I was out and about the other day when a lady stopped to talk to My Person. One of the things that she wanted to know was what breeds of dog are used as Guide Dogs.
This does vary slightly from place to place, but generally the most common breed for a Guide Dog is the Labrador Retriever (like me!) – around 70% of Guide Dogs currently working in the USA, for example, are Labradors - and this figure is the same (or higher) in most countries where you find Guide Dogs. Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are also in service, as is the Labrador/Golden cross-breed. Though far less common, it is not unknown for Boxers, Border and Smooth Coated Collies, Australian Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Standard Poodles and Vizslas to be used as Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs Victoria, who trained me, do not train these breeds as Guide Dogs, though for a time they did breed and train Labradoodles (Labrador/Poodle crosses).
This does vary slightly from place to place, but generally the most common breed for a Guide Dog is the Labrador Retriever (like me!) – around 70% of Guide Dogs currently working in the USA, for example, are Labradors - and this figure is the same (or higher) in most countries where you find Guide Dogs. Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are also in service, as is the Labrador/Golden cross-breed. Though far less common, it is not unknown for Boxers, Border and Smooth Coated Collies, Australian Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Standard Poodles and Vizslas to be used as Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs Victoria, who trained me, do not train these breeds as Guide Dogs, though for a time they did breed and train Labradoodles (Labrador/Poodle crosses).
So why these breeds?
The key traits for a successful Guide Dog are intelligence, willingness to learn and work, high tolerance for stress, good health and endurance (sometimes we work long hours). Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers fit the bill perfectly. Poodles and Poodle crosses have been tried as a breed suitable for handlers with dog allergies as they tend to shed less hair.
German Shepherds were the original Guide Dogs – primarily due to their availability. They suited the job perfectly: they were willing to work, highly trainable and intelligent enough to solve problems they encountered outside their training. They do, however, require confident handlers – they can be stubborn and tend to get destructive and may even bite if not given adequate stimulation and boundary reinforcement. Unfortunately, German Shepherds lost a lot of ground in the image department as Guide Dogs because they were also being used in other working fields such as as police, guard and attack dogs.
It was then that the Labrador Retriever came to the fore. C+photos+193.jpg)
oming in a wide range of colours and sizes, the Labrador had, and still has, the image of the lovable family pet. Intelligent enough to learn the job but not so smart as to get bored doing the same route over and over, the Labrador is eager to 
please its handler and takes most things in its stride, making it fantastic as a Guide Dog. Labradors are highly trainable and readily transfer their loyalty from one person to another, meaning that moving from a puppy-raising home to the training kennels and then bonding with a vision impaired handler does not create undue stress or effect their ability to work.
The Golden Retriever has many similar traits to the Labrador Retriever. They are the clowns and eternal optimists of the dog world,
which means occasionally they can be a little flighty, but in general they are highly trainable and eager to please. The Golden takes a little more time to groom, with its longer coat, but for the handler who has the time and energy to deal with them, the Golden makes an excellent helper. Goldens are often cross-bred with Labradors with great effect.
Guide Dogs Victoria, and many other Guide Dog schools, have their own breeding program. They choose to breed and train mainly Labradors and some Goldens and Labrador/Golden crosses. Other breeds can occasionally be requested, but the wait time for these is considerably longer – a suitable dog must be found (or bred) and trained to the standard expected of Guide Dog representatives from the school. It is more common to find schools who will breed and/or train German Shepherds in the USA or UK. Some schools around the world do not have their own breeding programs and instead select suitable young dogs from local shelters and breeders to join their training programs – it is generally these schools which are more likely to include other breeds of dog in their programs.
So, whilst it is most common to see Labradors as Guide Dogs, there are others you may occasionally see out and about as working teams. As long as they have been appropriately trained by a registered Guide Dog school and possess the appropriate harness and identification, just about any dog of the appropriate size and temperament could be a Guide Dog!
Resources used in the compilation of this post:
http://www.guidedogsvictoria.com.au/about-our-dogs/breeding
http://ezinearticles.com/?Guide-Dogs-For-the-Blind---What-Breeds-Do-They-Train-to-Be-Guide-Dogs?&id=2522506
http://thepuppyplace.org/page15.html
The key traits for a successful Guide Dog are intelligence, willingness to learn and work, high tolerance for stress, good health and endurance (sometimes we work long hours). Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers fit the bill perfectly. Poodles and Poodle crosses have been tried as a breed suitable for handlers with dog allergies as they tend to shed less hair.
German Shepherds were the original Guide Dogs – primarily due to their availability. They suited the job perfectly: they were willing to work, highly trainable and intelligent enough to solve problems they encountered outside their training. They do, however, require confident handlers – they can be stubborn and tend to get destructive and may even bite if not given adequate stimulation and boundary reinforcement. Unfortunately, German Shepherds lost a lot of ground in the image department as Guide Dogs because they were also being used in other working fields such as as police, guard and attack dogs.It was then that the Labrador Retriever came to the fore. C
+photos+193.jpg)
oming in a wide range of colours and sizes, the Labrador had, and still has, the image of the lovable family pet. Intelligent enough to learn the job but not so smart as to get bored doing the same route over and over, the Labrador is eager to 
please its handler and takes most things in its stride, making it fantastic as a Guide Dog. Labradors are highly trainable and readily transfer their loyalty from one person to another, meaning that moving from a puppy-raising home to the training kennels and then bonding with a vision impaired handler does not create undue stress or effect their ability to work.The Golden Retriever has many similar traits to the Labrador Retriever. They are the clowns and eternal optimists of the dog world,
which means occasionally they can be a little flighty, but in general they are highly trainable and eager to please. The Golden takes a little more time to groom, with its longer coat, but for the handler who has the time and energy to deal with them, the Golden makes an excellent helper. Goldens are often cross-bred with Labradors with great effect.Guide Dogs Victoria, and many other Guide Dog schools, have their own breeding program. They choose to breed and train mainly Labradors and some Goldens and Labrador/Golden crosses. Other breeds can occasionally be requested, but the wait time for these is considerably longer – a suitable dog must be found (or bred) and trained to the standard expected of Guide Dog representatives from the school. It is more common to find schools who will breed and/or train German Shepherds in the USA or UK. Some schools around the world do not have their own breeding programs and instead select suitable young dogs from local shelters and breeders to join their training programs – it is generally these schools which are more likely to include other breeds of dog in their programs.
So, whilst it is most common to see Labradors as Guide Dogs, there are others you may occasionally see out and about as working teams. As long as they have been appropriately trained by a registered Guide Dog school and possess the appropriate harness and identification, just about any dog of the appropriate size and temperament could be a Guide Dog!
Resources used in the compilation of this post:
http://www.guidedogsvictoria.com.au/about-our-dogs/breeding
http://ezinearticles.com/?Guide-Dogs-For-the-Blind---What-Breeds-Do-They-Train-to-Be-Guide-Dogs?&id=2522506
http://thepuppyplace.org/page15.html
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