisor has been working on this and it now seems to be working well.

  Norris recently went on a visit to London and went on the underground. He was a bit wary at first but with some encouragement soon settled beneath the seat. He also visited a few sights when there including Buckingham Palace, he had his photo taken outside the gates!

Norris is such a beautiful and well behaved pup, a delight to train and will also make a wonderful guide dog and whoever is lucky enough to have him as a companion will have a loving and faithful friend as well as a guide.

  Norris is also at the time of his training where he will soon be going to the training school.  Norris has learned a lot in the last year but is now ready to move on to the final stage of his training as he needs to be kept stimulated. Part of his training has been 'stair approaches', where he has to 'stop and sit' at the top of the stairs and 'stop and wait' with paws up on the first step at the bottom.  Norris is in his element in the busy environment of a town, he is very good at remembering places that he has visited and remembers the routes taken before.

Norris is going to be a lovely guide dog and will change the life of his new guide dog owner.

THIS IS THE FINAL UPDATE BEFORE MEGAN AND NORRIS MOVE ON TO TRAINING SCHOOL

  Norris is now at the training school and although he too found it hard with the change in environment and handler he soon settled and has built a great bond with his new handler.

He took to the harness well and is actually quite a poser walking down the street wearing it, his handler says "He looks very smart and grown up in his harness, and he knows it!"  He has been learning lots of new techniques such as standard kerb work when the dogs are taught to approach a kerb and sit down, indicating to the owners that they have reached the end of the kerb. He got the hang of this very quickly.

His handler says about Norris "Norris has an all round lovable character, we have spent a lot of time together building his trust and confidence.  He is always pleased to see me when I go to pick him up in the mornings and he always barks hello for me to take him out.  He is excellent socially and a pleasure to have around".