What breed of dog would you suggest as a calm, gentle dog to be trained as a therapy dog?
Becca asked:
I’m going to be getting a dog at the beginning of next summer, and will be certifying him/her with the Delta Society as a therapy dog. I would like to get a dog with a naturally calm and gentle temperament. What are some breeds you have seen to exhibit these characteristics?
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I’m going to be getting a dog at the beginning of next summer, and will be certifying him/her with the Delta Society as a therapy dog. I would like to get a dog with a naturally calm and gentle temperament. What are some breeds you have seen to exhibit these characteristics?
March 31st, 2009 at 7:49 am
labrador excellent all round gentle calm can be trained to do about anything. just look at guide dogs.
March 31st, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Pitbull
Wow, some of you guys are so knowledgable, that you cant even take 2 seconds to google “pitbull therapy dogs”.
Open the link below, now put that in your pipe and smoke it, feel free to appologise via email or an answer edit.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:52 am
I’m sure madmike is kidding. But, yes a labrador would work, so would a border collie or an Australian terrier if you train it as puppy.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Labs are wonderful, gentle dogs. have a friend who has a pair of Boxers that are trained as therapy dogs and everyone loves them. They are very sweet and seem to rally enjoy the people they visit. I used to work in a group home for handicapped people and we had a beautiful Water Spaniel as a therapy dog for the clients. They all loved him.
April 6th, 2009 at 2:55 am
English Springer Spaniel, I have one and he is absolutely perfect. Calm, extremely obedient, and has no bad habits like barking at people and chewing the house up.
April 7th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Golden retriever.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Labradors and Red Setters both are known for their docile natures.
April 11th, 2009 at 5:25 am
Labs are generally very easy going. I love collies, but they worry themselves to death. Sometimes , too, they are inbred. Life on the farm, you know. Springers are Absolute loonies, in my experience.
April 14th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Dachshund as it has a nice long back to stroke and has a very gently nature.
April 17th, 2009 at 1:59 am
a king charles spaniel or a labrador, my mom has a king charles spaniel cross and its the gentlest calmest dog i have ever seen.
April 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
golden retrievers.
April 20th, 2009 at 8:31 am
lmao!!! I read this question and I KNEW just about every answer was going to be a lab or retriever. While I DO NOT disagree,I think that if you are totally committed to do this and willing to take the time to train,you can train most breeds or even mixed breeds to do therapy training.Please be aware that therapy training takes a long time.Mostly about 3years,and if you are told oh no it won’t take that long,run as fast as you can to someone who will tell you the truth about therapy training.I hope you will also do a lot of research on this type pf training.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 am
I say a Boston Terrier or a Pug. They are silly dogs that love people. Labs are great, but I just thought I would suggest something different. There is a good article on therapy dogs at:
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I have a english mastiff. They are the most calm dogs I have ever seen. They rarely bark (if they do something is going on) I have NEVER had a dog so easy to train. I hate getting puppies because of the potty training, and yelping all night, I have had 3 mastiffs and none of them yelped ar night, and they only messed once in the house! They live to make there “master” happy, if they since that my husband or myself are mad at them they are so dissapointed, and they spend all day trying to make up with us. we also have a 8 month old baby, and they absolutly adore him. the downfall is the size lol. My female weighs 180, and my male (not yet 2) weighed 180 about 8 months ago!. They are gentle giants!!!
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:57 pm
It all depends on the dog itself and its background, naturally.
Bear in mind to take into consideration the gender of the dog.
We all know that Labradors, Retrievers, Setters and Spaniels have a gentle, warm, friendly and cuddly nature. They can also be a hand full though.
But I would recommend a mature and well trained German Shepherd.
In my experience, they are wonderful.
They are good for therapy because they are “formidable” in that way that they remind us of the Wolf.
Someone once said to me : “She knows her power but she chooses not to use it”.
Therefore to obtain the trust of a German Shepherd is a great feeling and very healing.
You may think about a Mountain dog as well. Very big and or very white, it works. But they need space and a lot of outdoors.
Take care.
April 25th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Mad Mike isn’t joking. Pitbull. I own two. Both are certified therapy dogs.
April 26th, 2009 at 8:09 am
It’s not breed specific.
Just get a dog that’s suitable for your home, make sure it’s well trained and well socialised, and the rest should follow.
There will be a test of suitability that the dog will be required to pass, but whether purebred or mutt, from breeder or rescue - it needs to be a good pet first and foremost (a dog that’s unsuitable in your home might not be relaxed enough to be a therapy dog).
I’ve never heard of the Delta Society, but P.A.T. (in the UK) have dogs of all breeds and mixes. Have you asked the Delta Society what they would advise?
Good luck.
April 26th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Labrador would be my choice..
May 1st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Bullmastiff. My boy is so soft and gentle and big friendly giant. All people stop him and pet him in the street, never afraid of him. lovely and cuddly! so big that he can handle some rough petting also.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:42 am
participating in therapy work is a tough job for any dog. you can pick any breed & find that some are suitable & some are not - it all depends on the individual dog.
May 5th, 2009 at 6:22 am
It has been my experience that the people being visited prefer smaller dogs that can sit in their laps. Toward that end, consider an English Toy Spaniel. They are nearly cat-like in their personalities and generally enjoy being lap dogs. This is true of most toy breeds, but many are one person dogs and may be snappy toward strangers.
The Papillion is probably the most easily trained of the toy dogs and that would be an advantage for teaching some cute tricks to entertain.
I’ve seen many patients gravitate toward Shih Tzus as well, because of the fluffiness.
I’m going to make another unusual suggestion: Greyhound, or the smaller Italian Greyhound or Whippet. These dogs tend to be warmer than other breeds, which may be soothing or appealing to some patients. The Greyhound in particular is well suited to lying contentedly.
While there is nothing wrong with a good lab or golden, these breeds are very common. A less common breed would be a good conversation point. The actual bulk of therapy dog work, for the human partner, is chatting with the patient. The top two conversation topics are the therapy dog itself, or pets of the patient being visited. An unusual breed gives more fodder for the conversation.
—-edit—-
It doesn’t take anything like three years to train a therapy dog. Dogs as young as one year old are permitted to take the tests. A pet dog with basic obedience skills and good manners (including toilet training) can complete an 8 week class and pass a test. Not all would do it that quickly, but with a lovely, well socialized pet and basic training skills on the part of the owner it is entirely possible.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Any dog, so long as it is trained and socialized properly. I have seen Pets As Therapy dogs in the shape of rotties, pitbulls, GSD’s, Cane Corsos, bullmastiffs, spaniels, labradors, pointers, collies, mixed breeds.
May 10th, 2009 at 7:34 am
I just read an article on therapy dogs. For starters, they say not to choose a puppy because it’s hard to tell their potential behavior as an adult. Shelters and rescues are good places to find a therapy dog. As for a breed, they also point out, many breeds have made great therapy dogs and not to single out just one breed. “Just take your time and wait for the right dog to find you.”
Here’s the link to the article,.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Saint Bernard, Shih Tzu.
I was raised with 2 labs and they were the best kind of dog I could have had as a child. They listen to you.
My brother has a lab/golden retriever. And she is the warmest, kindest, and a friend to all (animals, people…)
The few Saint Bernards I have met are the gentlest giants out there. Again, much like golden retrievers, they adore your attention.
The shih tzu has grown in such popularity due to its absolutely well rounded nature. They are a lap dog who are fun, affectionate, and very loving.