Dogs are a man’s best friend—it’s been proven time and time again. But dogs can be more than just companions in our homes. In fact, many people rely on their pooches for their mental and physical health: these are what we’d call therapy dogs.
While all dogs are wonderful to cuddle and spend time with, certain breeds make better therapy dogs than others. Let’s take a closer look at which breeds are best and why.
Ideal Characteristics of Therapy Dogs
There are loads of different types of therapy animals, but today we’re focusing on therapy dogs. First of all, let’s consider what makes a therapy dog great. These special pups are there to help individuals who might have a mental or physical condition to navigate certain troubling situations—often working through panic attacks or even calming down anger.
Great therapy dogs will have a calm, friendly, and gentle demeanor and show affection to their owners. They’re patient, receptive, and tolerant, too. They also need to be intelligent and obedient pups because their lifestyle will entail a lot of training, and they’re always on the job. Finally, therapy dogs should be comfortable with strangers and be able to adapt to different environments, and they’ll often need to move around with their owners.
Let’s take a look at the top Breeds for Therapy Work!
Labrador Retrievers
One of the most popular dog breeds in the world is the loving Labrador Retriever, and for a good reason! These dogs are known for their sweet nature, patience, and gentle movement: ideal traits for a therapy dog.
Labs are also incredibly socially and emotionally intelligent with both humans and other animals! They’re adaptable, calm in high-stress situations, and full of empathy and love. Not only this, but their happy-go-lucky behavior can bring endless joy into any circumstance, which is perfect for one-on-one therapy or therapy in wider settings like schools.
Golden Retrievers
Another highly popular option is the Golden Retriever, a shaggier cousin of the lab. While these two breeds are different in many ways, they also have a lot in common when it comes to their behavior, highlighting why they both make great therapy dogs.
Goldens are one of the most loyal breeds you’ll meet, and their patience and sensitivity go a long way in this line of work. This breed is also wonderful with children, understanding the need to be gentle and sensitive to their needs. This means that they not only make excellent therapy dogs but also fantastic family pets in general.
Poodles
This intelligent breed is more than meets the eye — although they are extremely elegant and beautiful! Poodles are one of the most trainable breeds due to their intelligence, but they’re also highly affectionate under all that fluff.
This breed makes a good service dog in general because of how obedient they are; however, they’re perfect therapy dogs because they’re friendly and loving without being overly excitable. This means that they’re calm and can be focused when they need to be.
As a bonus, Poodles are considered a hypoallergenic breed due to the fact that they shed far less than others. While every dog can trigger allergies, Poodles are a much less likely trigger.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
Another pup with excellent people (and kid) skills is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Their warmth and affection are an immediate indicator that these dogs are up to the task of taking care of people, and their temperament shows the same.
These dogs love to cuddle, and their gentle, affectionate nature makes them ideal for patients who struggle with depression and anxiety. While these dogs can suffer from a bit of separation anxiety themselves, this doesn’t hamper their ability in service!
Greyhounds
Despite being known as racing dogs, Greyhounds display a surprising calmness, even in high-stress situations, one of the very many reasons they make such great therapy dogs.
These pups are highly affectionate and loving, but more than that, they’re in tune with emotions in ways that few other breeds are. Even though their long limbs and pointed faces don’t look cuddly, they’re always ready for a hug. Greyhounds bond deeply with their owners and make an excellent choice of therapy, as well as physical assistance with mobility or medical alerts.
Training and Certification
With that being said, there are no real restrictions on which breeds or ages can be trained as therapy dogs! While it’s important to keep in mind that not every pup is cut out for the job, what matters most is their training and certification.
According to the American Kennel Club, therapy dogs need to be at least a year old before they can complete their AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test for obedience, as well as a therapy certification. Even dogs need to get qualified before they land the job!
There are a few different organizations that will certify therapy dogs, like the AKC themselves, and Therapy Dogs International (TDI). You can visit their websites to learn about the steps to certify a therapy dog.
Of course, simply getting the certificate isn’t going to be enough — your dog will need ongoing training in order to become the best therapy dog they can be. Unlike other service dogs who are only used for individual assistance, therapy dogs are often used in larger settings and more social contexts, like schools, nursing homes, and even medical institutions. This means that they need to be well-trained, properly socialized, and especially obedient.
