Does a guide dog ever disobey?
Guide dogs are not robots, they are dogs and they do make mistakes. New guide dog users go through a training program where they learn how to correct the dog and maintain the dog’s training. There are times, however, when it is desirable for the dog to disobey. Most guide dogs are trained to refuse a command when that command would lead to danger–walking out into traffic or over the edge of a drop-off, for example. This concept is known as “intelligent disobedience.” A handler must read their dog well enough to know when a refusal to obey signals danger and trust their dog enough to follow where they lead.
