CJ Whitney always had a fear of dogs, but after eight weeks of training guide dog puppies, he's been completely won over.
"I think a dog tried to take my hand off once when I was really young and I think that just settled it for me," the Year 11 student said.
"At the start it was very daunting, but by the end of it I was really confident with handling the puppies and spending time with them.
"Trying to not trip over them and having them race around your feet is actually quite fun."
CJ, along with other students from Hawkesbury High School, have partnered with Guide Dogs NSW in a world-first pilot program training pre-vaccinated labradors at a training centre in Glossodia.
The program, now in its second school term, helps the puppies learn to socialise before they are adopted out to volunteer families.
The puppies stay with the families for about 12 months, as they prepare to begin their official guide dog training.
Building puppy confidence
Brenda Calkin, the puppy development adviser with Guide Dogs NSW and a parent at the school, said the students helped build the puppies' confidence.
Each week is focused on developing different skills, such as getting the animals to handle surfaces, practising going up and down some steps, or moving through the rungs of a ladder.
The puppies also need to get used to putting on a collar and develop their hearing and visual senses.
"The dogs need to be adaptable, accept handling, have confidence to be able to receive [guide dog training] — so they need to be in the right frame of mind," Ms Calkin said.
"Being exposed to different people helps the puppies be more accepting, to want to be with people and build a good bond with people."
The students train a couple of puppy litters for two hours a week over the eight-week program.
Valuable leadership skills
Year 9 student Chloe Sparks wasn't nervous when she met the litter for the first time this week, given she has two dogs at home.
The puppies are only seven weeks old and the students must follow a strict hygiene regime as the puppies are yet to be vaccinated.
"They were pretty adorable … really tiny and very energetic," she said.
"We practised luring them around with the treats and getting them to go over obstacles.
"I like working with animals and I thought it would be really cool to work with puppies at such a young age and help train them for the puppy raisers."
Principal Jenny Linklater said she hoped the guide dog program would become an official part of the curriculum and be rolled out to other schools.
"The Australian curriculum is looking at developing global citizens and 21st Century thinkers and problem solvers, so we could justify taking kids out of class for two hours a week," she said.
"Working cooperatively, working in teams is a really important skill set."
