Guide dog puppies get cultured at the theatre

Volunteers who raise guide dogs have been taking them to the theatre to help them get used to the experience

Guide dogs have been special guests at a theatre in a bid to train more service animals to attend shows.

The puppies have been visiting the Royal & Derngate in Northampton for socialisation trips with their volunteer "puppy raisers".

A staff member came up with the idea after noticing a lot of guide dogs were unable to go into the auditorium when their owners came to watch a production.

Lyn Page who brought pup Amber along said: "It's been brilliant for her development."

Lyn says going to the theatre cured her dog Amber of a fear of stairs

She said Amber had had a fear of stairs after slipping on them when she was very small.

"We had to carry her down the stairs, she would cry and whimper and shake. We had to get that sorted."

Ms Page said, when they came to the theatre, a puppy development advisor coaxed Amber down several stairs using treats.

"In her guide dog life, she will need to go to the theatre and cinema. Here, she’s in close confinement with other dogs and we’ve cracked the stairs. It’s brilliant."

The guide dog's final visit was to watch a production of Moby Dick at Royal & Derngate Theatre

Lorna Dawson, head of customer experience at Royal & Derngate, said she noticed they were looking after a lot of guide dogs because the owners were not confident to take them into the theatre.

"People were happy to have their dog looked after, but there was a bit of insecurity that if there was an emergency, they wouldn’t have the dog with them.

"I thought, if they were given that exposure at a young age, then more dogs should be able to accompany their owners at an auditorium."

She hopes more venues pick up the idea.

Lorna Dawson came up with the idea as a way of giving more guide dog pups exposure to the theatre

Puppy raisers look after dogs until they are just over a year old, before they move to a guide dog centre to start their formal training.

Linda and Alan Whitwell have trained 14 other guide dogs and said this was the first time they had taken one to the theatre.

They were accompanied by nine-month-old Coco, who is half-Labrador and half-retriever.

"They’ve got to learn all sorts of different places and venues. They've got to know noises - and it’s very noisy here.

"They've got to learn how to be calm, not like labs who jump around like crazy," said Ms Whitwell.

Linda and Alan have helped to raise 15 guide dog pups, including Coco

Anna Standing, operations manager for Guide Dogs, said: "It’s really important our puppies get used to different social environments during their puppy-raising year, and a theatre is a great space where they can be introduced to a variety of sights and sounds and learn to settle calmly.

"The pups have also had a chance to visit the cinema within the theatre, which has provided another opportunity to practice their settling skills."

Clare says she was "blown away" by the response to the project

Clare Purr, a guide dogs puppy development advisor, said she was "beaming with pride".

"I’m absolutely amazed. It’s quite dark with lots of movement on the stage and lots of noise.

"Some are actually watching, some are enjoying a little chew or a treat.

"We’ve had a great turnout, I've been blown away."