Research pick: Working dogs, the professionals - "Harnessing emotion: the haptic and acoustic professionalism of guide dogs"

Research in the International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion suggests that we should change our perspective on guide dogs. Guide dogs should be understood not simply as helpful companions, but as skilled operatives performing complex emotional labour that is communicated through touch and sound rather than sight. The work challenges longstanding assumptions about work, disability, and professionalism.

The study explains that guide dogs for people with visual impairment carry out a range of continuous emotional regulation comparable to that expected of human service workers. Emotional labour, a term used to describe the management of feelings to meet occupational expectations, has traditionally been analysed through visual cues such as facial expression or posture. This research finds that in guide dog partnerships, emotional competence is instead perceived, necessarily, through haptic (touch) and acoustic (sound) channels. The cues and connection are through the dog’s harness and lead and what they hear through movement, breathing and equipment.

The team has used almost a decade’s worth of qualitative information based on interviews, professional practice, and the researcher’s own experience to assess what we might refer to as a dog’s professionalism. Calmness, confidence, and focus are conveyed through subtle changes in rhythm, tension and sound. A steady pull, quiet breathing or the absence of vocalisation can signal assurance, while irregular movement or audible stress may indicate anxiety or fatigue.

Central to this exchange is the equipment. Harnesses and leads are shown to function not only as practical tools but as communicative interfaces. Much like a uniform, the harness marks when the dog is working, establishing social and temporal boundaries. At the same time, it enables a two-way flow of emotional information, allowing dog and handler to respond to each other in real time. The research suggests that this material dimension of work has been overlooked in conventional accounts of emotional labour. The implication is always that workers must be human and that emotional displays are seen rather than felt or heard. Such assumptions exclude both animals performing skilled roles and people who rely on senses other than sight.

Warda, T. (2025) ‘Harnessing emotion: the haptic and acoustic professionalism of guide dogs’, Int. J. Work Organisation and Emotion, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp.400–420.