But please, not while it's in harness. When dog and handler are waiting to cross a main road, your well-meaning stroke can wipe out two years of training. Much as we'd all love to believe it, guide dogs are not rocket scientists. They're just highly trained animals working as a team with their vision-impaired handlers. Don't whistle while we work When someone calls our name, we instinctively turn our head.
Dogs do the same when they hear a whistle.
If that dog is a working guide dog, not only is its attention now on the whistler rather than its owner, but an accident may be just around the corner. A sudden turn of the dog's head could wrongly indicate to the owner that they are about to encounter a bend. They are intelligent, reliable and love people. They also love food and eat just about anything they're offered. Imagine having your favourite meal suddenly appear under your nose when you're trying to concentrate.