Assistance Dog v Therapy Dog
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Not all breeders understand the difference. So it's important for you to be clear when you describe what you need in your own particular situation. So let's get started.
THERAPY DOG
Another name could well be 'Comfort Dog' for these intuitive souls who yearn to snuggle close to you and soothe your anxiety with their doggie empathy and loving presence. When you're feeling down, or unwell, they won't leave your side. If you're visiting hospice or homes for the elderly, they intuitively know which person in the room needs them the most and will make a bee line for that individual to stay near to them in benevolent silence and with an undeniable sensitivity to what that person is experiencing, whether it's physical or emotional pain. |
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Therapy Cobberdogs are wired for the job. It's in their genes and things like eye contact don't need to be taught. The only training they need is the basic obedience training that every puppy of any breed needs in order to be a well mannered member of the community. Certified Therapy Dogs working outside of the home are not permitted to lick, and natural lickers can be difficult to dissuade. Breeders should pass over the effusively kissing puppy in a litter when selecting a puppy they know will be doing certified Therapy work later on. So mention your intentions early on.
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To Recap
For Family dog, kids' dog, housebound illness, anxiety, depression, selective mutism in children, a range of confidence issues, emotional support, then if a dog is recommended as being beneficial by your therapist or doctor, then THERAPY temperament is the way to go. |
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ASSISTANCE DOG sometimes referred to as SERVICE DOG or 'working temperament'
These Cobberdogs have the same intuitive traits as the Therapy Cobberdogs but-and it's a very important 'but', their temperament is underpinned with a strong prey drive. This means an intense desire or even a need to be always actively learning something new as youngsters. As an adult they need to be actively doing something on a daily basis that they've been taught. They are wired to serve. It makes complete sense when we consider some of the tasks they will be required to perform.
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These may include: Learn several hundred words & relate them to objects: i.e. "Get me my RED SHOES", "Bring me a BEER from the FRIDGE". Learn dozens of actions like turning off the lights, opening and closing doors, noticing dropped objects and retrieving them regardless of being asked or not, bringing their work vest or harness, putting dirty clothes into the washing machine, and emptying the dryer, leaving their owner with SOS Tag to run for help, alerting for a coming seizure or diabetic high or low, just to name a few.
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Likely Outcomes of a Mis-match
Therapy temperament placed where Assistance/Service temperament was required
Because Cobberdogs all have receptive minds to training and puppies often pick up what's wanted after being shown just one time, this puppy's unsuitability for what's expected probably won't be recognized until thousands of dollars have been spent on training. As advanced training progresses, he will lack the enthusiasm to go further. He'll simply flunk the course because he's satisfied with what he's already learned. Because he's clever, he might even have worked out his own ways to avoid some of the tasks he's not interested in pursuing. This could lead to you thinking he's dumb but it's actually the opposite!
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Assistance/Service temperament placed where Therapy temperament was required
This is the most common scenario. This puppy is so bored that he does anything and everything to get attention. In his mind even negative attention is better than what he perceives to be not enough! So he chews, destroys things, digs holes, and misbehaves so badly that his family are frustrated to the point of giving him up. But they love him! When he's cute he's very cute, but when he's in trouble it's breaking their hearts with indecision.
From the puppy's perspective, he always seems to be in trouble and he can't work out why. He's not to know for instance that when he's being mouthy, he's a very bad puppy only because he's in the wrong home. A mouthy Assistance/Service Dog puppy is highly prized because he's so easy to train to pick up things, manage things like velcro fasteners and learn other specialized tasks that need him to use his teeth or mouth. Finally, this article wouldn't be complete without slaying the myth that smaller Cobberdogs are too active to be good Therapy dogs. A surprising number of people are telling me that even their 'hi-profile' breeder has told them this. It definitely should NOT be so. Any breeder who is finding this to be true in the Cobberdogs they are breeding, needs to seriously look at where they can improve their breeding programs. As breeders, we produce what we selectively breed for. To ignore temperament in any size of Australian Cobberdog is to eventually lose it altogether in the breed.
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