Canine Health

Guide Dogs is the world's largest breeder and trainer of assistance dogs. An essential component of the work we undertake is to maintain the health and welfare of all of our dogs.

Since 1990, we have funded a number of studies into guide dog health and welfare issues. By undertaking these studies, staff have been able to receive advice from veterinary specialists and work towards gaining solutions to health and welfare problems specific to guide dog breeds. In doing so, we aim to minimise the effects of these problems on the training and working life of our dogs. Please see our canine research papers for more information.

Objectives

• The primary objective of the canine research programme is to undertake high-quality research into health and welfare issues that affect guide dog breeds.
• We will endeavour to feed research results back into our breeding and training programme to maximise their effectiveness for the benefit of both our dogs and clients.
• We will disseminate our research results to the veterinary profession and to the wider scientific community and will encourage the continuation of further research into dog care issues.

We have several new research projects underway and will post relevant results as soon as they are made available. Further information can be found in the vets and healthcare section.