第2192期:The perfect assistance dog

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. 狗作为宠物的需求量很大。 事实上，根据 2024 年英国宠物食品调查，36% 的英国家庭拥有一只狗狗。我们的狗狗朋友可以是可爱、惹人喜爱且忠诚的朋友。 但是，对于许多主人来说，狗的意义远不止于此——它们是生命线。 

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——它们甚至拯救了生命。 那里有许多不同类型的辅助犬，从助听犬到自闭症犬再到导盲犬。 但什么才是完美的协助犬呢？ 

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. 常见的辅助犬品种有拉布拉多犬、金毛猎犬和德国牧羊犬。 英国最常见的导盲犬是金毛猎犬和拉布拉多杂交犬，根据国家导盲犬中心的说法，它具有“理想特征的组合”。 导盲犬需要能够在室外和室内引导盲人或视障人士，同时避免分心，识别和避开障碍物，例如海拔变化，如树根、路缘和楼梯。 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的方式训练小狗，通过食物、赞美和关爱来奖励良好的行为。 对于听力狗来说，训练的一个非常重要的部分是声音意识——提醒聋哑伙伴注意他们可能会错过的声音，例如烟雾报警器、闹钟或哭闹的婴儿。 凯蒂·格伦迪（Katie Grundy）是慈善机构“聋人助听犬”的小狗训练师，她教小狗瞄准目标，这是一种狗用鼻子触摸目标（例如手）的技巧。 这教会听力狗如何在声音响起时通知其伴侣。 

At the end of training, not all pups qualify, but they are put up for adoption and, of course, make excellent lovable pets. 训练结束时，并非所有幼犬都符合资格，但它们会被收养，当然，它们会成为优秀的可爱宠物。 

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