Guide Dogs

I have compiled some general information about guide dogs, and I wanted to post it.

Guide Dogs help blind or visually impaired people get around in the world. In the United States, they are allowed anywhere that the public is allowed, so they can help their handlers be any place they might want to go. To do this, a guide dog must know how to:
Keep on a direct route, ignoring distractions such as smells, other animals and people
Maintain a steady pace, to the left and just ahead of the handler
Stop at all curbs until told to proceed
Turn left and right, move forward and stop on command
Recognize and avoid obstacles that the handler won't be able to fit through (narrow passages and low overheads)
Stop at the bottom and top of stairs until told to proceed
Lie quietly when the handler is sitting down
Help the handler to board and move around buses, subways and other forms of public transportation
Obey a number of verbal commands
Additionally, a guide dog must know to disobey any command that would put the handler in danger. This ability, called intelligent disobedience, is perhaps the most amazing thing about guide dogs -- that they can balance obedience with their own assessment of the situation.
This capacity is extremely important at crosswalks, where the handler and dog must work very closely together to navigate the situation safely. When the team reaches the curb, the dog stops, signaling to the handler that they have reached a crosswalk. Dogs cannot distinguish the color of traffic lights, so the handler must make the decision of when it is safe to proceed across the road. The handler listens to the flow of traffic to figure out when the light has changed and then gives the command "forward." If there is no danger, the dog proceeds across the road in a straight line. If there are cars approaching, the dog waits until the danger is gone and then follows the forward command.
In a handler-guide dog team, the guide dog doesn't lead the handler and the handler doesn't completely control the guide dog; the two work together to get from place to place. The guide dog doesn't know where the destination is, so it must follow the handler's instructions of how far to go and when to turn. The handler can't see the obstacles along the way, so the guide dog must make its own decisions as to how to navigate the team's path. Each half of the team relies on the other to accomplish the tasks at hand.
As a guide dog gets more experience with its handler, it may be able to take on even more responsibility. For example, many veteran guide dogs know all of their master's usual destinations. All the handler has to tell them is "go to the office” and the guide dog will follow the complete route!
When you see a guide dog on the job, it is extremely important that you recognize that it is at work. Petting or talking to the dog breaks its concentration, which impairs the handler's ability to get around in his or her surroundings. People are very impressed with guide dogs and so we have a natural inclination to praise them, but the best thing you can do to help a guide dog is to leave it alone so that it can pay attention to its surroundings and maintain its focus on its handler. Guiding is very complicated, and it requires a dog's undivided attention.
When a guide dog gets home at the end of the day, however, it will play and soak up praise just like an ordinary pet. Guide dogs make the distinction between work and play based on When the harness is on, they must stay completely focused -- when it comes off, it's play time. Guide dogs work very hard every day, but they lead extremely happy lives, full of lots of attention and stimulation. Dogs only end up working as guide dogs if they absolutely love the work
Where Guide Dogs Come From
Guide dogs come from various guide dog schools most of which are non-profit organizations. Most guide dog schools use Golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and German shepherds.
These three breeds are characterized by intelligence, obedience, stamina and friendliness and so are well suited for the job. Guide dog schools breed their dogs very carefully, choosing parents with intelligence and special guiding ability.

Puppy Raisers
When they're ready to leave their mother, dogs that show a level of aptitude for guiding go to a loving home to enjoy being a puppy and grow into a well-trained young adult.
These volunteer puppy raisers are just ordinary people who go through an application process and training program at the guide dog school. The school screens for raising ability and works with puppy raisers one-on-one to help them learn how to work with the puppy. In addition, the school will generally provide the raisers with a manual that tells them almost everything they need to know. The raiser's job is to teach the puppy obedience skills, expose the puppy to all sorts of people and environments and give the puppy all the love and attention it needs to grow into a happy, confident dog that is ready for guide training. Basically, raisers lay the groundwork for the more extensive guide training to come.
One of the most important aspects of raising a future guide dog is to get it comfortable with all kinds of situations. Socialization is important for any dog, but it is crucial for guide dogs, who must be able to go anywhere without being distracted from their work. They must be accustomed to loud noises, adverse weather conditions, crowds of people and tricky obstacles. A guide dog needs to be confident in any situation its handler might experience.
Raising a future guide dog is a wonderful experience, but it is very difficult emotionally. At the end of the puppy raising period, a little over a year, the puppy raiser must bring the dog back to the training school so it can go on to help a blind or visually impaired person. Giving the dog up after raising it for a year is a very sad experience, but puppy raisers are rewarded by the satisfaction of contributing to the process. Most puppy raisers end up raising many future guide dogs, because of the happiness it brings them.

Training
Once it is grown-up, socialized and well trained, the dog returns to the guide dog school for evaluation. Guide dog instructors look for a number of qualities, including:
Intelligence
Willingness to learn
Ability to concentrate for extended periods of time
Attention to touch and sound
Good memory
Excellent health
Even if a dog has all these qualities, however, it may be a poor candidate for training. Instructors screen out a lot of intelligent dogs because they have undesirable qualities, such as:
Aggressive tendencies
Nervous temperament
Extreme reaction to cats or other dogs
The match process
After guide dogs have completed training they are then matched with a handler based on many factors such as personality, activity level, and pace.
Retirement
The average age of a working guide dog team is eight to ten years. Some guide dogs can work longer, or have to retire early for various reasons.
When a guide dog retires, the handler will get a new dog, but he or she may also have the option to keep the retired dog as a pet. If the handler can't keep two dogs, then the handler or guide dog school looks for a new home for the retired dog.