Guide Dogs for the Blind...Poodles?

[Freckles]

They have a training center in Boring, OR. which is just SE of Gresham. I drive through Gresham daily and often see dogs in training with their handlers. They appear to be Labs and Retrievers of assorted colors.

I was surprised today, as I waited at a stop light to see two black dogs, each with a handler. They were smaller than the Labs, and as I passed them, I could see they were POODLES!! They appeared well trained and confident.

Just surprised!

[lute]

wow! i've never heard of poodle guide dogs. that's pretty cool!

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Yeah, hey're starting to use them quite often now It's because Poodles have wonderful personalities and they don't shed, they're also one of the most intelligent breeds aswell

[lute]

[i]they're also one of the most intelligent breeds aswell [/B]

yeah,i think they are like the second smartest dog breed.

[lizbud]

I've seen Poodles listed as the smartest dog, with German
Shepherds second. I wouldn't be surprised that Poodles could
make excellant guide dogs, although I've not seen any yet.

[cali]

yup, standerd poodles are listed as second highest in intelligence next to border collies. but standard poodles are larger and sturdier, and not as obbsessive lol

[Lexi_Lover]

Mostly all I have heard of are poodle being used lately...I've heard a lot lately...its not that uncommon to me for some reason!

[MariaM]

How coincidental that you should post this! I just finished reading the book "Guide Dog" for a book report and the dogs were mostly labs and retrievers. But I was making a title page for it today, looked up Guide Dog on google and a poodle came up!

[Mandy1]

Thats really interesting. I never new poodle's were guide dogs. I guess it would be ideal for people that have allergies.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Yep, Poodles are becoming a popular breed to be used as Guide Dogs. They also breed "GoldenDoodles" to be used for the blind, which is a Poodle and a Golden Retriever. They combine the Poodle's hypoallergenic coat and the Golden's personality.