Do you have an older relative in need of special care and attention? Do you have a special needs kid at home in need of companionship? Are you in search of something or someone to provide you extra comfort?
If so, then what you need is a Goldendoodle.
For a long time, small dogs have been known to make better therapy dogs than their larger counterparts. And Goldendoodles, being a small dog breed, are no different.
In this article, we want to explore a number of reasons why Goldendoodles make excellent therapy dogs.
Reasons Goldendoodles make excellent therapy dogs
- They are very social animals
One of the most popular reports about Goldendoodles is that they make good social companions. Anywhere they find themselves, they’re always eager to interact and socialize with others.
This means that when you bring them close to a therapy patient, they won’t struggle to get along with the person. Neither will they become too anxious or uncomfortable to interact. Whether the therapy recipient wants to go out for a walk, play Frisbee or fetch, swim, dance, or get playful, Goldendoodles are always happy to play along.
- They are well-mannered
When you don’t keep a dog on a leash, most of them will stray away to sniff out the environment, play with fellow canines, or just wander about.
For Goldendoodles, however, this is not the case. A Goldendoodle will remain loyal to the cause and focused on the task at hand for as long as you need him to be.
He won’t wander around the park when he’s supposed to sit close to your special needs son. He won’t get distracted by the irresistible urge to play with others when you charge him with comforting an elderly person in an assisted living home.
In short, a doodle dog will remain on task all of the time, making him the perfect companion a therapy patient needs.
- They’re comfortable anywhere
Some dogs are terrible at behaving themselves outside the house. Just one day out, and they’re already sniffing people’s stuff, trespassing on people’s properties, and damaging items.
When you have a therapy dog, the last thing you want is for him to be a terrible outdoor dog. Why? Because most therapy patients stay at or visit private/public institutions, which means their dogs will inevitably come into contact with equipment, items, and areas that don’t belong to the owner.
Luckily, a Goldendoodle is the type of dog that doesn’t run rampant. You wouldn’t find him charging from one hospital ward into another, causing nuisance and creating scenes. Neither will you have him damaging wheelchairs or hospital equipment.
He will sit still and stay close to you.
- They’re eager to serve
The whole point of getting a therapy dog is that you have someone close by who listens to your commands.
Unfortunately, not many dogs are obedient to the letter. Most even require months of training before they start obeying commands. But not Goldendoodles.
Unlike most dogs, doodles are easy to train. That means you won’t struggle to get them to perform their duties as a therapy dog.
In practice, you don’t even need to train or tell a Goldendoodle to do some things before he does them. The urge to serve and please is inherent in them.
- They’re not overly jumpy
The last thing a therapy patient needs is a canine companion that’s always jumping up and down. For one, they simply don’t need anything or anyone to stress them or raise their blood levels. What they need is something or someone to comfort them and create a calm environment.
Luckily, doodles are one such dog. For all the noise about their activity and sharpness, Goldendoodles are a calm breed, especially the mini and toy ones.
They can remain calm and composed even when it seems like the whole world is crumbling around them.
- They are super gentle
Imagine having a dog that doesn’t mind jumping at people. Then one day, it comes into contact with a therapy patient who’s fragile in health and jumps at them. What do you think will happen?
Such a person might fall or get hurt. This is why a therapy dog needs to be calm and gentle. Luckily, doodles are generally gentle and not jumpy, as we’ve said before.
- Adaptation is not an issue
Most dogs take months to get used to people, a new environment, and a new routine. This is why you find many of them crying at night when they’ve just been brought in from a breeder’s home.
Goldendoodles are not like this.
They’re used to adapting to new environments and conditions because right from the breeder’s home, they’re always eager to meet new people and make new friends.
So when you bring them to assist a therapy patient – someone with a unique environment and routine – they don’t find it strange or hard adjusting to the new demands.
Want to see how quickly doodles become attached to their therapy friends? Buy one today to find out for yourself.
- They’re easily trainable
So far, we’ve talked up Goldendoodles’ intelligence, urge to serve, ability to obey and adapt, and all sorts of other things.
But the truth is that every therapy patient is different. The sorts of commands you need a doodle to obey in an assisted home will differ from those around a special needs kid.
In light of that, you’ll need to impart some special lessons to your dog to get them to reliably do what you want.
Luckily, since Goldendoodles are such an easy breed to train, encouraging new traits in them or improving on existing ones will not be a challenge.
- They’re not unnecessarily aggressive
Have you ever noticed that some dogs hate being touched? I mean, the moment you touch a part of their body, they snap at you or even attempt to bite you.
So many dogs are like this, which makes them a bad choice for therapy patients. But Goldendoodles are not. They don’t mind being touched. In fact, you can snuggle with them. They won’t mind.
They are so friendly that even when you’re clipping their nails and mistakenly hurt them, they won’t respond aggressively.
