“She’s a dog at the end of the day”: Guide dog owners’ perspectives on the behaviour of their guide dog

Abstract

A guide dog is a domestic dog (Canis familiaris) that is specifically educated to provide mobility support to a blind or visually impaired owner. Current dog suitability assessments focus on behavioural traits, including: trainability, reactivity or attention to environmental stimuli, low aggressiveness, fearfulness and stress behaviour, energy levels, and attachment behaviour. The aim of this study was to find out which aspects of guide dog behaviour are of key importance to guide dog owners themselves. Sixty-three semi-structured interview surveys were carried out with guide dog owners. Topics included the behaviour of their guide dog both within and outside their working role, and also focused on examples of behaviour which might be considered outside a guide dog owner’s typical expectations. Both positive and negative examples and situations were covered. This allowed for the discovery of new perspectives and emerging themes on living and working with a guide dog. Thematic analysis of the results reveals that a dog’s safe behaviour in the face of traffic was the most important positive aspect of a guide dog’s behaviour and pulling or high tension on the lead and /or harness was the most discussed negative aspect. Other aspects of guide dog behaviour were highlighted as particularly pleasing or disappointing by owners including attentiveness to the task, work, environment and owner; confidence in work and decision making (with confident dogs resulting in confident owners) obedience and control; calmness and locating objectives. The results reveal important areas of behaviour that are not currently considered priorities in guide dog assessments; these key areas were consistency of behaviour, the dog’s maturity and the dog’s behaviour in relation to children. The survey revealed a large range in what owners considered problematic or pleasing behaviours and this highlights the heterogeneity in guide dog owners and the potential multifarious roles of the guide dog. This study contributes to the literature on which behaviour is considered appropriate or inappropriate in dogs and on the nature of human-animal interactions.

Guide dogs' navigation after a single journey: A descriptive study of path reproduction, homing, shortcut and detour

“…The basic abilities of guide dogs were described by our colleagues [3] in 1997. These service dogs [4] provide mobility and orientation for individuals with severe visual impairments (Mobility & Orientation [5,6]). Mobility refers to find important items in the environment.…”

Perceptions on Health Benefits of Guide Dog Ownership in an Austrian Population of Blind People with and without a Guide Dog

“…Future guide dog owners (those who apply for a guide dog) usually do not expect that a guide dog will become a family member [13,26]. Moreover, the association between health benefits and the relationship between the owner and dog does play a role [19,30,31], meaning those with a better relationship with their dog benefit more from it. In addition, the beneficial effect was intensified when it was the owner’s own idea to acquire a guide dog [27].…”

“…The relationship between the guide dog and the owner seems to play a role in the perception of the positive effects of the dog. Owners who possessed similar personality traits as their guide dogs reported more satisfaction with their dogs [30,31]. Moreover, guide dog owners who acquired a guide dog of their own free will reported greater satisfaction with the dog’s work, as well as with the mutual relationship.…”

Better to Have Loved and Lost? Human Avoidant Attachment Style Towards Dogs Predicts Group Membership as ‘Forever Owner’ or ‘Foster Carer’

“…Interviews with 63 vision impaired individuals who currently have SED assistants indicated highly desirable SED behaviours included attentiveness to command or task, confident decision making, and calmness [6]. In relation to SED puppy training, leash-pulling, reduced responsiveness to control or trainability, and high scores on temperament measures associated with anxiety, distractibility, excitability, and body sensitivity have all been demonstrated to reduce the possibility of graduation [7][8][9].…”