Three Types of Support Animals: Breeding for Therapy Canines

At Stokeshire, our focus is to produce Therapy-Grade dogs that have an undiscriminating love for humans.

• We want our doodles to voluntarily seek out people to interact with (Friendly)

• Have a calm demeanor (Laid-back)

• Are tolerant of physical discomfort yet enjoy being touched (Tolerant)

• Not easily spooked or unsettled. They need to be able to ignore stimuli. (Settled)

• They need to be always aware that their companion may do something unexpected and act in a volatile manner. (Observant and Predictable)

• A therapy dog should always perform its task with as much gentleness as possible without hurting their companion. They need to be able to remain calm. (Gentle)

• They need to be able to get along with others (Plays nice with strangers)

• A therapy dog much be confident and not afraid to do things outside of their comfort zone. (Confident)

• They need to have a balance personality and remain composed. (Balanced)

• Intelligence is a trait that all good therapy dogs should have. The dog needs to be able to read their companions’ mood so that they can react accordingly. (Smart)

• A good therapy dog is able to adapt quickly without it stressing them out. (Adaptable)

• Lastly, a therapy dog must be affectionate and it helps if they’re super soft and cuddly and willing to please. (Loving)

---

So which doodle breed is the best for therapy work?

We believe that a medium sized Golden Mountain Doodle may have all the qualities necessary for becoming a working therapy dog, but here are some things to consider.

Can you beat an American Golden Retriever? The Golden Retriever is an exuberant Scottish birddog of great beauty and stands among America's most popular dog breeds, and for good reason. We may be a little bias, but their lovey-dovey personality accompanied with their love of kids, dogs, and strangers check so many boxes for becoming a therapy dog, however, their double coat and high shedding level can be a barrier for some facilities and individuals with allergies.

The Standard Poodle is very similar in personality to the Golden Retriever, both being bred as gun dogs. An added benefit is their reduced shedding level. Poodles are incredibly eager to please, but require the highest level of mental stimulation. They can have a high playfulness level which can be great for working dogs but a challenge for owners who are not able to maintain actives for their pet.

Introducing the Bernese Mountain Dog: arguably the most majestic purebred we own. They are not only gorgeous, but soft and sweet! They don’t need as much work to be happy and are perfectly fine just lounging around, especially when its hot! But these Swiss pups love the snow and have been known to save a Stokes kid or two from a collapsed snow fort. We’ve personally found them to be a little more leery of strangers than what the AKC notes for their breed standard. Keep in mind, that each dog has nature and nurture working either with it or against it to become an excellent therapy dog and not all doodles are the best fit for this type of work.

By introducing smaller poodles into the bloodlines, we’re able to scale the size down substantially in a first generation cross. Using a multi-generation Goldendoodle or Bernedoodle with multiple copies of a curly coat and Furnishings will reduce the changes of offspring being born with a flat coat (shedding) coat. Crossing two first generation doodles will produce about 25% shedding offspring. Keep in mind, that each puppy born on this type of doodle cross will have varying percentages of Poodle, Bernese, & Golden Retriever.

Individual puppy evaluations are still essential in helping to select for the qualities listed above that help ensure the makings of an excellent therapy dog for professionals, therapists, schools, and facilities alike . ENS and Socialization are two additional parts of the equation that also have an active role in enhancing the innate characteristics these dogs have inherited.

---

SERVICE DOG

The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) defines a Service Dog as a dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks on cue that assist a person with a disability. The tasks performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability.

THERAPY DOG

Therapy Dogs are usually a person's own pet dog that the person has had qualified (through a therapy dog organization) to make visits to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc. Sometimes health care professionals and teachers incorporate a therapy dog into their work with their clients or students.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DOG

Emotional Support Dogs provide comfort to their person just by their presence. Providing comfort is not a trained behavior and, therefore, the dog is not considered an assistance (service) dog under the ADA.

Emotional support dogs do not have the intensive and specialized training that a service dog receives.