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Guide Dogs
Guide dogs have been used for thousands of years and were formally introduced when many soldiers are blinded in World War 1. Guide Dogs help blind or visually impaired people to travel safely and are also excellent companions for them. In this category, there are questions about guide dogs, guide dog training, guide dog centers, etc.
194 Questions
Guide dogs are responsible for keeping their human partner safe. This does not mean safe from robbers, but safe from objects in their path, as well as oncoming vehicles. They lead their partner forward, and turn, stop, and go forward, when told to, unless it will place their partner in danger.
Is Buddy The First Seeing Eye Dog Real?
Yes. It spawned the Seeing Eye Organization.
One of the founders of The Seeing Eye was America's first guide dog owner, Nashville resident Morris Frank. Frank was trained with German Shepherd Dog Buddy in Switzerland in 1928.
In 1927, Morris Frank, as a blind man had written Mrs. Dorothy Eustis, and arrived in Switzerland. While there, Mrs. Eustis picked and trained Buddy, a young German Shepherd, to become the first "Seeing Eye Dog" in the United States.
In 1929, Dorothy Eustis returned to the United States. Helped by Morris Frank and Buddy, The Seeing Eye, she established "The Seeing Eye," the pioneer guide dog school in the United States.
Mr. Frank renamed every dog that replaced his original "Buddy", to "Buddy" no matter the gender or original name.
Where were labradoodles first bred as guide dogs and by what organization?
Labradoodles were originally bred by Wally Conron in 1989 in Victoria for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia. A blind woman in Hawaii requesting a guide dog had a husband that was allergic to dog hair. The association agreed to try to train a dog that her husband could tolerate. For three years they attempted to find a suitable poodle candidate, but were not successful. So Conron decided to try cross breeding a good quality poodle with one of his labradors already known to produce good guide candidates in an attempt to produce guide dogs for people with allergies or family members with allergies.
At first it was difficult getting puppy walkers to take on the rearing of the new cross-bred pups because they were viewed as mutts. Conron coined the term "Labradoodle" so he could avoid calling them mutts or mixed-breed dogs, and suddenly puppy walkers were eager to raise these pups.
One pup, Sultan, did not cause an allergic reaction in the guide dog user's husband and was eventually trained and placed as a guide.
As the program continued the success rate of producing guide dogs was only 35% and few of those were actually hypoallergenic. The Association received a great deal of criticism from the Kennel Club, which refused to register any of their other purebred pups and to disqualify any breeder used in the program from ever registering a litter again. The last dog bred in this program was bred in 1996.
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* Today Labradoodles are often used around the world as Guide, Therapy and Assistance Dogs, as well as being popular family pets.
* Rutland Manor in Darnum, Victoria and Teagan Park in Seaspray, Victoria were later founded to research and continue the breed, which became the Australian Labradoodle.
* It is not actually a breed. "Labradoodle" is a catchy "designer" type name given to mixed breed mutts to make them more attractive to the uninformed, along with others like "Puggle" (a Pug/Beagle cross) and "Goldendoodle" ( a Golden/Poodle cross). If the sire is a Lab, then the resulting offspring are Lab mixes. If the sire is a Poodle, then the offspring are Poodle mixes. It all depends on what breed the sire is. Now, this does not mean that they are not good candidates for service work; in fact, they are pretty good overall. Guide Dogs for the Blind uses a Golden/Labrador cross that is quite intelligent and has great stamina, but they are listed as a Golden/Lab or Lab/Golden cross,(once again, depending on the breed of the sire) not a "Goldendor" or a Labraden". They, like the so-called "Labradoodle", are NOT a breed. They are mixed breeds, which make them mutts in the eyes of the AKC. * Labradoodles are a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard or Miniature Poodle. They were first deliberately bred in 1989 in Victoria by breeder Wally Conron for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia. * A visually impaired woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to dog hair asked if they could help her. Their aim was to combine the low-shedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador, and thus provide a Guide Dog suitable for people with allergies to fur and dander. * Three generations of Labradoodles were bred at first, and a surprising 29 out of the 31 dogs bred became guide dogs. Today Labradoodles are often used around the world as Guide, Therapy and Assistance Dogs, as well as being popular family pets.
Why are guide dogs allowed to go anywhere?
guide dogs can go anywhere a normal person could go. guide dogs are there to help a blind person get to where they need to go
What are facts about Guide Dogs?
- They are clever
- They can feel danger
- They are the kindest thing on earth as there only aim is to keep the blind safe.
- They are normally Labradors as they are very smart and have a excellent sense of smell .
How do you support the guide dogs?
The most common way is by donating money to the guide dog programs or being a puppy raiser for the programs. Also by leaving the dogs alone while they are working.
Why is obedience not that important to guide dogs?
Obedience is very important for guide dogs.
You might hear of intelligent disobedience, which is actually another instance of obedience, where the dog purposely disobeys a command in order to keep its handler safe. But it is still obedience, because the dog is practicing a task that they have been taught to do in certain situations.
Do Flat-Coated Retrievers make good Seeing Eye service dogs?
The type of coat on the dog does not affect it's behavior. Guiding Eyes for the blind has German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers, but around 95% of their dogs are Labradors, of varying hair types. Not all dogs in these breeds have the mentality for guide work, but they have shown stronger guide dog traits than other breeds.
How many guide dog users are there in the US?
There is no central registration for the Service Dogs or Guide Dogs in the USA.
Based on the number of dogs trained each year and the number of Active Dogs published from each of the schools it's estimated there are between 8,000-20,000 active GUIDE DOGS for the blind in everyday usage. And between 15,000 and 25,000 other Service Dogs in use.
Guide Dogs for the Blind added 343 new dog teams in 2009.
The Seeing Eye Graduated 274 dogs, 74 of which were new dog teams in 2009.
It's estimated that between all the schools in the US, only 1,000 Guide dogs and nearly 2,000 other types of Service Dogs were trained in 2009.
How come you can't pet a guide dog?
Guide dogs, like all service dogs, are always working when in public. While they may be standing still, they are watching what goes on around them and listening/waiting on commands from their handler. Just like a cop looking for a bad guy, they are always busy.
Most service dogs don't want to be petted because it distracts them. They can be looking for danger if they are busy getting petted. It is important to always ASK before petting any dog.
The handler may says yes, the handler is then aware not to rely on the dog while it's being petted and will wait for you to finish. Most handlers will say no, since they are usually trying to go somewhere or are busy with their routine.
The movement to train seeing eye dogs began after World War I in Germany, when many soldiers were returning home with injuries that left them blinded. The concept was to train dogs (in this case, German Shepherds), to guide the blind person out in public safely.
Why do guide dogs needs to keep a watchful eye on other people in crowded places?
guide dogs need to keep a watchful eye on people in crowded places because they might get hurt or someone will get injured the best answer I have sorry at least I tried to help you should be thankful people
Prob cuz they need to make sure their master doesn't bump into anyone or anything
Where do you find no dogs except service animals signs?
Your local sign shop can create one for you. Most chain stores get it from their corporate office. A better phrase would be No Pets, Service Animals Only.
Can you charge a pet fee for at your hotel for a guide dog?
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, which regulates the Americans with Disabilities Act, "People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be charged extra fees, isolated from other patrons, or treated less favorably than other patrons. However, if a business such as a hotel normally charges guests for damage that they cause, a customer with a disability may be charged for damage caused by his or her service animal." See the Business Brief below for additional information, or call the U.S. Department of Justice's ADA information line toll-free at:
800 - 514 - 0301 (voice)
800 - 514 - 0383 (TTY)
Other contributors have said:
* No I don't think so. It isn't a pet, but a working dog.
What natural instincts does a dog guide have to learn to overcome?
First and foremost, he must learn to ignore distractions. He must also learn all the things that a dog learns to live among humans, such as where and when to toilet, not to beg or pester, and basic house manners.
Guide dog candidates are intentionally selected from among animals who already have a low prey drive which makes them naturally less likely to chase things like squirrels. They are selected to have calm personalities and sound nerves as well as good physical health
How do you pick your first dog?
The way that I pick my first dog is to use Facebook! Although I use dog web sites to, but you have to pick a puppy first. Remember this is my opinion you can correct it though or start a decoction I don't care.
Where can you buy a guide dog?
Basically, you can't.
Guide dogs are trained by charitable programs such as the Seeing Eye, specifically for people who qualify as blind. If you are blind, you apply to a guide dog school and if accepted pay a nominal fee for equipment. Some schools retain ownership of the dog for it's life and it must be returned to them when retired.
If you want to adopt a retired guide dog, again, apply at a guide dog school. But these dogs are not sold, just adopted. The waiting lists are typically about three years long and you must pass a rigorous screening to qualify. There are some Guide schools that do not charge anything for either the animal or the equipment, plus cover the costs for the required 28 days of residential training. Some also offer a yearly stipend to help with vet visits and annual vaccinations.
There are many organizations that train them for blind individuals. A search on the internet will yield many across the US, I'm assuming there are also similar resources in other countries.
Other people owner train guide dogs or arrange private trainers to train the dogs for them or some combination of the two.
To get a guide dog you need to be blind or have a severe vision impairment. Guide dogs can be obtained from different foundations (Guide Dog Foundation For The Blink, Royal Society for the Blind, etc.) that breed, raise, and train these magnificent helpers and family canine friends.
A person can sign up to get guide dogs from the UK/US Guide Dog website. A person fills out an application, phone consultation is scheduled, a home visit is scheduled, if application is accepted, one begins classes to get paired with a guide dog.
There are several organizations world wide, but Guiding Eyes for the Blind is stationed in Yorktown Heights, New York, USA.
How many guide dogs are trained each year?
There is no central registry, so any number will be an educated guess.
Working for a local service dog school, these are the numbers we estimate, as of the end of 2009.
It is estimated that there were 1,500-2,000 service dogs (Guide, Hearing, Medical, etc.) that graduated from ADI approved schools. 60 Dogs from the Seeing Eye School and an another 150 from other guide dog schools. The rest account for the other types of service dogs.
There has been a total of 15,000 guides trained from the Seeing Eye, and another 30,000 from other school for all other service dogs since the 1920's.
To put that in perspective, you have a better change at winning the lotto then getting a guide dog. To date only 20,000 service dog teams are in daily use.
Why is a busy shopping centre a good training place for a guide dog?
It isn't necessarily. It depends on where the dog is in training. If he has the fundamentals down and is working on proofing (performing learned behaviors in spite of distraction) then an active place like a busy shopping center might be a good place to find those distractions to practice ignoring.
If it's a pup being socialized and he's confident and outgoing, a busy shopping center gives ample opportunity to meet new people.
The key is to do it at the right points in the dog's development or training. Overfacing a dog by putting them into a situation too stressful or too distracting for them to process will only slow or damage socialization or training.
