Guide Dogs For The Blind

Seeing a blind person being guided by a dog walking and crossing the street is a very common scenario nowadays. Trained guide dogs for the blind make it possible for the blind to “see” again. Despite their lack of sight, they can still live a normal life like the next person.

A guide dog for the blind, as described by the name, is a well trained dog that can guide its blind owner through the streets and also assist the owner in various other activities. They undergo meticulous training under experts for years.

However, usage of guide dogs is not limited to the blind; it can be used even by people who have partially impaired vision or for that matter are color-blind.

History of guide dogs for the blind

Guide dogs for the blind were also used for other purposes during the World War I.

These dogs trained in Germany, were basically used to guide the soldiers who were blinded in the war front. This pattern was later followed by many other countries to help increase the confidence and the strength in their once- active soldiers, to live a normal and a happy life.

Guide dogs for the blind are specially trained at dog training schools so that they can be taught and be embedded with all the qualities and activities that they are expected to perform.

Nature of guide dogs for the blind

Not any street dog can be put up at these training institutes and made to learn these activities. Even the professional trainers are very picky when it comes to choosing dogs to be trained.

The dogs that get trained as guide dogs for the blind should be very intelligent, disciplined, and patient by nature. In addition, they should have qualities which can be relied on.

There are special types of breeds which are supposed to be trained as for this purpose. The following are the most common breeds used as guide dogs for the blind:

  • German Shepherds
  • Labradors
  • Golden Retrievers
  • Yorkshire Terriers
  • Poodles
  • Collies
  • Vizslas
  • Dobermans
  • Rottweilers
  • Boxers

There are also a wide variety of mixed breeds that are also trained as guide dogs for the blind. The mixed breeding is carried out so that the dogs can retain some useful characteristics of each of the breed and form an altogether new breed which can either be more intelligent and mature than their parents or can be used because of their low shed for certain allergies of hair and dander that their masters might have.

The mixed breed types of guide dogs for the blind prove to be the best as far as the convenience of their owners are concerned.

All in all, the guide dogs for the blind should posses qualities of tolerance, hard work, trained to work for a good amount of hours and most importantly should be in good health.

Guide dogs for the blind are definitely useful to make blind people independent and to redeem the confident human side in them.

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