Guide dog

A guide dog is a dog trained to lead a person who is blind or has low vision. The dog wears a special harness with a rigid handle. It walks ahead, stops at curbs and steps, and avoids obstacles, including those overhead. The handler decides the route and gives the commands to turn or go forward, and the dog uses intelligent disobedience, which means it refuses a command that would be unsafe, such as stepping into traffic.

Guide dog schools raise or breed puppies, then train them for months before matching them with a handler. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs are common. Many schools run their own breeding programs for temperament and health.

A guide dog is a type of service dog and is covered by the same public-access rights. The public should not pet or distract a dog in harness, because it is working. Guide dogs have had legal access rights in many places for decades.