Transforming The Loopy Labrador into a Placid Guide Dog

In Australia, Labradors make up the majority of the guide dog pool. Many lovers and owners of Labradors, however, know just how rambunctious the breed can be. So how is the mischievous and skittish Lab transformed into a placid and loyal companion for the blind and vision-impaired?

Special Qualities

The Labrador gets the tick of approval from the Guide Dog Associations in Australia for three reasons: intelligence; the willingness to please; and the ability to learn quickly.

Training a guide dog goes far beyond the general dog obedience regimen followed by most family pets. When the dog reaches guide dog school—generally at about twelve months of age—he has mastered the basic commands of “sit”, “stay” and “down”, and walks obediently on a lead in the guide dog position, just ahead of the trainer.

Now it is time for the dog to learn a set of specific commands. Through both voice and hand signals, the dog learns to turn left or right, go back, stop at kerbs, cross the road when no cars are coming, and find the safest way around an obstacle on the path, ensuring plenty of room for the owner.

And that’s only the beginning. When the dog performs these moves fluently, his next task is to learn a vocabulary of place names to which he must guide his owner. Such a vocabulary list might include words like bus stop, train station, elevator, steps, butcher, chemist, grocer, supermarket, coffee shop, to name just a few.

The special qualities of the Labrador make such precise training easily achievable. Often, a dog needs only one introduction to a new route, such as finding the hairdresser, receive praise when he gets there, then repeat the procedure to reinforce the learning. After this exercise, most guide dogs retain the new learning and can locate the hairdresser without any problem. To cement the memory in his mind, it pays to visit the same venue after a couple of days.

The Importance of Socialisation and Desensitisation

Of course being intelligent, a quick learner and a people-pleaser alone doesn’t make a Labrador placid. Obedience training has to be combined with another important set of behavioural training techniques.

From an early age, the Labrador puppies destined to be guide dogs are socialised with other dogs and humans. They learn to play nicely with their littermates, and receive regular handling by the staff. A dog needs to accept being touched all over its body as this is the only way a non-sighted owner can check for problems such as grass seeds, cuts and lumps.

Before moving to guide dog school, the puppy is desensitised to loud and unpleasant noises so that he won’t react to these when guiding his owner. He is taken to shopping centres, railway stations, crowded city streets and any other well-frequented or noisy venues. In these situations, the puppy feeds off the trainer’s relaxed state and learns to disregard the commotion around him.

Building the Bond

A strong bond links the guide dog and his owner. This bond stretches beyond pure loyalty. It is a connection, a real partnership. Such a bond is vital as the owner must have full trust in the dog.

The development of a bond begins early on, when the puppy resides with a puppy raiser for the first twelve months of his life. The rules are clear: he must always live inside the house; can’t be left for any longer than three hours at a time; and must respect one of the adults in the household as the pack leader.

When the dog enters guide dog school, he develops a relationship with the trainer assigned to him. This, again, instils the notion of a bond.

After passing the final guide dog test, the dog is matched with his new owner. To establish the new bond, the two stay at home for a week. The owner becomes the pack leader, being in charge of all the dog’s needs such as grooming, feeding and toileting. In this initial period, it is vital for the dog to recognise and respect his new master.

The Perfect Formula

Under perfect conditions, an excitable Labrador can transform into a quiet and loyal guide dog. But, of course, this isn’t always the case. Only about fifty percent of Labradors pass the final guide dog test. Admittedly, health problems are at the root of some dogs missing the grade. But temperament can also cause a dog to fail. For some Labradors, it’s just not easy to find that “off” button.

(Copyright: Janet Shaw 2007)