$50,000.00 for a guide dog? Are you hiring?
I'm not, but yes, to create the human-dog team you see effortlessly negotiating a crowded street, or walking on stores, takes a LOT of time, training, effort, money and love.
In the early years, dog guide schools, such as The Seeing Eye in Morristown NJ and Guide Dogs For The Blind in San Rafael CA depended on donated dogs. This was a hassle, and the success rate was iffy at best. You might get one or two competent guides out of every six puppies. That is why they stuck mainly to German Shepherds. GSDs have a high 'work ethic' and make excellent guide dogs BUT they are often overprotective and driven.
When the schools decided to try breeding their own dogs, they found the success rate improved dramatically. Now nearly all dog guide schools have a breeding program.
Dogs are observed for temperament, work ethic, body sensitivity, aggressiveness, fear, health and other things and the best of the best are saved for producing puppies. Within the last 20 years, some schools, like Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael and Boring Oregon have been experimenting with cross-breeding Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers and have been getting over 60 to 70% successes.
But all this costs money. To maintain genetics research, provide homes for dogs in the breeding program (they are trained as guides, but not given out), provide veterinary care for the dogs and the puppies, test and train, pay for the spaying, neutering and housing of the dogs on campus, which are selected, THEN pay for the housing, training and support of the humans who come to receive dogs (most are free of charge. The Seeing Eye requires that you purchase the dog at a nominal fee) and then provide supplemental training, legal assistance and support and sometimes even financial assistance for the graduated team and pretty soon you're talking real money.
The prospective guide dog handler applies to the school, is interviewed, then taken on a "Juno Walk" with a trainer holding the harness handle (dog's role) and seeing how fast or slow and with what ease or difficulty they walk, etc. The prospective student is taught the basic commands (which will be re-taught later) 'Juno Forward!' 'Halt!' 'Steady.' 'Juno, Left!' 'Juno Right!' 'Leave It!' 'Hop up!' and 'Show me!'
The prospective handler needs to have a certain level of physical ability (although they do train dogs individually for specific disabilities accompanying a blind person) and mental and emotional capacity to handle a dog.
After the "Juno Walk" is completed (called that because the fictitious name for the generic dog is Juno) the student is asked to provide a physical exam report to the school. Once the person is accepted, they are given a class date and expected (except for one or two schools) to remain in residence at the school during their training period, which is generally one month.
Of course some dogs "wash out" during *their* training and are career-changed. If a dog is fearful under stress conditions, they don't make the grade. Puppies are tested for their reactions to gunfire, loud noises, screeching tires, wind, rain, thunder, aggressive dogs, angry people and body sensitivity. Body sensitivity means, if you pinch a paw or tail, or squeeze a ribcage, does the dog flinch or back away, yelp or try to bite?
Puppies are trained to walk on all surfaces, sand, gravel, concrete, grass, rubber matting, boardwalks, stairs (open and closed) escalators (NEVER a good idea!) elevators and even gratings. They are trained to avoid cars, halt at obstacles, signal what KIND of obstacle it is (overhead? dropoff? Wall? Car in the way? The dog will signal you) and how to maneuver in traffic, both human and automobile. They are taught the difficult concept of "Intelligent disobedience". That is, the human says "Juno Forward!" and the dog sees a truck coming into the intersection. The dog must learn, despite the command, to disobey and stay on the curb EVEN if leash corrected for disobeying! If the human steps forward against the dog's refusal, the dog must then turn into the handler, blocking him or her with the dog's body. We were taught that when a dog refused a command, we were to ask once more, THEN PRAISE abundantly, so as to avoid extinction of the training. After all... the dog probably just then, saved our LIFE!
Humans and dogs are temperament-assessed and matched according to size, gait, temperament and strength. I was given a "soft dog" because I was able to correct behaviors GENTLY and was low-key on discipline. Delsie was sensitive and even a mild reprimand made her wilt in misery. She needed a human who would emotionally support her, just as I needed a dog who was not driven or aggressive.
The first week of training is the most anxious. Nobody has gotten a dog yet. That comes after six or seven days of staff evaluation, harness training, teaching of commands and postures. The dogs have already undergone six months of their own training! WE are their "final exam" The dogs and students are matched, and then follows three weeks of mobility training, traffic training, city and country walks, training in how to feed, groom, harness, unharness, care for and handle the dogs. For the "final" each dog-handler team is taken to a location and dropped off. They are expected to make it back to the school on their own (covertly watched by instructors) using mobility skills, asking directions, crossing streets, counting blocks, driveways, landmarks etc.
The success rate, when you think of what is asked of the dog, is phenomenal! To provide a dog that is good in the hoime, the puppies, after being whelped at the school, are raised by volunteers, usually kids in 4-H programs, then given to the school for training. "career change" dogs are offered back to their puppy raisers.
So yeah... it runs into serious change and schools are hard-pressed to support it all. Fortunately, the schools, as charities are "sexy" and people give a LOT to them. While some schools are relatively poor, some, like The seeing Eye and Guide Dogs for the Blind, are powerhouses, graduating 20 or 30 students every other month.
Next time you see a blind person confidently walking down the street, his or her dog moving forward with grace, agility and speed, know that you are watching thousands of dollars, months of hard work and a whole lot of love in motion! Guide dogs are "The Cadillac of mobility". We are the few, the proud, the chosen.
SageGrouse
Ruining our beautiful parks digging coins. Here, let me lay this disgusting rotting body of my beloved pet here for a while. Mark it with a stone. It'll be ok. 
