Inspired by the Pit Thread on Guide Dogs… I figured I might as well open up something here and offer to answer any and all questions regarding working dogs - be they service dogs, guide dogs, or other types of working dogs.
I’ll do my best to reply to all questions!
Wuf.
That’s so cool.
How in the world do you give them up when you’re done training them? I have always avoided jobs that involve animals because I inevetably want to keep them all.
It’s hard at first… but you get used to it. You develop some form of detachement, really, and you know that when you’re done with a pup, there’s another one coming!
I’m not training anyone right now as I’m working with a service dog of my own, but I still do help with training and do AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy) work with my retired dog and my “program dropout”.
What breed of dog is easiest to train for service? Or does it depend on the service needed?
OK,I got another one.
Can I train my pugs to do anything useful? Like, say, the laundry?
What’s the easiest thing to train a normal dog to do? What’s hardest?
It kind of depends on the service needed. Some breeds seem to be better suited for this kind of work - they usually are breeds that are known to be very responsive to training, who like to please, and who are smart (but not so smart as to be totally bored with the job, either). We also look for breeds that, in any given litter, have the higher chance of success. In other words, a breed that tends to produce puppies that are pretty much equal across a litter. Some breeds, like, say, australian shepherds, tend to have such a wide variety of type and temperament in any given litter that we tend to hand pick those puppies rather than raise an entire litter as possible service or guide dogs.
Historically, most schools have used: German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and Standard Poodles. These breeds tend to be predictable in temperament, size, and type - most schools breed their own.
We look for puppies who tend to be natural retrievers, as this often reflects a will to please. We also look for puppies with intense social drive (want to be with people!) and who are “middle of the road” dominance wise.
Wufs! My current working dog is an Australian Shepherd. He’s bright, a fast learner, and a nice dog to work with, all around. That said, we lead a pretty active life… if I had a 9-5 office job, he’d be bored out of his mind and would come up with things to do all on his own 
Pugs are… well… small. They’re also harder to train to be consistently obedient. The easiest things to train “normal dogs” to do is, honestly, to think. Most people train their dogs with commands and treats, and by handling them into what they want - for example, teaching a puppy to sit by manipulating its butt down to the ground, then giving it a treat.
I train entirely using operant conditioning - producing thinking dogs who come up with things to try. It’s slow to start, but once they figure out how it works, you have dogs who are willing to try all sorts of things to see if they’ll get rewarded. It’s behavior shaping, basically, and certainly at the core of many "tricks’ we turn into “tasks” for service dogs.
The easiest thing to train are the basics: sit, down, stay, come, heel… it’s hard to get a dog to learn other more complex things until you have those under your belt and they are reliable. Dogs tend to need to learn how to learn, ya know? Once they’re in that frame of mind, it’s easy to teach them some basic tricks: roll over, touch, fetch, spin… that sort of thing.
The hardest task, in my book, is teaching a dog to reliably retrieve, on command. By this, I mean picking up any object - from pencils to cans, pennies (yes, pennies) to dollar bills. The take-and-hold is probably among the hardest things to teach a dog, even natural retrievers, because it’s not something that’s totally natural to them. Shaping behaviors they offer naturally (like a sit, or a belly-up!) is easier.
I will never forget an old dog master I worked with when I was younger - he dared an entire class to teach their dogs to take and hold a dumbell (as for competitive obedience) through all their obedience routines… and he said that he would be able to teach his german shepherd pup (about 10 months old) to ride a tricycle faster than it would take us to teach a 100% reliable take/hold. He was right
Ack - that first paragraph should read that the HARDEST thing to teach a dog is how to think!
Yes, I think I’ve figured this out on my own.
Operant conditioning sounds cool, and I don’t know anything about it. Can you recommend any books on it? And does it work on husbands too?
I don’t have a dog yet, but I want one in the next few years as life allows. Do you recommend for the average person to try and train their own dog or to take them to professionals?
And what’s your favorite breed of dog?
Clicking With Your Dog: Step-By-Step in Pictures (Karen Pryor Clicker Books) by Peggy Tillman
and
Don’t Shoot the Dog! : The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor
Both available through Amazon and other fine book sellers 
The concept of operant conditioning works with children and adults, too. One of the major premises is that dogs (and people) offer behaviors and continue to present these behaviors if it works for them (i.e. if they get something out of it). Everything hinges on positive reinforcement.
I think everyone should take at least a basic obedience class - just to get the hang of how to train a dog. Truth is, most of “dog training” involves training the handler/owner more than the dog, especially for all the basics. Even pro trainers tend to take classes, and the reasons behind that are many: to socialize their dog, to let their dog work around other dogs (major distraction right there!), and most importantly, to have the input from a fellow trainer who looks at the handler and the dog and can spot handling mistakes better than you can if you’re the one holding the leash.
As for my favorite breed, I’m very fond of the Australian Shepherd, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, and the good ol’ Golden Retriever. The first two don’t necessarily make the greatest first dog for a new owner. Goldens, though, are fairly easy to train, and usually an easy first dog. They’re hell as puppies (but then, almost all puppies are), but they’re wonderful companions and only aim to please…
Does operant conditioning work on adult dogs? That sounds like the direction I’d like to go with my black lab mix, who is about 2 1/2. She’s bright, friendly and aims to please, but I haven’t tried to teach her anything beyond the tricks she already knew when I adopted her a little over a year ago. She’s good, but I think we’d both benefit from working together on broadening her horizons.
Since I come from a marketing background, I must insist. Pictures, darlin’, pictures.
I had a job for a few months in which one of my superiors was blind. He has a very sweet - and quite old - German Shepherd guide dog. (To be perfectly honest he’s a bit of a jerk, but his dog kicks ass.)
But he has a desk job in an IT environment, and his dog spends hours every day just lying there, her owner’s foot on her leash. I often wondered: Is that harmful to the dog’s mood in any way? Can the ability to do nothing for hours at a time without caring be trained into a dog, or is it something that a dog just has?
Oh, yes: Is there a recommended retirement age for service dogs? The shepherd I mention above was over ten years old, it was my understanding; that seems very old to me.
Our Rhodesian Ridgeback is very cerebral…Ok downright arrogant. How do we train this out of him? He doesn’t listen to anyone but my wife or myself…Ever! Occasionally he will listen to another male if he is a big guy…but otherwise he’s a dud when it comes to paying attention to others.
Granted this behaviour has it’s uses, but it also has it’s major set-backs as well.
I work retail, and try to greet the dogs that visit. How appropriate is this with a guide dog or a guide dog in training?
Beadlin: Crossing a dog over from good ol’ training methods to OC is doable, certainly! I know quite a few shelter dogs who’ve come a long way after making the switch. Give it a shot!
Paranoid Randroid: The dogs we select for this kind of work tend to be pretty good about chillin’ out for hours at a time. Remember that an adult dog sleeps a hell of a lot during the day. In many ways it’s nicer for them to be able to do so at their master’s feet than home alone. As for retirement, it really depends on the dog. Some retire early after developing arthritis issues… others work until they are 11 or 12… on average, though, working dogs seem to have a career that spans about 8-9 years (so 10-11 years of age).
Phlosphr: Congrats, you got yourself a ridgeback Some dogs, and some breeds, are just like that. There are ways you can turn strangers/friends into great attractions for your dog - usually that involves turning those people into absolute hot dog dispensers. You can also train your dog to “go to” someone on command (again, the hot dog dispenser method works great)… You can start just by making strangers/friends interesting to him (i.e. they are the source of treats!) and then move on to making them interesting AND requiring him to perform a task - a basic command - before they give him a snack.
Garygnu: The best advice I have here is to tell you to always greet the handler first. Talk to them first, ask about the dog if you want. Some dogs are easy to distract, and they should concentrate on their job. The best thing to do is to ignore the working dog, unless the handler tells you you can say hello. Some trainers will encourage you to pet a puppy in training because it’s still heavily socializing. Most guide dogs are trained to ignore strangers who talk to them while they’re busy being on the job. Some, though, still are drawn to people who make a fuss at them, and this can put their handler in harm’s way. So - rule of thumb - ignore the working dog, talk to the handler first, ask questions (most are happy to answer them!), and always ask for permission before interacting with the dog itself.
I have an old dog (almost 13, a Westie) and I’d like to be more physically active and take him on walks. (He has the run of the back yard and gets plenty of exercise on his own, but he likes to smell new things and I can’t make it to the gym as often as I’d like.) The problem is, he pulls and pulls and pulls on the leash until he chokes and snorts and get something all stuck up in his nose, and then he does it again! Plus, he can’t just walk, he has to pee on everything.
I’ve gotten him a harness to use instead of the collar for walks, but it’s hard to get him into it. (He doesn’t like his feet to be touched, and he is a little grumpy in his old age.) Is the harness the best way to go here? How do I train him to help me put it on? And for pity’s sake, can he be trained not to stop every three seconds to lift his leg? I’m trying to lose a fat roll here! I know that’s not the sort of training problem you usually deal with, but any advice would be appreciated.
Also, is he ever going to do my laundry for me?