Assistance Dog v Therapy Dog
Do you need a Therapy Dog or a Service Dog?
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Australian Cobberdogs have become extremely popular across the world and this has attracted a lot of brand new breeders, some of whom have never bred dogs before of any breed. Your breeder may or may not understand the difference between Therapy and Service Assistance dog temperament so it's important for you to be clear when you describe what you need in your own particular situation. Therapy temperament is the most often asked for, but in many litters there will be a couple of puppies better suited to Service careers than they are to family homes especially where owners are inexperienced with dogs or have very young children. Many of the problems I see owners posting on social media, are due to square pegs being forced into round holes.
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Therapy Australian 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, comfort in sad times, anxiety, depression, selective mutism in children, a range of confidence issues, emotional support, then THERAPY temperament is the way to go. Disclaimer: There are some unique situations where it may not be in the interests of any dog to live in a particular environment. If a breeder feels that this may be the case, I recommend the breeder request the puppy applicant to put the breeder in touch with the applicant's therapist or health professional.
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ASSISTANCE DOG sometimes referred to as SERVICE DOG or 'working temperament'
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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!
Assistance/Service temperament placed where Therapy temperament was required
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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. How to pick a Service dog likely candidate from a litter of puppies
Then ask yourself the question: “What character traits should I be looking for in order for the dog to carry out the tasks which will be required?” True Service dogs need the following in order to excel-
How to pick a Therapy Dog likely candidate from a litter of puppies
So again, ask yourself the question: “What character traits should I be looking for in order for the dog to carry out the tasks which will be required?”
We'll focus on the career oriented Therapy dog here, only because the requirements are more demanding. The same apply to the family and personal Therapy dog, but to a much lesser degree.
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. 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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