Guide Dogs

You might have heard of the expression "work like a dog." Now, for some people, this doesn't make much sense. Just observe the life of a typical pet dog: from puppyhood to retirement, they practically live a life of leisure without shedding a single hair to earn money for food.

However, this is a very myopic view of dogs. There are other dogs, particularly the working class, that, like people, labor everyday to earn their keep. One such dog is the guide dogs, who carries the responsibility of helping disabled people go from one place to another safely.

A pet dog leading, and practically caring, for its owner. It's like a story with the roles reversed and it's amazing. So how exactly do these dogs train to become guide dogs? That's what we're going to find out.

What Guide Dogs Do

Guide dogs are divided into two categories, depending on the specific disability of their handlers. Thus, there are guide dogs for the blind or the visually impaired and there are guide dogs for the deaf or the hearing impaired.

The task of the guide dog is very important, as such all breeds that are turned into guide dogs must undergo rigorous training. Their training addresses some, if not all, of the tasks below:

* Keep a direct route. Guide dogs should be trained to ignore distractions, including smells, other animals, and other people.
* Maintain a slow but steady pace. Guide dogs should walk with enough speed to enable them to remain just ahead of the handler. Also, they should stay to the left.
* Stop at all curbs. The handler would usually give the command to proceed.
* Make right or left turns. Guide dogs should be taught to respond to commands of moving forward and stopping.
* Recognize obstacles and avoid them. Specifically, guide dogs are trained to identify barriers or obstacles that the handler cannot go through. Examples are narrow passages or low overheads. They are also taught to stop at the bottom or top of stairs and only proceed when the handler commands them to.
* Bring the handler to where the elevator buttons are located.
* Lie quietly when the handler is resting or sitting down.
* Help the handler in miscellaneous tasks, such as boarding or moving around buses. Most guide dogs are also trained to tackle maneuvering around subways and other forms of public transportation.
* Obey a number of verbal commands from the handler.

And the most important thing of all: Guide dogs are taught to disobey even a command from the handler if following it means putting the handler in harm's way.

Profile

Guide dogs are comprised of intelligent breeds with even temperaments. Obedience should place high among their list of positive traits. One common breed used as a guide dog is the Labrador Retriever, which is a sturdy dog with a gentle but highly intelligent nature.