Many people are absolutely taken in by the beautiful, soft, furry, wonderful dog guides. However, it is very important to remember that guide dogs are working dogs with an extremely important and noble job. Their job is to safely guide their handler through obstacles and hazards in the environment.
Don’t allow your own personal interests in petting a dog to interfere and distract these dogs from their important duties.
In recognition of International Guide Dog Day here are some do’s and don’ts that we hope can spread awareness about the importance of guide dogs and keeping both dog and handler safe.
The Do’s When You See A Guide Dog
- Do feel free to tell the handler how beautiful his or her dog guide is.
- Do ask the handler any questions about his or her dog, while ignoring the dog itself.
- Do respect the handler for administering a timely correction if the dog has done something wrong
A typical correction may be a verbal correction delivered in a harsh tone of voice. The dog needs to hear the displeasure of the handler in order to know he did something wrong and to avoid doing that in the future. The second type of correction is an upward pull on the dog’s choke collar. This does not hurt the dog or choke the dog. It provides a sudden tingling sensation to once again get the dog’s attention and let him know he has done something wrong.
The Don’ts
- Don’t pet the dog guide.
- Don’t talk to the dog guide.
- Don’t feed the dog guide.
- Don’t ask if the dog guide’s harness can be removed so that you can pet the dog guide.
- Don’t ask the handler the dog’s name.
When you see a well-trained dog guide team moving gracefully through the community, you are seeing the culmination of many years of training for both the dog and his handler. Please respect their commitment to each other and the handler’s right to safe, independent travel and most importantly leave that beautiful guide dog alone.