# Do guide dogs ever get fired? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388 "2014-04-18T03:16:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388/21 "2014-04-18T20:34:38Z")
My daughter is raising service dogs (for autism). We are told that there is a 40% failure rate in training. The lady who runs the organization has tons of stories of dogs who washed up, usually in training, but some after completion. The ones who have to be “pulled” in late training or after usually have a bad experience that “ruins” them for their job. She had a particularly sad story about a young seeing-eye dog who was attacked by another dog while in harness (and unable by circumstance and training to defend itself). Despite a lot of additional work with this promising dog, it had to be retired. (Here I was going to go long about my family’s experience with dog raising, but then I realized that it was not to the point… Quick precis: Our first dog washed up in traing and is now our “forever” dog. We are training a second dog who should finish training in a few months.) ---
**Author:** ![funkycoldmedina1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@funkycoldmedina1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funkycoldmedina1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388/22 "2014-04-18T20:42:23Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > Here’s a story from here in Indy last night where police had to shoot a K9 officer when he latched onto an officer’s arm and wouldn’t let go: > > [http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/deputy-forced-to-shoot-fishers-k-9-after-attack](http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/deputy-forced-to-shoot-fishers-k-9-after-attack) You know who else had German Shepherds for guard dogs? ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388/23 "2014-04-18T21:34:49Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > I’m not sure depressed is the right word, but do recall seeing that rescue dog handlers will sometimes hide someone in the wreckage so the dogs can “find” them. I think it is less about the dog getting depressed and more about it being better for their training to have regular successes for which they can be rewarded. The same technique is used for drug-sniffing dogs. It’s known as [variable ratio reinforcement.](http://psychology.about.com/od/vindex/g/def_variablerat.htm) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388/24 "2014-04-18T22:06:11Z")
A friend of mine had to “forcibly retire” a guide dog who was simply not good at his job after several months on the job. He had teenage kids, so was able to keep the dog as just a dog, and was still assigned another guide dog. He may have been higher priority since he works full time, but I once knew another blind woman who had three labradors - one her guide, one her retired guide, and one who was supposed to have been her guide but didn’t work out. > [@funkycoldmedina1](#): > > You know who else had German Shepherds for guard dogs? Sarah Connor and the future resistance? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388/25 "2014-04-18T22:14:35Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > The same technique is used for drug-sniffing dogs. It’s known as [variable ratio reinforcement.](http://psychology.about.com/od/vindex/g/def_variablerat.htm) “No, no, officer. I’m just supposed to carry these drugs to help the dogs with their self-esteem.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388/26 "2014-04-19T03:23:14Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > “No, no, officer. I’m just supposed to carry these drugs to help the dogs with their self-esteem.” “Right. Off you go, then…!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guide-dogs-ever-get-fired/686388.md?page=1)