Although today various breeds may be used as guide dogs, initially they were invariably German Shepherds. The reason was twofold. First, the German Shepherd has a strong sense of loyalty to its owner, giving it a natural tendency to be protective. Having a very protective dog as a companion is an obvious asset for someone who may otherwise be easily attacked by less then scrupulous individuals. Secondly, the first guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired were trained in Germany to provided assistance for those blinded in the war.
After the conclusion of World War I the nation of Germany was devastated by financial depression. Many private businesses failed and the Potsdam, Germany's school for training the guide dogs for the blind was one of them.
Guide Dogs in the United States and Elsewhere
An American woman named Dorothy Eustis had heard about the German program and decided it was a very worthwhile endeavor. Because she owned a company that was training German Shepherds as working dogs, she decided she might try to train guide dogs for the blind. She did not start this right away, however. In fact she was still considering the possibilities when she penned a story for The Saturday Evening Post about the potential for guide dogs for the blind.
A Nashville man named Morris Frank read the story and decided to write to Ms. Eustis and ask her to train a dog for him. She did, and Mr. Frank became known as the first blind person to use a guide dog in America.
As part of an arrangement he'd made with Ms. Eustis, Mr. Frank then started training guide dogs in the United States. The foundation that Mr. Frank started was dubbed ?The Seeing Eye? and the so-called Seeing Eye dog was effectively born.
Today, guide dogs are trained to assist people with many different disabilities. There are Hearing Ear dogs to assist the deaf and other dogs that assist the physically disabled. Visually impaired people, and people with other types of disabilities who have benefited from the use of a guide dog, the world over, owe their thanks to Mr. Morris Frank of Nashville, Tennessee.
Weimaraner Dogs For Adoption
Some individuals like to have dogs to protect their home. If you are looking for a dog that will guard your home while you are in absence and even when you are home you will have a few different breeds to choose from. There are some dogs that make really great watchdogs, but are not so great at being guard dogs. So if you are interested in having a guard dog you will want to choose from some of these breeds below.
The Doberman pinscher is one of the most popular guard dogs in America and perhaps in other countries as well. One of the reasons the Doberman pinscher is such a success as a guard dog is their intelligence and the willingness to be trained for active duty. They are also a fierce looking dog when you see them as guard dogs. They have a small head with pointed ears and a lean muscled body. This sleek body enables them to jump a good distance and to run for quite a distance helping in the pursuit chase if one does occur; however most individuals choose this dog because they are fiercely loyal to the owner. These dogs tend to choose just one master in a family. They will be obedient to this person and will train well with this person. The train needed for guard dogs is often full of activity and requires a lot of time. The dog must learn first to be obedient and then they must be taught to stop a thief, but not to harm. In other words most guard dogs are meant to act fierce.
The next type of dog that is really good as a guard dog is a German shepherd. While most often the German shepherd is seen as a police dog they are also really good at guarding as well. You will find that with German shepherds they have a high intelligence above most dogs that's what makes them so good at many of the different tasks like a police dog, seeing- eye dog and many other occupations. They are extremely trainable when you consider all jobs that they have. This means that training for guard duty will be easier for this breed and they will stick with the job at hand.
Another dog breed for guard duty is the Rottwieller. The Rottwieller is a very fast dog. They are extremely well muscled dogs. This means that they have the sped to chase as well as the muscle for the duration. While most people hope never to use this lean dog as a guard dog they will also find this dog has a fair intelligence. This makes them easy to train also. For training of this guard dog you do have to be careful in obedience training. They can display a stubbornness that can make the first few times of training a little difficult, however once they understand who is master they will be great with the training and eager to learn.
You will find that with all guard dogs they are going to be easily trained after the initial obedience training and asserting who is master. Training must be firm, but done with a gentle hand. In other words you never want to use harsh words even for guard dogs. Like all training these dogs need to have affection along with their training. You will need to seek a professional training facility to help with training your guard dog to ensure they have been properly trained.
Both Brigitte Smith & Gerry Ronson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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