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0The perfect assistance dog 一只合格的协助犬应具备哪些能力？
Dogs are in high demand as pets. In fact, 36% of households in the UK own one, according to the UK Pet Food survey 2024. Our canine pals can be cute, cuddly and loyal friends. But, for many owners, dogs are much more than this – they are a lifeline.
作为宠物，狗很受欢迎。事实上，根据2024年英国宠物食品调查，36% 的英国家庭拥有宠物。我们的狗狗朋友可以是可爱的，惹人爱的和忠诚的朋友。但是，对于许多主人来说，狗远不止如此——他们是一条生命线。
Assistance dogs provide essential support, increased independence and companionship for disabled people and people with medical conditions – they have even saved lives. There are many different types of assistance dogs out there, from hearing dogs to autism dogs to guide dogs. But what makes the perfect assistance dog?
协助犬为残疾人和患有疾病的人提供必要的支持、增强的独立性和陪伴——它们甚至挽救了生命。协助犬有许多不同类型，从助听犬到自闭症犬再到导盲犬。但是什么造就了完美的协助犬呢？
Common assistance dog breeds are Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and German shepherds. The most common guide dog in the UK is the golden retriever-Labrador cross, which, according to the Guide Dogs National Centre, has a 'combination of desirable traits'. Guide dogs need to be able to lead a blind or visually impaired person outside and inside, while avoiding distractions and recognising and avoiding obstacles such as changes in elevation, like tree roots, curbs and stairs. With that in mind, training puppies is essential.
常见的辅助犬种有拉布拉多寻回犬、金毛寻回犬和德国牧羊犬。英国最常见的导盲犬是金毛寻回犬-拉布拉多杂交犬，根据导盲犬国家中心的说法，它具有“理想特征的组合”。导盲犬需要能够带领盲人或视障人士进出，同时避免分心，识别并避免障碍物，如树根、路缘石和楼梯等海拔变化。考虑到这一点，训练小狗是至关重要的。
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association trains puppies using positive reinforcement, rewarding good behaviour with food, praise and affection. When it comes to hearing dogs, a very important part of their training is sound awareness – alerting their deaf partner to sounds they would otherwise miss, for example a smoke alarm, an alarm clock or a crying baby. Katie Grundy, a puppy trainer at the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, teaches puppies targeting, a technique where the dogs touch a target, like a hand, with their nose for a treat. This teaches hearing dogs how to notify their partner when a sound goes off.
盲人导盲犬协会使用积极强化来训练幼犬，用食物、表扬和关爱来奖励良好的行为。当谈到助听犬时，他们训练的一个非常重要的部分是声音意识——提醒他们的聋人伴侣注意他们本来会错过的声音，例如烟雾报警器、闹钟或哭泣的婴儿。凯蒂·格伦迪是慈善机构“聋人助听犬”的幼犬训练师，她教小狗瞄准，这是一种让狗用鼻子触摸目标（相当于手）的技术。这教助听犬如何在声音响起时通知他们的伴侣。
At the end of training, not all pups qualify, but they are put up for adoption and, of course, make excellent lovable pets.
在训练结束时，并非所有幼犬都符合条件，但它们会被收养，当然，它们会成为非常可爱的宠物。
词汇表
lifeline 生命线
assistance dog 协助犬
independence 独立
companionship 陪伴，友谊
disabled 残疾的
medical condition 疾病
save lives 救命
hearing dog 助听犬
autism dog 协助自闭症人士的服务犬
guide dog 导盲犬
lead 引导
blind 失明的
visually impaired 视力受损的
obstacle 障碍
puppy 小狗
positive reinforcement 正向强化（奖励或积极回应良好行为的训练方法）
sound awareness 声音感知
alert 提示，提醒
deaf 失聪的，听不见的
targeting （动物）通过碰触特定目标物得到奖励
treat 奖励或训练狗的食物，零食
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