How a fluffy toy squirrel on a remote controlled car can train Guide Dogs

Training guide dogs is no easy task - it takes time, patience and fluffy toy squirrels strapped to remote control cars.

The charity Guide Dogs train up dogs to help support people who are blind or who have other visual impairments.

As part of training dogs for such an important job, they need to make sure they are able to give their full focus to the owners they are helping.

Enter squirrel-car, which Guide Dogs say is the perfect training tool to help guide dogs learn to resist distractions.

What does a guide dog do?

Guide dogs can help their owners in lots of ways

Guide dogs have a very important job - to help support their owners in their day-to-day lives.

This could be as simple as guiding them around trip hazards or helping them cross roads.

Guide dogs can also help their owners plan routes and find objects like door knobs or stair bannisters.

Certain breeds are chosen for their abilities to work well with people, remember information and follow directions.

Labradors, golden retrievers and German shepherds are all breeds that can make great guide dogs.

So, what's the deal with the squirrel car?

A survey of 1,000 dog owners from the charity Guide Dogs found that 61% say their pet is "easily distracted".

And 35% say their dog will dart for a squirrel climbing a tree.

The squirrel car helps train new guide dogs not to be distracted by things that a dog might understandably be distracted by.

Regular training with the squirrel-car can help a guide dog learn to focus on the task at hand, and not an enticing-looking squirrel.

Karen Brady, Training and Behaviour Business Partner at Guide Dogs said: "There is a lot of work that goes into training these dogs.

"That's why we've had to think creatively when designing training techniques that closely mirror real life situations."