My wife just recently graduated with dog #6 from GDB. Her suggestions:

\- Make sure you have walking shoes that you really like. You are going to be walking a lot. A broken in spare pair is a good idea.

\- Bring a lot of books or a tablet for videos, you'll be waiting around a lot.

\- Be very open with the instructors about your thoughts and feelings about how it is going. They do listen and the sooner you say something the sooner it can be answered or resolved.

\- Be sure you are very clear abut what your needs are before you go as this will improve the quality of your match. It will also let them correct any unrealistic ideas you have about what a dog can offer. The field reps, instructors and non-instructor support staff all work together as a team to make sure you have the best preparation and experience possible.

\- When you "graduate" you are not done. The learning will continue for both you and the dog. Try as much as you can to stick with the rules. You can relax some of them eventually but don't do it too quickly, you and the dog will both be better off in the long run if you adapt slowly. The dog's guide work will continue to improve over their career, as long as you continue to provide the right environment and consistent support.

\- Remember that the dog is yours and your responsibility. Family members should defer to you regarding the dog and limit their engagement. These are young loving dogs and crave interaction. That interaction should be primarily with you as they should always remain focused on you. They will work better for you if you are their primary support. Feed the dog, relieve the dog, exercise the dog, play with the dog yourself. Don't depend on others to do these things unless you are physically unable.

\- Enjoy your dog! Bond with it, play with it, snuggle it, love it. Enjoy your new mobility and freedom. Zoom through a crowded transit station!

\- Talk to other people with guides including your classmates. Everyone will have something to offer.

Congratulations! I'm not a GDB alum myself, all my dogs have been from The Seeing Eye, but getting a dog is always awesome! My advice is don't give up while you're there. It's going to be hard and a lot of work. They're going to push you and you might feel like you want to quit, but don't! You're dog will be worth all of it and you'll be a stronger person after everything. Getting a dog is blind boot camp and there are some things you're just not going to expect because being there is so much bigger than anyone can prepare you for. You're going to do great and I'm so excited for you!

Yes! It’s absolutely wonderful and their alumni support is on point.

I have! Went there in 2016 for my guide dog. Are you in San Rafael or Boring?

Congratulations! You're going to enjoy it! I'm kind of going to just echo what /u/bondolo said, be vocal about any issues that arise. My guide was having a lot of pace issues and we had to work on that during training and still had to continue working on that afterwards. So if there's any issues, those can hopefully be worked on while your there.
Definitely listen to and follow the suggestions for introducing them to your home and keeping their training sharp and their behavior good post graduation. It's pretty easy for many teams to slip up and start letting bad behavior become a habit (such as begging, etc).
Also, enjoy the food and the whole experience! When I was there a few years ago, the food was fantastic, all the people were too, it was just a great time. I'm excited for you!

GDA was my first choice and I’ve had all my dogs from there. Amazing program. Such a family