At Ridgy Didge, we often receive inquiries from people interested in adopting puppies to train as therapy dogs. These dogs are eventually taken into schools, nursing homes, and retirement villages to enrich the lives of the residents. We also get inquiries about support dogs and assistance dogs for children or adults with disabilities.
We want to clarify the differences between these roles, as understanding them will help you choose the right type of dog for your needs. Our puppy temperament testing and assessment vary for each role.
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs are trained by their owners in collaboration with a reputable trainer, such as Therapy Dogs Australia. These dogs provide emotional support and comfort to various groups, including aged care residents, children in schools, and patients in clinics or hospitals. After being appropriately selected from educated breeders, these dogs undergo training and assessment by a qualified therapy dog trainer to ensure they can help others “feel good.” It’s important to note that therapy dogs do not have public access rights. Ideal puppies for this role are:
- Curious
- Motivated to interact with people
- Problem solvers
- Quick to recover when startled
- Have a strong toy or play drive
Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs, also known as service dogs, are professionally trained over an extended and often costly period. They assist one person with their daily life by helping them perform specific tasks. These tasks may include guiding the blind, calming those with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), alerting the deaf, or providing mobility assistance. They may also alert a diabetic to blood sugar issues or notify someone with epilepsy of an impending seizure, among other specialized tasks that enhance a person’s independence. Unlike therapy dogs, assistance dogs do have public access rights and are recognized by their working vests. These dogs have successfully passed the Public Access Test (PAT), which establishes minimum standards for assistance dogs. Ideal puppies for this role are:
- Friendly and comfortable around people and other animals
- Able to handle a wide variety of situations without becoming stressed
- Focused on their handler/owner
- Alert, but not overly reactive
- Intelligent and trainable
- Eager to please
- Calm in temperament
We strongly recommend enrolling in a reputable puppy school with face-to-face training and ongoing support, completing all levels with your puppy. This preparation will help you have a calm, obedient, and responsive little Cobberdog in the role you choose.
Many of our Ridgy Didge Cobberdog puppies have become therapy dogs, and many are fully trained assistance dogs! We have dogs in schools, nursing homes, family homes, and with psychologists and dentists, just to name a few. We also have Ridgy Didge Cobberdogs working in specialized medical alert assistance roles and as service dogs that have undergone extensive formal training to become highly qualified.
If you would like to adopt a Ridgy Didge Australian Cobberdog, please review our Adopting a Puppy information before continuing with the adoption process. For more information, feel free to send us a private message on Facebook or contact us through our website. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook to stay updated with ongoing puppy news and announcements.