Are Golden Retrievers good therapy dogs?
If you are familiar with Golden Retrievers, you’ll know them for their loving and friendly personalities. They almost seem a little empathetic in a good-natured, doggie kind of way, don’t they? It’s because of this that a Golden Retriever is such a great candidate as a therapy or service dog.
These furry friends are some of the most popular dog breeds trained to assist individuals with special needs. This includes those with physical disabilities, mental health conditions, and developmental disorders.
Golden Retrievers make loving and gentle companions. This is why they’re often used as emotional support dogs in therapy settings. You’ll see them in hospitals and nursing homes, providing comfort and companionship to patients and residents. Their gentle natures also make them first-class furry buddies for kids with autism.
A Golden Retriever service dog builds a special bond with its human handler. In many cases, this type of connection is literally what the doctor ordered. A service dog needs to have a strong sense of loyalty and love for its handler, making a Golden Retriever the perfect breed for a therapy and service dog.
Table of Contents
Why Do Golden Retrievers Make Good Therapy and Service Dogs?
A Golden Retriever makes a great therapy and service dog as it is loyal, friendly, and possesses a temperament seldom matched by most other breeds. You might be fooled into thinking Goldies were bred for this purpose! They are also keen to please, making them easily trained and a perfect fit for assisting people with disabilities. They’re also first-rate pooches when it comes to providing emotional support to their people.
They’re also as cute and fluffy as dogs get, which in itself, will likely put a smile on most people’s faces.
Golden Retrievers make good service dogs in most service categories. It helps to understand precisely what service dogs are and the functions they provide. Likewise, understanding what a therapy or emotional support dog is makes it clear why Golden Retrievers are suited to the role.
We’ll explain more about service animals first and what services Golden Retrievers are adept at providing. Then we’ll highlight the difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal. We’ll also note why a Golden Retriever service dog is among the more common service dog breeds also used as therapy dogs.
What is a Service Dog?
A service dog is a special type of furry friend trained to help people with disabilities. These dogs typically perform specific tasks that their human partners can’t do on their own. For example, a service dog helps a person with mobility issues to stand up or walk. There are also service dogs that help visually impaired people to move around more comfortably.
These dogs aren’t average pets; they are highly-trained professionals! They only become service dogs after they’ve undergone service dog training. After passing a suitability test, they receive their service dog certification. Service dogs receive special permission to go with their humans into public places that don’t usually allow animals.
These service animals need to be super-special. A good service dog will develop a really close bond with its human. These are so much more than regular owner-pet relationships usually are. They aren’t only pets but constant companions, helpers, and best friends. This type of dog is a true hero, as it will enrich the life of its human partner in so many ways.
What Categories of Service Dogs are There?
Several types of specialized service dogs receive service dog training certified by the American Disabilities Association (ADA). These canine specialists include:-
Guide Dogs
These doggos are superheroes to the visually impaired community! They help their humans navigate the world by guiding them around obstacles and leading them to their destinations.
Golden Retrievers are great breeds as guide dogs as they are super-intelligent, amiable, and always eager to please. These gentle giants will do their very best for their handlers and will be happy with the reward of a belly rub at the end of a long day!
Dog breeds typically used as guide dogs are:-
- German Shepherd
- Goldendoodle
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador
- Poodle
Mobility Assistance Dogs
These strong and sturdy dogs help individuals with mobility issues. They pick up dropped items, open doors, and help their humans to stand from sitting positions.
A Golden Retriever has a strong build and a stronger work ethic, making it a perfect service dog for this role. Reward your pooch with some ear scratches, and it’ll always be more than happy!
Dog breeds typically used as mobility assistance dogs are:-
- Border Collie
- Boxer
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador
- Rottweiler
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Medical Alert Dogs
These clever canines can detect when their human partners’ blood sugar levels are low or if there’s another reason they’re not well. They’re trained to alert them or their caregiver to the fact.
As Golden Retrievers are easy to train and are always looking to please, they can make great medical alert dogs! A Golden Retriever is perceptive and would make a naturally good service dog in this role as it will always put its human first. Detecting low blood sugar levels and alerting its human or their caregiver is a natural instinct, over and above their training.
And a Golden Retriever is a super cuddler too!
Dog breeds typically used as medical alert dogs are:-
- Boxer
- German Shepherd
- Goldendoodle
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador
- Poodle (Miniature, Toy, and Standard)
- Schnauzer
Hearing Dogs
This type of service dog must have incredible hearing powers to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing. They alert their humans to sounds like doorbells, phones, and alarms.
Golden Retrievers are not usually trained as hearing dogs. They don’t typically have the hearing sensitivity required for this kind of service dog work. As service dogs, Golden Retrievers have outgoing and friendly natures and personalities, making them perfect for many service roles.
Unfortunately, their levels of hearing mean they’re not suitable as this kind of service dog, though.
Dog breeds typically used as hearing dogs are:-
- Border Collie
- Boxer
- Doberman Pinscher
- German Shepherd
- Labrador
- Poodle
- Rottweiler
Psychiatric Service Dogs
These furry friends are some of the most popular dog breeds trained to assist individuals with special needs. This includes those with physical disabilities, mental health conditions, and developmental disorders.
A Golden Retriever makes an exceptional psychiatric service dog! It is genetically a calm and friendly dog that doesn’t get worked up easily. Golden Retrievers, as service dogs in a psychiatric setting, are well-suited to providing support to restrict mental health episodes. They’re affectionate and loyal, so they’ll always be there to lend a paw when times are tough!
Dog breeds typically used as psychiatric service dogs are:-
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Border Collie
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador
- Poodle
- Welsh Corgi
Autism Service Dogs
These friendly doggos assist children and adults on the autism spectrum by providing comfort and safety. They also help to encourage interaction from their humans in social settings.
A Golden Retriever service dog working alongside those with autism is perfectly suited to the role. We’ve mentioned its nature and personality at length, so it’s no surprise it’s a natural choice by many on the autism spectrum. This type of service dog needs to be individually trained. A Golden Retriever’s attention rate and strong work ethic make this training easier.
Good service dogs pick up what their human partners enjoy and don’t like quickly. You can understand why this is an especially necessary skill for an autism service dog. So a Golden Retriever won’t dish out any licks unless it’s on their person’s ‘like’ list!
Dog breeds typically used as autism service dogs are:-
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Border Collie
- German Shepherd
- Goldendoodle
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador
- Schnauzer
Seizure Alert/Response Dogs
It takes a special breed of dog to recognize the signs of an oncoming seizure and alert their human. Even more so when it means staying with them during and after a seizure to provide an element of safety and comfort.
As it’s naturally alert and astute, a Golden Retriever service dog is very suited to the role of seizure alert/response dog. It’s a perfect fit for the task, as it’s an inherently intelligent service animal. It has an instinctive sensitivity to changing moods, which very few other popular service dog breeds do.
As far as service dogs go, there aren’t many that can provide as much genuine caring and comfort after a tough episode, either!
Dog breeds typically used as seizure alert/support dogs are:-
- Beagle
- Border Collie
- Cocker Spaniel
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Jack Russell Terrier
- Poodle
Many service dog breeds appear on lists of multiple service categories. This is because these specific breeds are highly trainable, astute, and inherently intelligent. Although all the breeds mentioned are common in specific service dog skills, not every individual dog will suit these tasks. Like humans, every dog has its own personality.
Besides the German Shepherd, the Golden Retriever appears on the most lists. This indicates how special the breed is and how much a Golden Retriever service dog is respected by and likely to be suggested by a service dog trainer.
The Difference Between Therapy and Service Dogs
A therapy dog isn’t a service dog. Service dogs get trained to perform specific tasks for their humans. Therapy dogs are specifically trained to be good listeners with exceptional calming influences. These dogs and their human partners, often their owners, volunteer in clinical facilities. While there, they provide comfort, love, and emotional support to occupants in the facility.
There’s a tenuous connection between therapy and service dogs in that therapy dogs are also specially trained. The difference is that therapy dogs provide emotional support and comfort to people in need but are likely not with those people all the time. Service animals become permanent companions to those in need and are trained for specific roles.
What Exactly are Therapy or Emotional Support Dogs?
Emotional support dogs are classified as comfort dogs with therapeutic roles. Although they may be trained and assigned to specific owners, they aren’t regarded as service dogs by the ADA. As such, they aren’t legally permitted access to public spaces like service dogs are.
There are no standard rules certifying and regulating therapy dogs. The guidelines between organizations often differ. Non-profit organizations (NPOs) that offer emotional support dogs as services are generally responsible for training, licensing, and insuring their therapy animals.
A therapy dog is essentially a four-legged, furry therapist! These incredible doggos get trained as emotional support animals to give comfort to people in several settings. These include hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, schools, and even prisons. They are friendly and well-behaved and love one thing more than anything else – being around people.
Therapy animal training teaches the dog to relax in new and differing environments and to be friendly when mixing with all people. They should always be calm and well-behaved and not bothered by foreign noises and unfamiliar movements. Therapy animals are always comfortable with strangers handling them. They have an unparalleled love for people.
Therapy dogs come in all forms and breeds, from little Chihuahuas to Great Danes. Like Golden Retrievers, they’re all used as emotional support dogs if their individual temperaments are suitable. There’s only one thing they really require to be an emotional support animal – a calm and friendly nature.
As such, the Golden Retriever breed ranks among the top BarksInThePark choices to act as a therapy or emotional support dog. It has a typical ability to fit into its immediate environments. Golden Retrievers are special canine companions, whether you’re their owners or just being visited.
FAQs
How can I train my Golden Retriever to be a therapy or service dog?
Training a Golden Retriever to be a therapy or service dog requires a significant amount of time and effort. We recommend you work with a professional trainer or organization specializing in this kind of training. Training would typically include basic obedience, along with specific tasks that the dog needs to know to assist its handler.
Are there organizations that provide therapy and service dog programs to train a Golden Retriever?
Yes, many organizations provide therapy and service training for many breeds of dog. Some organizations breed and train their own dogs. Others train adopted dogs from local shelters and rescues. You should research a reputable organization that meets your specific needs.
Is there a certification or registration process for therapy and service dogs?
Yes, every service animal requires certification through the American Disabilities Association (ADA). Therapy animals also require accreditation, but this is done regionally, depending on requirements.
In Closing
Every service animal is special, and therapy animals are also no different in this regard. The Golden Retriever ranks highly among these self-sacrificing, loyal, and dedicated canine caregivers. This shows how fortunate you are if you have one as a fur buddy.
If you’re one of those cared for by a Golden Retriever, make sure that you return the attention, love, and licks your super-special companion gives you. On second thoughts, maybe don’t return the licks – that might be weird!