If you took the J-Church train in downtown San Francisco Saturday morning, you might have had the chance to ride with a pack of puppies.

The 10 Labrador and golden retrievers hopped on the Muni Metro for informal guide dog training, navigating the noisy, busy environment of mass transit to learn how to best serve blind and visually impaired commuters.

The pups, ranging in age from 6 to 15½ months, took part in a socialization exercise as they rode from the Van Ness Station to the Embarcadero Station, where they got off with the people who raised them to roam around the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building.

“Every dog has a purpose,” said Karen Woon, vice president of marketing for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Labs and goldens seem especially equipped to aid their human companions, she added.

“They have a joy in service. They have great health and the right temperament. They are eager to please,” Woon said at the train station Saturday. “We find these breeds to be the most successful.”

It has worked out for Maia Scott, a visually impaired San Francisco artist and educator who brought out her veteran guide dog, Fiddler, to show support for the event.

Fiddler, a 6-year-old golden retriever, is her third guide dog, she said.

“All three of them have been amazing and taught me a lot about life,” said Scott, 46.

Scott generally rides BART or the K, L and M train lines with Fiddler, who has helped her learn to go with the flow over the years, said Scott, who works as both a massage therapist and an off-site theater and art instructor at City College.

“I just traveled to Seattle,” said Scott. “I’m always delighted at how steadfast he is and adaptable he is when we’re out and about.”

Guide Dogs for the Blind breeds the canines in San Rafael before they are given to a puppy raiser when they reach 8 weeks of age. The raisers, who keep the puppies until they are 16 months old, help them learn traits like obedience, house manners and coping with sights and sounds that come with traveling. The dogs are then returned to San Rafael for formal training.

There, they learn specific skills, like becoming accustomed to wearing a harness and the need for intellectual disobedience, which means they won’t obey a command to keep going if their owner is about to walk into a tree or otherwise get injured, Woon said.

In their informal training, the puppies have done everything from taking the ferry to going through security checks at Oakland International Airport, she said.

All of Saturday’s puppies came from the San Ramon Valley Guide Dogs, whose members raise the dogs, said Gail Horn, the group’s leader. She brought along the puppy she is raising a, 7-month-old black Lab named Lester.

“We raise them in our homes,” she said. “They’re part of a loving family.”

As the raisers and their puppies waited on the platform for a train, they created a stir, with passengers in passing trains marveling at the sight. One rider seemed to mouth “Oh my God,” over and over as the train passed the puppies.

The short ride from Van Ness to the Embarcadero took place on a nearly empty car, with a few smiling, albeit confused, passengers. But when they reached the Embarcadero, the petting began.

Niall Battson was awaiting a train to take his son and daughter to Discovery Day at AT&T Park when the dogs arrived. Soon, his 6-year-old daughter, Mila, was patting Fiddler on the head, appearing pleased to find out they were the same age.

“My daughter likes dogs. She always goes up and pets everybody’s dog,” said Battson, a 39-year-old Oakland resident. “She keeps asking for one. Some day. Some day.”

His 4-year-old son, Gus, happened to be a fan of trains, instead. He held onto Battson’s hand, squirming on the platform.

Mila turned around and tugged at her father’s clothes.

“Daddy, can I say hi to more dogs?” she asked.

He said yes, and she took off.