Hopefully Lizzybeth will see this and reply. She works for an organization that trains hearing dogs, and would know the answer to your question.
LOL, hearing dog training and guide dog training are not the same thing.
Yes, different organizations have slightly different training styles, though there is a much larger difference in service dog training than guide dog training. Guide dog trainers actually receive a Guide Dog Training Instructor accreditation when they complete their apprenticeship. This is a national certification, and most guide dog schools will accept it with new trainers; so if I complete my apprenticeship and obtain my GDTI certificate from one organization, I could most likely transfer to another organization as a full instructor, rather than start over as an apprentice. This is not the case in most service dog training organizations.
The main difference in training styles, I think, comes during the puppy raising period. Some organizations use clicker training with puppy raisers; some use positive reinforcement without clickers; and some start out with positive reinforcement but move to more punishment-based methods as the puppies grow up and "learn" the cues. I've seen puppy raisers using choke collars on adolescent dogs; I also know of organizations who would never use collar corrections on any dog.
I had a long conversation with a GDTI about how her organization trains guide dogs. She said that in the beginning of guide work, they set up training scenarios so that the dog cannot fail, and then reinforce the dog for doing the right behaviors. For example, the trainer stops at the curb and when the dog stops with her, she reinforces. Later in training, as the dog becommes patterned to know what to do, they gradually make it more real-life: the trainer does not stop at that curb, and if the dog does not stop the trainer "trips" and falls, which startles the dog; the dog will then remember to stop at the curb next time. At this particular organization, they don't give the dog corrections for doing the wrong behavior, but they do make the trips and falls more dramatic as needed. If they've chosen the right dog for the job, the dog should be sensitive enough to his handler and perceptive enough of his environment, to be able to catch on pretty quickly. Trainers continue reinforcing good behaviors, eventually of course going to a variable schedule of reinforcement so that the dog can work for long stretches without needing a treat reward.
I've personally seen this training, and as long as the trainer knows what she's doing and doesn't push the dog farther than he's ready, it does work and it does not traumatize the dog or harm him in any way.
And yeah, The Seeing Eye is a specific guide dog training school; I think it might be the oldest in the US. "Seeing eye dog" is a brand name, it's a dog specifically from The Seeing Eye. "Guide dog" is a dog from any training background who does guide work for someone who's visually impaired.
(While we're on the subject: "Service Dog" is a dog who is trained to work with someone with a mobility disability, such as in a wheelchair; or someone with a seizure disorder. "Hearing dog" is a dog who is trained to work with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. "Assistance Dog" is the term for any service, hearing, or guide dog. In other words, a guide dog is not a service dog; a hearing dog is not a service dog; but guide, hearing, and service dogs are all assistance dogs.)
