Fidelco: Always Moving Forward.

1960s

In the 1960s, the Kamans were breeding German Shepherds in their home kennel, placing them with Puppy Raisers, and then donating them to other guide dog schools for training.

At that time, “force-based” methods (known as traditional methods) were the most common way for trainers to encourage dogs to perform.

Very little, if any, food rewards were used at this time, as it was assumed that dogs would perform out of a willingness to please their handler or an intrinsic desire to perform the behavior requested. These methods were common practice in both the pet dog and guide dog fields.

1990s

Fidelco’s office space and kennel expansion were completed in 1991. During this time, clicker/marker-based training began to gain popularity among dog trainers, and a trend toward gentler handling methods began. This type of training focuses on setting the dog up to be successful by reinforcing the correct behavior as opposed to punishing incorrect behavior.

The guide dog training sector was slower to adapt to the idea of using food rewards and clicker training; it was a common belief that guide dogs should not be trained with rewards for fear it could distract them from their work. The belief also persisted that a person who is visually impaired may not be able to or want to use food rewards.

Throughout the 1990s, Fidelco’s breeding trended toward developing a more sensitive and easier-to-handle dog. With positive training becoming mainstream, Fidelco began to experiment with additional positive-based training methods. Fidelco trainers started using more food rewards, and later began to incorporate marker-based training or “clicker” training into the guide dog training protocol. Trainers also began using head collars such as Gentle Leaders® and Haltis® as an alternative to chain collars. Head halter-type collars are useful in preventing sniffing and are better able to control the dog’s head than a collar around the neck. This gives the handler a little more control without being overly aversive for the dog.

Today and tomorrow

We are constantly seeking innovative ways to train dogs so we can meet the changing and unique needs of our clients. Most recently, trainers began including electric vehicles in traffic training because with near-silent engines, dogs must learn to respond to the sight of the vehicle and not merely the engine sound.

We are proud of our relationship with United Airlines which allows us the opportunity to board empty planes with dogs while working on appropriate travel behavior. Advances in equipment provide the opportunity to customize the training experience for our dogs. Like humans, no two dogs are the same.