Category: Animal House
So, I've finally got to the point where I'm ready for another guide dog, but am unsure about breed preference. At the minute, I'm plumping for a labradoodle, but would be interested to hear from anyone who's worked one before as reviews are mixed. Some say they're awesome, others say they're the worst combination ever, so it's difficult to get a handle on whether they're great or awful.
I would be very reluctant to take a lab/retriever cross again as, while I loved my last girl, she was a social nightmare. The only time she ever remotely behaved was when she was on harness, and it wasn't down to lack of effort/no training/laziness on my part. I read up a lot, had help for experienced trainers etc etc etc. Even the instructors couldn't sort her out when they had her back for etraining on numerous occasions. I've heard that others have had the same problems with this cross.
Labs I'd be reluctant to take mainly due to the food distraction/scavenging. With my job, I can't afford to take time off because puppy has an upset tummy once a week etc due to eating what they shouldn't.
A shepherd would be difficult due to the separation anxiety, and to be honest, I can't be doing with all the singing and vocalising they do when they feel left out of something.
Retrievers are all right, but their constant need for attention and their "love mr, love me" approach may be difficult to accommodate at work when I'm working with clients.
So that leaves me with a shepherd/retriever cross which is actually getting really positive feedback over here, or a labradoodle.
Obviously, none of the above breeds are 100% ruled out as I could deal with any of the above issues, but my preference would be to avoid them if possible.
I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone might have.
I would encourage against such breed generalizations. For example, I have a
lab, and he's never had an upset stomach, and has only scavenged once or
twice when on a very long route that took us past his dinner time. My first dog,
also a lab, was much the same way. I can't speak to other breeds, but I would
say that not all dogs of one breed are alike. I would simply trust to your trainers
unless you have a serious reservation; such as an allergy to a certain breed or
something like that.
I have a lab. yes, she is food motivated, but she never searches for food, unless it's to see if somehow more food will magically appear in her food dish once she has consumed her meal.
The trainers are a lot more experienced at matching people and dogs than we are. The best you can do is tell them the traits you like and don't like, let them give you a juno walk or two and then trust their judgment. My lab was very prone to scavenge when she was younger, but mellowed with age. I know a woman who has had three shephards. The first was an extremely picky eater. The second was way too aggressive, and the third is a good eater and doesn't seem to be aggressive so far. It's even hard to say which breed is more intelligent. My lab was highly intelligent. My friend's last lab, simply was not. He loved her, but he was rather clueless and unreadable.
Absolutely the trainers will have the final say, and as I said in the initial post, I haven't 100% ruled any of the breeds out. Just stating preferences is all. Those of you who have had nonscavenging labs are incredibly luck! Every single lab I've ever known barr 1 would eat you if you stayed still ong enough!
like cody said every dog is different. we wouldn't want to generalize with people. same holds true with dogs.
honestly, I've had a labradoodle pet. she was a nightmare. constant barking and she was impossible to house train. on the other hand I've seen wonderful examples of the breed.
my lab is a wonderful guide. yes, as others have said, she is ffood motivated. a couple times she's gotten herself in trouble. honestly these were handler errors and not her fault. lack of supervision with her and my toddler human friends and offspring often ends up with the same result. setting and enforcing limits for both yields excellent results.
I used to generalize with breeds like you do, but working at a guide dog school, I now see that every dog is different. There are def still tendencies for the breeds, but every dog of said breed won't have them. I have seen aggressive labs, social shepherds, scavenging goldens, and completely laid-back lab/golden crosses. Informing a trainer that you find certain tendencies or characteristics undesirable will help them match you better. I certainly don't appreciate scavenging, severe separation anxiety, and obnoxious vocalization either, and those things would def be on my no-no list for the next dog.
Consider also that narrowing trainer's choice to a specific breed means a longer wait time for a dog.