A guide dog, or, as experts in this field say, a guide dog, is an unconditional assistant to a visually impaired person, helping him to move outside the apartment or house with the greatest possible safety.
The main task of such a dog is to lead the owner along the road, choose the safest trajectory and warn of all obstacles on the way.
Absolutely! Here’s a breakdown of why Cane Corsos face challenges as guide dogs, the ideal qualities for the role, and how training makes all the difference:
Can Cane Corsos Be Guide Dogs?
- Potential, But Not Ideal: While Cane Corsos are intelligent and loyal working dogs, they don’t possess all the traditional qualities sought in guide dogs.
- Challenges:
- Size: Their large size can be overwhelming for some visually impaired handlers, especially in crowded environments.
- Independent Streak: Corsos, while trainable, may exhibit a more independent nature and less biddability than breeds like Labradors/Golden Retrievers, which are highly attuned to their handlers.
- Protective Instincts: Their ingrained guardian nature may lead to overprotectiveness, potentially limiting safe interactions in public settings.
Key Traits of Traditional Guide Dogs
- Medium size: Ideal guide dogs are large enough for strength and visibility, yet not so big as to be cumbersome.
- Calm and Focused: Outstanding guide dogs maintain exceptional focus and avoid distractions, even in stimulating environments.
- Highly Trainable: The ability to consistently follow complex commands and adapt to new situations is crucial.
- Gentle Temperament: A non-reactive, gentle nature allows for easy interaction with strangers and safe navigation through crowds.
- Health and Stamina: Guide dogs must be healthy and able to work for extended periods.
The Role of Training
- Early Start: Training begins as puppies, focusing on socialization, obedience, and the specialized skills required for guide work.
- Individual Potential: While breed tendencies are important, the individual dog’s personality and trainability are paramount.
- Specialized Programs: Only experienced trainers thoroughly understand the rigorous demands of guide dog work and can properly assess suitability.
Could a Cane Corso Become a Successful Guide Dog?
It’s possible, but less common. Here’s why:
- Dedicated Training: A highly skilled guide dog trainer would need to address the Corso’s independent tendencies and size, while channeling their protectiveness appropriately.
- Exceptional Individual: A Cane Corso with an unusually calm, biddable temperament and strong work drive has the best chance of succeeding in this role.
Key Takeaways
- Breed vs. Individual: While breed characteristics matter, the individual dog’s temperament and trainability ultimately determine their suitability as a guide dog.
- Responsible Breeding: Breeders of potential guide dogs must prioritize temperament and health even within traditionally favored breeds.
- Supporting Guide Organizations: Organizations specializing in guide dog training are best equipped to raise and train dogs for this demanding but life-changing work.
While Cane Corsos might not be the first choice for guide dogs, their loyalty and intelligence make other service roles more suitable. With proper training, they can excel as therapy dogs, protection dogs, or mobility assistance dogs.
Who Are Guide Dogs For The Visually Impaired?
Pets were in this role a little over a century ago. During the First World War, German soldiers who lost their sight in battles began to use service dogs in everyday life.
A little over 10 years later, an American dog breeder published a long article on this topic in one of the US newspapers. The story was inspired by the visually impaired guy Morris Frank, after which he took one of the author’s dogs and went with her to Switzerland. Having taught the dog the necessary commands there, the young man returned to his homeland and went on a tour of the states to demonstrate the capabilities of guide dogs.
As a result, the country changed the legislation on the admission of dogs in public places, establishments, and transport, and the first guide dog school appeared in the United States.
A guide dog accompanies the owner on the street, while helping him not to collide with passers-by, surrounding objects, bypass puddles, and dangerous obstacles. The dog always stops if it sees danger on the way, thereby urging its owner to follow its example.
She does not play the role of a security guard. The cynologist educates the dog with proper service dog training in such a way that it freely allows a large number of people to approach the owner since to orientate in space, the blind must constantly be in contact with others.
Even some people now prefer to use a Cane Corso service dog for this role. If dog owners can provide basic training to a Cane Corso puppy then this Cane Corso breed will be one of the best guide and emotional support dogs for visually impaired persons.
Rules For Choosing Guide Dog Breeds
First of all, it is worth understanding that guide dogs are not ordinary animals, they are trained by professional cynologists. The dog is taught to accompany the pet owners along predetermined routes. Also, such service animals help visually impaired or blind people navigate in space.
Considering all the difficulties of the conditions in which perfect service dogs have to work, it is not surprising that not all dogs will be able to provide quality assistance to their owner. If we talk about the best guide dogs, then such an animal must meet the following criteria:
- Excellent health
- Resistance to indulging instincts
- The average height at the withers is 65-70 cm
- Stable mind
- Benevolent disposition
As for the breed of service animal, fortunately, there are no special recommendations here. Even a mongrel can become a faithful guide with proper training. The dog must meet all of the above requirements. However, according to statistics, Golden Retrievers are most often chosen as guides than other animals.
Even Cane Corso puppies can do good service dog work with proper leash walking and clicker training. Cane Corsos are good service dogs with great personality traits who can follow commands (basic commands) of the owner easily and has a natural tendency to please the owner being great working dogs.
How Long Does It Take To Train Cane Corso TO Become A Guide Dog?
Each breed has its training process and period for the wisdom of the conductor. Big dogs like Cane Corsos are in demand in this work not only for their character but also for their quick learning ability, extremely loyal nature, gentle nature, etc.
Training a Cane Corso to perform specific tasks for people with physical disabilities, takes an average of 6-8 months. At the age of a little over, they are already ready to enter the service of a blind person; Cane Corso dogs are handed over to their owners closer to 2 years after teaching basic training courses, good leash walking practices, advanced skills, mobility tasks, tasking skills, etc.
How Guide Dogs For Blind People Are Trained
Initially, dog handlers choose suitable Cane Corso puppies for public access training. They’re generally 4 to 6 months old. After that, the dog gets trained for 1 year or more to learn to stay by the owner’s side as well as walk with the owner without getting diverted and go in its direction, go when the owner goes, and stop when the owner stops.
The training process includes the proficiency to avoid various obstacles like crossing the road and moving along the sidewalk correctly, climbing as well as descending stairs, opening doors, following a specific route, and the capability to pass through closely spaced things along with following other commands.
At the end of the training of the dog, the service dog must be handed over to the future owner by the dog handler. This gradually happens so that the blind person and the Cane Corso service dog properly get used to each other. Simultaneously, the new blind owner receives teachings on how to offer food to their new valuable asset, how to manage the dog, how to take the dog for exercise outdoors, etc. so that the bond between the owner and the dog is established as quickly as possible.
A visually challenged or blind owner’s guide dog is a loyal companion and essential helper. It benefits other aspects as well, in addition to the blind. An excellent companion for a youngster with autism spectrum disorder, for instance, would be a Cane Corso dog with a short coat.
FINAL WORDS
After applying for a guide dog, a visually impaired person will have to wait an average of 3-12 months. During this time, a working breed like a Cane Corso will be picked up and trained for a specific person.
At the same time, after training the dog, the blind person himself will also have to undergo training on interaction with the dog and pass an exam to establish contact. The dog will be handed over if a person manages to establish contact with a potential guide.
Since Cane Corsos are highly intelligent and can make excellent companions, when it comes to choosing one of the best guide dogs for blind persons, Cane Corsos are among the best ones. These breeds do not have intelligent disobedience and can create a strong bond in little time, they are very eager to please the owner. All these characteristics of a Cane Corso service dog make the breed one of the best guide dogs.
