"Take it easy; it's Ruffo, my blind dog, bumping into all sorts of things!"

If you have ever had a blind dog, you might know all the daily problems it has to deal with. But don't worry, it isn't condemned yet. You can make your dog's life a lot easier by removing dangerous obstacles in your house, establishing reference points for your pet inside your home and introducing it to its new environment. 

The first thing you have to do is to clear your dog's normal walking path from dangerous objects, like pulled-out chairs or toys that children leave on the floor. Also, it's a good idea to put baby gates around secure areas to prevent your dog from falling down the stairs or getting lost in the closets.

Establishing reference points for your dog in your house is the next thing to do. These can be tactile or olfactory traces. Use tactile pathways in strategic places, you can use carpet runners on wood or tile floors, and plastic mats on carpeted areas. It's useful to put oil-based scents on permanent obstacles to help your dog avoid them. Once the dog has learned where the obstacles are, you might stop using them, but remember to apply a new scent to any piece of furniture you add to your home.

Last but not less important; introduce your blind dog to its new environment. Practice with your dog on a leash; apply gentle backward pressure on the leash when it starts to walk, meanwhile, give the command "e-e-easy." If it slows down say "good easy" and give the dog a snack or lots of praise. Repeat the command to warn it whenever it's about to bump into something. Don't punish or treat your dog badly because that can cause your dog to become more depressed.

Now you know, removing dangerous objects, establishing reference points, and introducing the dog to the new environment is what you have to do in order to help your blind dog overcome its difficult life. Dogs are good friends, so we can thank their loyalty with small things such as these.

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