Jeffrey McDonald, age 11, of Flagstaff, Ariz., for his question:

WHICH IS THE BEST GUIDE DOG?

A guide dog is a dog specially trained to guide a blind person. Dogs are chosen as guide dogs for qualities of good disposition, intelligence, physical fitness and responsibility.

Best suited dog for guide dog work is the German shepherd. Nextin line is the Labrador retriever with the golden retriver and the boxer coming up in third and fourth places.

At the age of about 14 months, a guide dog starts an intensive course that lasts from three to five months. It becomes accustomed to the leather harness and the stiff leather handle it will wear when guiding its blind master.

The most important part of the training course is a four week program in which the guide dog and its future master learn to work together. However, many blind people are unsuited by temperament to work with a dog. Only about a tenth of the blind people find a guide dog useful.