Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Daniel W. Moser / Among working dogs, the role of a guide dog ranks as one of the most noble and useful occupations and thus was recognized early as a category of working dogs worthy of focused research. Behavior issues top the list of most common reasons for rejecting dogs from working as guides. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for each of the 101 questions and 12 subscale factors measured by the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). The C-BARQ is a standardized questionnaire that contains seven behavioral categories: training and obedience, aggression, fear and anxiety, separation-related behavior, excitability, attachment and attention-seeking, and a miscellaneous category. These categories and questions allow the evaluator to describe any dog's behavior. For this study, questionnaire responses were obtained on 3,149 and 3,348 Labrador Retrievers (LR) from Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) and 989 and 1,187 Labrador Retrievers, 608 and 692 Golden Retrievers (GR), and 966 and 1,348 German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) from The Seeing Eye, Inc. (TSE) at 6- and 12-months of age, respectively. The estimates of heritability and standard errors from TSE dogs indicate that there is much genetic variation that could be exploited in selection against "Familiar dog-directed aggression/fear" (0.27 ± 0.12) of GR at 6-months, "Chasing" (0.22 ± 0.10) of GR at 6-months, and "Nonsocial fear" (0.27 ± 0.09) of GR at 12-months or in selection for improved "Trainability" of LR (0.46 ± 0.07), GSD (0.47 ± 0.07), and GR (0.20 ± 0.08) at 12-months. In general, the remaining factors and most of the 101 questions were found to be lowly heritable (< 0.10). These estimates are useful to understand more about the nature of behavioral traits leading to the production of successful working guides.

This master thesis introduces a form of volunteering which is not well known to the public, so-called puppy raising of guide dogs for the visually impaired. This phenomenon is introduced on the background of a comparison of two civil society service organizations, one based in the Czech Republic and the other in the United States of America. These organizations both come from a different type of civil society but have many similarities as well. At the end of this thesis, the results found through qualitative research are presented, where these data were gained through interviews, documents, but also by participatory observation directly in the respective organizations.

The diploma thesis focuses on the issue of guide dogs and their owners from in view of the general public across various generations through qualitative research. Theoretical part of the thesis introduces guide dog in world and Czech history, relevant legislative measures, fully describes course of dog training, and behavior of a guide dog in public. Practical part describes qualitative research, a questionnaire aimed at public in the Czech Republic. The survey examines public knowledge of legal measures about guide dogs, appropriate behavior towards a guide dog and its owner, and about guide dog's tasks. Research provides out look of the public 's knowledge and suggests targeted education for generations studied. The diploma thesis also brings method of educating respondents during data acquisition. KEYWORDS adults, couple guide dog and his owner, guide dog, passers-by, compensation aid, young adults, blind, seniors, the public.

Title: Influence of guide dog ownership on physical activity and quality of life of people with visual impairments Objectives: The main objective of the thesis was to examine differences in quality of life and volume of physical activity in persons with visual impairments who own/do not own a guide dog. Methods: It is theoretically empirical work. A quantitative form of questioning was used for the research part of this thesis. The method chosen for data collection was the standardised IPAQ questionnaire and the revised SF-36 questionnaire. The research group consisted of people with visual impairments who own/do not own guide dogs. The survey involved 15 people with visual impairments (7 women, 8 men), out of this number 8 respondents own a guide dog (5 women, 3 men) and 7 respondents do not own a guide dog (3 women, 4 men). The average age of respondents with a guide dog was - women 32 years, men 31 years. In respondents without a dog - women 32 years, males 38 years. Results: The results showed up to twice the time devoted to regular physical activity in a group of visually impaired individuals who own a guide dog, compared to individuals without a dog. Individuals with dogs were measured at 17995 MET-min/week, compared to individuals without a dog who had 5368 MET-min/week. Necessary walking...