What breed of dog makes the best hearing dog?

I’d always assumed that bigger breeds of dog were used as Hearing Dogs, probably because our own dog (a west highland terrier) is a law unto himself and when I’m out walking him it always seems like the bigger dogs are better behaved.

According to the Hearing Dogs For Deaf People charity the best hearing dogs are Poodles. Apparently they are one of the more intelligent breeds and, “they love to learn and as a result usually excel in their obedience and sound-work training“.

Hearing Dogs For The Deaf are running a blog about Chance, their newest canine recruit, and his trainer Tom. You can follow Chance’s progress from the first day of training on their site.