Why Labradors?

You might have noticed from all the pictures of working dogs we have raised, that they are all Labradors. The two main breeds that are used as Guide Dogs in South Africa are Labrador Retriever or Golden Retrievers, or a mixture of the two. Recently the organisation have also started using German Shepard's as a breed.

Take Volt for instance. He is actually 3/4 Golden Retriever but looks like a Labrador. As a Puppy Raiser family we prefer the Labradors over the Goldens, mainly because the Goldens are divas! But more on that a bit later.

There are a specific reasons why these dog breeds are chosen to work as Guide Dogs. First and foremost is their size. They can easily curl up under a seat at your feet and sit in the foot well of your car but is still big enough that their harness is within easy reach of their owner. But size is not the only reason, else most breeds would qualify (We have had Standard Poodles as Guide Dogs in the Past as well due the hyper allergenic properties of their fur).

A second reason for these breeds are their intelligence. Once again, they are by no means the smartest breeds, but they are still pretty intelligent. Some research suggests that they can learn over 200 words in their lifetime. They need to be intelligent and be able to show initiative.

Another reason is their temperament and this especially present in the Labradors and Goldens. They are great with other dogs and children. They can be focused when they are working and an absolute crazy puppy when they are not. The Goldens are especially good as Service Dogs as they are generally calm and easy to control, so they won't be pulling their owner out of a wheel chair when they get exited or distracted.

Something that makes the Labradors great candidates are the need to please. This need is not so strong in the Goldens but still there. They are also very treat driven even if the treats we give them are just their food pellets. This is where the Goldens are the divas. A Labrador will do back-flips on command if it means a treat is on offer and always look hungry! A Golden will however just as easily ignore the treat completely if they don't feel like it at that moment.

And then finally is the soft mouth that these breeds have. As a lot of them work as Service Dogs and needs to pick up items for their owners, they need to be able to pick things up without damaging it. These dogs can be taught to be very careful and softly pick up and "retrieve" items. Make no mistake though, if not trained and monitored they can just as easily destroy things. They are some of the biggest chewers out there.

To end here is a picture of our Riggs playing with another future Guide Dog called Lyric. Just to show you that it isn't all work and no play. When they are not working or training they are like any other pet, and they love to play!

In a future post I will tell you a bit more about how we go about picking our Pup's name.

Till then feel free to visit https://conradiezoo.wordpress.com/ and follow Riggs progress.
There is also a Facebook Page dedicated to our Puppy Raising Journey: https://www.facebook.com/APupsLife/