Kenobi’s diary

Once a Guide or Service dog has been matched with their new owner, they spend the first few weeks together getting to know each other and building that special bond. During that time they work together with the GDA Trainers to learn how to do their special jobs specific to their owner and how to […]

So I have been in training for a while and it is going very well. My trainers say that I’m learning really quickly. They told Mom that I was a gentle boy and very eager to learn and that I enjoyed learning. That made Mom really proud. Weekends are great! Mom picks me up on

Until we are around a year old, our Puppy Raisers have to do as much socialising with us as they can. So I went out with Mom as often as I could, and we visited many different places like shopping centres, markets, nursery schools and so on. We also went to parks with other puppies-in-training

Mom and a friend went out for pancakes and I joined them. It is always so nice when restaurants allow Guide Dog puppies. We sat outside in the shade and there were birds, horses and sheep and tiny baby sheep (those were Mom’s favourite!). They were a little skittish but luckily they were behind a

When puppies on the Puppy Raising Scheme are about one year old, they go back to South African Guide-Dogs Training Centre to start their formal training to become Guide Dogs, Service Dogs, or Autism Support Dogs. They go to ‘school’ and learn from Monday to Friday, and on weekends they go home and have a

After I finished my puppy classes I enrolled in an obedience class. It is at the same school as I did my puppy classes and is called Elementary Obedience. As the name says it is very basic obedience. The course was three months and I enjoyed it so much! At the end we passed our

As part of our socialisation, we have to go out and experience as many things as possible. We went to an expo and there were loads of people and things to see. There was a helicopter and people could pay to go up and fly around! We didn’t go fly but Mom took me closer

I’ve been in my new home for three months now. I thought I’d show you how much I’ve grown. This was my very first dog bed when I came home, so I still like it very much. Mom says I’ve outgrown it just a bit. So she obviously had to take a photo! Here I

The humans organised a whole bunch of Guide Dog puppies to have a playdate at Walkhaven dog park. We had such a blast! Mom says we played like only Guide Dog Labradors can play. Here are some photos. We were in the dam, found some mud, and tried out a shell filled with water while the humans

I am very lucky that Mom can take me to work with her and that she works in a dog-friendly office. And that all the people at the office love dogs. The hardest part of the day is when I have to be still while Mom does some work. But here are a few pictures

Misha, a friend of Mom’s, owns a horse called Melissa, and she invited us for a visit. Meeting big and different animals is good for my socialisation. We went for a walk through the property. Here I am right at the back, checking things out. Then we went to put Melissa in her stable and

This is just a few photos of us having fun at the park. As you can see the most fun is splashing and running! There is also a video of me splashing and playing in the water! Next time I visit a stable yard and go to a restaurant!