Why are Retrievers recommended for the disabled?

[maybeinanotherpie]

Aren't they a really active breed?

I am a bit confused. I just saw one on a walk. Spoke to the owner - It was a retriever pup who was incredibly placid but being trained up to be a therapy/guide dog

Don't these dogs need loads of exercise? You'd think they wouldn't be a suitable breed for a disabled person for obvious reasons

I am looking to get a dog for my autistic son and thought greyhound for their calm nature

They are steady, easily trainable, sociable dogs, superb visual memory. I don't think they are hugely active needing many long walks daily, a shorter walk/play/enrichment activities more like afaik. The person gets trained in how to best look after their assistance dog.

If you were talking about Rhodesian Ridgebacks or beagles then I would agree!

Just realised my post sounds a bit rude! Hopefully I don't come across that way

But really do wonder (as a person who knows next to 0 about dogs), why those breeds are given to often very low mobility owners

My son has very severe ASD, non verbal etc. More placid breeds seem to have a calming effect

They tend to very easy going, it takes a lot to rile them up. They're intelligent so love having tasks/work to do and are easily trained. Friendly and the public don't tend to be frightened of them.

I would assume most fully trained assistance dogs are sufficiently mentally stimulated by their work and ongoing training. Their owners will also be required to ensure they get appropriate physical exercise too.

For example from the guide dog page.

While the exact level of fitness and mobility required from you will depend on a range of factors, including your dog's specific needs, your home and local environment, it's important to consider your own physical abilities before applying for a guide dog.
Remember, you’ll need a certain level of independent mobility for a guide dog to be a positive addition to your lifestyle. To ensure that your lifestyle and mobility levels are suitable for an active dog, we'll need you to demonstrate the following:

• You have sufficient mobility to maintain your dog's guiding skill - your dog will need to be working five days a week, as a minimum, for at least 40 mins or around a mile every day using a variety of at least three different routes across the week
• You have a level of general health and fitness to be able to work and care for a young, intelligent, and active working guide dog

If you aren't comfortable walking at least 40 minutes a day and navigating unfamiliar areas, a guide dog may not be right for you.

They will pick the right dog for the persons needs, or will say if a dog is not appropriate for that person if they cannot meet its needs.

Thanks for this

I had a very low mobile friend who attended a church I went to years ago. She had a retriever and she was so quiet. Just layed there for the entire service! Didn't bat an eyelid to kids coming up and saying hello, not overly excited etc

Whereas the dog in Marley and Me is a complete nutcase? Are they just chosen out of a litter and you only get one every couple of litters who passes the test?

A working guide dog gets plenty of exercise. Not just its work, which is incredibly mentally stimulating for the dog and does tire them out, but 'fun' walks too.

I'm guessing you didn't actually mean to mention guide dogs?

GRs are also extremely good tempered and calm dogs for the most part, especially those produced by the Guide Dogs breeding programme, where breeding stock is chosen specifically for good health and impeccable temperament.

I think they are a breed that 'calms down' from the idiocy of puppyhood quite early too.

<Gives sideeye to 10 year old Patterdale showing no sign of gaining any sense or calming down any time soon>

A lot don't complete the training,

Yes it's the breed but they need the right temperament as well.

Thank you.

If a dog has calm and well mannered parents, does it make it more likely that the puppy will be that way?

And can the same then be applied to humans and other animals, in theory? Or is it just the breed and luck?

I am fascinated

I still think a greyhound is probably right for my family but they are a beautiful dog! The one I met today had beautiful, soft fur

THere was a fascinating documentary series about training guide dogs about a year ago. They are incredibly carefully selected - right down to which dogs breed for the programme. Then the puppies spend the first year of their life with an approved foster parent who deals with socialisation and basic training. After that they are reassessed so dogs that are temperamentally unsuitable are weeded out - eg very nervous dogs. Then they go to the guide dogs training centre to be trained in how to guide/ignore distractions etc. Finally when there's a match the dog and the potential owner are trained on how to work together and only when they are satisfied that the pairing works does the dog formally get assigned to the owner.

Its a longish process and towards the end the owner is being screened and trained as much as the dog.

Marley is a Labrador, not a GR. But Guide Dog bred Labradors are also excellent dogs with solid temperaments.

They are not the same as Labs from working retriever stock who are bred to be high energy. Or show Labs who are bred to conform to an aesthetic standard.

Guide Dogs only breeds from the very best tempered and most trainable animals (they also have to be completely free from any known health problems). So most of the puppies are brilliant tbh and better than your average pet.

I had a very low mobile friend who attended a church I went to years ago. She had a retriever and she was so quiet. Just layed there for the entire service! Didn't bat an eyelid to kids coming up and saying hello, not overly excited etc

Whereas the dog in Marley and Me is a complete nutcase?

Marley is a labrador. Not the same. Also, why would you base your judgment of the temperament on a film rather than your real life example?

We had a golden retriever when I was a child. She was unbelievably docile and easy-going. She quite liked walks but sometimes looked lke she couldn't really be arsed!

Our family dog was a Goldie. They are amazing dogs in so many ways. She was a dog you could cuddle and tell your problems to. She was very much in tune with how you were feeling. A Goldie would be an amazing therapy dog for your child @maybeinanotherpie , just the best breed possible.

I am getting/have a Labrador retriever to become (hopefully) an assistance dog. I say getting/have because he’s being partially trained, so he’s mine but not quite yet, about a month to go till he’s home. I’m doing the partially trained way, as I cannot at all cope with a puppy, and with an older dog (he’s just over a year old at the mo) that has been chosen and trained to become one, there’s a much higher chance it will work out. Whereas there is a much lower chance if you choose a puppy at 8 weeks old.

labs and goldens are used the most as they have a lower wash rate than other breeds, they’re very versatile and they’re larger enough and sturdy enough that they can be used for guide and mobility tasks (provided they have the necessary clearance from a vet).

greyhounds while they can work as an assistance dog, are a bit more of a unicorn breed. A well bred lab has (majority of the time) a steady temperament and a good standard. I don’t know much about greyhounds, but I’ve never really heard about them as a dog people breed as such, I feel like most of them are rescues. And that’s not to say they’re not lovely dogs but getting a rescue dog to be an assistance dog, is definitely unicorn level. Also a lot of rescues will not let dogs go to be an assistance dog.

A lot of service dog organisations breed specific lines, and Labs come in two broad types, field/working and pet/show. On the whole, the former are active and on it, the latter need much less entertainment and exercise.

Guide dogs are sometimes part-Lab, part-GR, from carefully selected parents and even then the wash-out rate is high.

Edited to add, some disabled people are very active and can cope with an active dog - though if you're looking for an assistance dog not every breed is going to slot into the role.

Very, very few dogs have the temperament, health and skill to become guide dogs - and of those that do, many still don't pass the training and are re-homed into pet homes instead.

However, generally speaking, goldies are seen as placid, eager to please and intelligent enough to learn commands, but not too intelligent that they'll go off and find their own entertainment (unlike border collies, beagles or the HPR breeds, for example).

There's also a common misconception that breeds like this need hours of exercise everyday - they don't, especially if they're working (using their brains and noses) all day long.

As PPs touch on above, Guide Dogs have been breeding for generations to get the calm, lower energy, intelligent dogs they need, spend two years training them and yet still only one in five make it from puppy to becoming a qualified guide dog. So you're seeing the very best of the best at work.

That said, guide dogs actually have a rehoming programme for those dogs that don't quite make the grade. The waiting list was very long when a relative applied and the criteria for suitable homes is understandably high, but it may be worth looking into OP @maybeinanotherpie . My relative went down that road as their son had special needs so they needed a calm dog.

While I'm thinking about it @maybeinanotherpie , you might be better off generally avoiding the puppy stage and looking for a slightly older dog through word of mouth - possibly not a rescue with any possibility of a traumatic background, depending on your son's individual needs and behaviour.

Just wanted to add, the greyhounds I have known (admittedly all rescues) all had a very strong prey drive, and despite being well trained, if something small and furry moved in their eyeline (eg a cat) that’s it, they were off like a shot. You’ve mentioned not knowing much about dogs, it’s definitely worth speaking to a vet about the breeds, and maybe the national autism society could advise too?

Just on the suggestion of maybe rehoming a dog that didn’t make the grade to be a guide dog.

the ones that don’t quite, are largely then used for the buddy dog programme for visually impaired children and young people.

then the ones that are not able to be for the buddy dog programme, will have health issues and/or behavioural problems. So won’t be suitable for assistance dog work.

and then the retired guide dogs, will be of an age where they are too old be an assistance dog.

and while I can’t see it on their website, I’m sure I’ve read that you can’t use one of their rehomed dogs as an assistance dog. But I can’t be sure on that.

Guide dogs breed their own retrievers, and their breeding stock is very carefully selected based on physical health and character. If someone wanted an assistance dog to train, it wouldn't be very wise to just go on pets 4 homes and take a lucky dip.

Even guide dog owners have to free run their dogs at least twice a week, and they also tend to be out and about daily so they're getting stimulation in other ways (which can be just as tiring as running around a field)

We have a very chilled out Labrador, even when she was a puppy she wasn’t a Marley! We got her from an amazing really experienced breeder who matched her with us as we had young children at the time. We specifically said we didn’t want a totally high energy lab. She’s from show stock rather than working. I think the main thing is to find a good breeder who has experience with the breed whichever breed you want and to train from day of getting them home. I took her to training classes every week for about 3 years. She loved the mental stimulation, she’s a really well trained chilled out dog now. She doesn’t need much exercise although she does get 1-2 hours a day but she isn’t climbing the walls if she doesn’t get it. She loves playing games at home. Her default position is lying down so for example if I take her to watch my DS play football she’ll just lie at my feet. If I stop to talk to people she’ll just lie down next to me if I talk too long.

Assistance dogs are usually breed by the organisation so specific traits are encouraged.

Assistance dogs need to be fit keen motivated and willing to work .

Greyhounds tend to be a bit lazy (trying
to be polite) and do not enjoy loads of training. If it is raining and you have a greyhound as an assistance dog are buggered

It's closer to one in five DON'T make it as a guide dog - success rate is around 70% at the moment. Others that aren't suited to guiding often become buddy dogs for visually impaired children, so not that many end up being rehomed.