Goldendoodle Therapy Dog: 8 Reasons They’re The Best

When choosing a new therapy dog, you need to make sure you go with one who can make daily tasks a little bit easier. There are a lot of great dogs out there who would love to be your companion, but not all of them can take on the extra tasks that are necessary for a therapy dog. One dog breed that you should consider if you need a therapy dog is the Goldendoodle. 

While many dog breeds can step in and do great work as a therapy dog, no one can compare to the great work that the Goldendoodle can do. 

Let’s take a closer look at how the Goldendoodle can work as a service dog and some of the reasons why they make a good choice. 

Therapy dogs have to be from a breed that is extra special. They are in charge of a lot of responsibility for the owners, helping them with a lot of tasks to make daily living a little bit easier.

Keeping their companion secure and safe is just part of the job that a therapy or service dog will be responsible for. Choosing the right breed when you need to have them close by all the time is important. 

It does not take long to find out that a Goldendoodle can be a great option when choosing a therapy or service dog. They are available in many sizes, which can make them a good option whether you are in your own home, in a condo building, apartment, or even in a care facility.

These dogs are social and very smart. Their reputation for being easy to train was well-earned over the years. 

When it is time to train them, they catch on quickly and can do the work much faster than all the other breeds. 

The Goldendoodle is also a good choice because they like to please. They will take on almost any task if they feel like they are going to get some braise and attention. 

They are also considered a social breed, so they can do just fine when you are in a busy or noisy environment. 

If they can get a lot of attention and exercise, this is even better. 

Goldendoodles were also bred to be hypoallergenic. While no dog is 100% hypoallergenic, this breed is pretty close. 

This means that their coats do not shed much and this helps out those who may suffer from allergies. 

Other dog breeds may not be the best for therapy dogs because they shed too much and can cause issues with allergies for their handlers.  

All of these traits and more help the Goldendoodle to become one of the best therapy dogs that you can choose.

They will learn quickly and are a lot of fun to have around, whether you need a Goldendoodle therapy dog or you just want a good friend to hang around with. 

There are many breeds that are used as a type of therapy or service dog for their handlers, but the Goldendoodle is quickly becoming a favorite. 

Why Do Goldendoodles Make Great Therapy Dogs?

There are many reasons why a Goldendoodle makes a great service dog. We’ll cover more than a few here about Goldendoodles as service dogs and therapy dogs.

Intelligence

Intelligence is very important for a therapy or service dog. Goldendoodles are good at learning and following instructions, which is huge for making service dog training effective and easy. 

One main reason why Goldendoodles make excellent emotional support animals is that they are perceptive and will do almost anything to keep their service partner pleased because they want the love and affection that often comes with a pleased owner.

Desire to please

Training a therapy or service dog can be different because your needs might vary from day to day. Service dog owners are often taught to give their service dogs a solid amount of affection and encouragement when they do things right and to be sure to give extra encouragement when they ask for something that might be difficult.

Goldendoodles are friendly dogs with the right amount of patience and a desire to please owners, meaning they make excellent service dogs who won’t walk away when things get a bit tough.

Focus on your service dog

Whether you are in a nursing home, out in public at the grocery store, or at a party with lots of adults and kids, Goldendoodles have the ability to hear through all the noise and react to their service dog companion in any given situation. While some dogs might be distracted by tennis balls, a well trained Goldendoodle will stay by the owners side if needed. Their ability to display the patience needed not to jump into chaos when unnecessary is an asset in service dog training.

Gentle Nature in a service dog

One of the characteristics that make Goldendoodles great family animals also makes them great service animals. Goldendoodles are naturally gentle. Only puppies tend to nip and bite, otherwise, they are cuddly dogs who don’t bite unless trained to.

The gentle nature also applies to kids and other people who might interact with the service dog – they need to be friendly, even if they can’t read any signs put on the dog that indicate they shouldn’t touch.

Hypoallergenic fun in a service dog

While this isn’t exactly a personality trait, it is still very important to service dogs that will be out in public, taking trains and subways, and helping their owners out in grocery stores and in crowded houses.

While no dog is completely free of danger or allergens, the Goldendoodle was bred in part to avoid causing people allergies. As a service animal, this helps a lot because there are few, if any places that a Goldendoodle cannot go as a trained service dog.

Did you know that 10 to 20% of Americans have an allergy to dogs? That number is much higher than we thought, but we are glad that dogs like the Goldendoodle are available as service dogs to help owners get help in public without causing sneezing, itching, or watery eyes.

You might be wondering how the Goldendoodles manages to become more hypoallergenic than average. Well, since the Goldendoodle is a cross bred of a golden retriever and a poodle, and the golden retrieve sheds a lot, the Goldendoodle tends to get more genetics from the poodle on this side – which is great because poodles do well in that arena.

Service Dog Size

Goldendoodles come in a variety of sizes, which is great for service dogs. If you live in a smaller place, or just don’t want a bigger dog, you can get a smaller Goldendoodle service dog. 

Service dogs tend to be the right side to serve a particular need. If a person in need is bigger, they might have a bigger service dog to help them remain calm or keep them down if necessary. Service dogs are quite flexible in this sense.

Socialability in service and therapy dogs

Goldendoodles have the energy of a golden retriever, and they certainly don’t mind being around people constantly. While a Goldendoodle service dog will enjoy some peace and quiet once in a while, it’s also not afraid to check in out and play for a bit to keep a patient feeling happy. Service dogs like the Goldendoodle are also willing and happy to just make sure you are doing OK.

Friendly and affectionate nature in therapy dogs

Just like Golden Retrievers, Goldendoodles make great service dogs because they are almost over the top friendly and affectionate – truly enjoying petting and considering a simple hand pat a reward.

Have you ever met a golden retriever you didn’t like? We didn’t think so! By combining the traits of the golden retriever with the poodle, you have a service dog that isn’t afraid to get close, loves a hug and kiss, and won’t make your allergies go crazy.

Can Goldendoodles be Trained to Become Therapy Dogs?

A Goldendoodle is the perfect candidate for all the training you need for a therapy or service dog. Therapy dogs will need to undergo quite a bit of training before they can take on their new jobs in this role. 

The good news is that the Goldendoodle is a fast learner and will be able to pick up on a lot of the things they need in a relatively short amount of time. 

The exact type of training the dog breed will need to go through will depend on the specific handler they work with.

There are some general learning courses that the dog will need to go through first, but there are also individual tasks that may need to be trained along the way to help with specific patients and handlers. 

No matter which leg of the journey you are on, this breed will be able to keep up with it all. they are quick to learn and love to please their owners so they are happy to learn a task and try to help out as much as possible. 

The handler will be impressed by how quickly the dog is able to learn, but just remember to give the Goldendoodle a lot of praise when they complete a task. They love it and will be more motivated to keep doing the tasks again and again. 

Are Goldendoodles Focused Enough to be a Therapy Dog?

Since Goldendoodles tend to have a lot of energy and like to bounce around quite a bit, you may worry that they will be too hyper and not be able to handle the work of a therapy or service dog. 

You may be surprised at how great they can do that this job when given a chance though. With a little bit of training, they will do an amazing job. 

Most Goldendoodles love to please their owners. And they do have a good deal of focus that helps them to tune out a crowd and just focus on their owners. 

Since they are used to crowds and children, they will not get overwhelmed when they are surrounded by these groups and can complete their jobs better than others can. 

Choosing the Goldendoodle for Your Therapy Dog

There are many great breeds that you can choose when it is time to go with a therapy or service dog. 

No matter what medical reason you have for this therapy or service dog, it is important you have the right one that will make life a little bit easier. 

The Goldendoodle is a great choice to help you get through the day and can encourage you with their playful smile and happy temperament.

When looking around for a new dog to have as a therapy or service dog, consider the Goldendoodle and see what great things they are able to do for you. 

What kind of service dogs are available?

Many kinds of service dogs are available, including psychiatric and an emotional support animal as well as diabetic alert dogs. Emotional support dogs are available, but are considered pets and don’t have federal protection that allows them to go places, but they provide their owners with the emotional support that often comes from having a kind and loving furry friend.

Psychiatric service dogs are federally protected and can go nearly anywhere, including places designated as no pet zones. These dogs are protected because a psychiatrist has verified that the owner is in need of a therapy or service dog to handle some scenarios, and Goldendoodles are good at this. 

We also have diabetic alert dogs, which are trained to help owners take care of their diabates. They can also tell when a person is about to have serious diabetic issues and can respond by either helping the owner or getting help for their owner.

Some psychological issues also invite the idea of a service dog, like autism and other mental health issues that could use an affectionate friend to help calm them down on a regular basis. 

How do you get a therapy dog or service dogs like a Goldendoodle?

Do keep in mind that if you want a true service dog that can go anywhere, you’ll want to talk to a psychiatrist or doctor that is able to connect you with an organization and the permissions to have a dog. Many organizations train service dogs – and it’s just a matter of proving the need for service dogs. 

In the case of an emotional support dog, you are free to choose your own as a pet as they typically don’t have special training to take care of specific medical issues. Do know that a good Goldendoodle service dog has the potential to be eligible for both, but can go anywhere with you with the proper training and an actual medical need.

The need and want for therapy dogs is rising recently as is the need for dog trainers – in part because more recently, dog breeders have found more effective ways to breed hypoallergenic dogs which are more acceptable in more places. Previously, a dog would run the risk of acting improperly or causing allergies. Now that we understand dog psychology and dog genetic science a bit better, it’s possible to make a go everywhere dog like Goldendoodle service dogs.