Carefully bred working dogs
Guide dogs are working dogs, and they are carefully bred to make sure they have the right temperament and skills. As puppies, they are house trained, taught basic commands, and taken to different environments so they get used to new sights, smells and sounds.
After puppy training, guide dogs go through more rigorous training. They are taught how to lead their owner safely, how to deal with traffic and how to judge height and width.
When they’re ready, guide dogs are carefully matched with an owner.
This is when all their skills are put into practice and training with their owner may carry on for several years. Guide dogs usually work for about seven years before they retire.
It takes a long time to train a guide dog and the whole process costs about £50,000.
