[nagdu] Owner training

[Tracy Carcione]

Thanks Katrin.  That was very interesting.  I guess I was assuming the
majority of at least program-bred dogs are healthy, as well as those from
reputable breeders, but I guess it ain't necessarily so.  Actually, I know
what you mean by discovering a serious problem in lines you thought were
good.  My mother discovered a serious heart problem in a wolfhound line. 
Sadly, she found it because her prize bitch dropped dead of a heart attack
at three years old.
Thanks for your very clear explanation.  Things for me to ponder.
Tracy

> Hi Tracy
>
>
>
> I think that probably a dog who was "healthy, intelligent, sensible, and
> willing to work" would probably make it as a guide.  The crux is that
> there
> are many, many, many, many dogs who are not healthy, intelligent, sensible
> and willing to work.  The dogs I had to wash out one ended up with
> idiopathic epilepsy at age 6m, which shocked his breeder and I as we
> thought
> we knew his lines inside and out.  Another I had to wash out because she
> ended up with an aggression problem.  I had also evaluated and decided
> against other dogs due to temperament or structural issues that would have
> made them unsuitable.
>
> To make it as a guide dog the dog to start must be healthy, this means
> structurally sound and medically cleared.  So no hip or elbow dysplasia,
> eyes must past exam, knees must be sound, etc.  Lack of medical or
> structural soundness washes out a large chunk of program bred dogs who
> don't
> make it as guides.  After medically cleared then we get to temperamental
> soundness.  Dog can't be noise sensitive, or sensitive about surfaces.
> He's
> got to be confident in changing and often times novel and stressful
> environments.  He has to have a good degree of intelligence and as you
> said,
> sensibility, and the dog has to be biddable, willing to work with a person
> and want to do right.  He can have no trace of aggressive behavior in
> stressful or unpleasant situations, he can't be spooky or nervous, he has
> to
> be mentally sound.
>
> Those criteria when one looks at the average dog, are pretty stringent.
> Most average dogs wouldn't meet the criteria.  Even lesser of dogs in
> shelters would meet those criteria as the most common dog found in a
> shelter
> is the one who has behaviors that a previous owner found intolerable.
> They
> have behavior or lack of socialization issues that would immediately wash
> them out as a guide dog candidate.  So if one is looking for a dog with
> guide dog material one really is looking for that top 1% of dogs, as one
> needs a dog with sound structure, health, temperament and trainability all
> rolled into one.  That dog can often times be a challenge to find.
>
> Katrin
>
>
>
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