Dogs are the most popular choice for most people who want to have a pet. It is not a surprise considering their intelligence and the ability to entertain. While it can be a big responsibility since you need to take care of your little friend, there are many benefits of having a dog besides the entertainment.
The best example of that are therapy dogs that can help people with various disabilities and issues. There are different breeds of therapy dogs. If you want to learn more about Teddy Bear Breeders, there are more details that you can check on this site. Also, we will provide more details about the role of therapy dogs and how they can help.
Main Features
The first thing that we have to mention is that a lot of people are mistaking these breeds for service dogs. While the service dogs are trained to help people with disabilities, to find illegal substances, or even save people, the role of therapy dogs is quite different since their main purpose is to provide emotional support.
The fact is that a lot of people these days are facing different emotional struggles, such as low self-esteem, difficulties in social relations, anxiety, and more. It is proven that getting a dog can change lives of these people.
How it Can Help?
When you get a trained canine, you will get a little friend that will be friendly with everyone, and you never need to worry about potential aggressive behavior or unresponsiveness. They are perfect for everyone, and you don’t have to face any struggles to make a choice and get one.
Social Skills
You will experience the impact the first moment when you start walking your dog on the street. People will become more interested in starting a conversation, and don’t be surprised when someone approach you only to pet your dog and ask you more about it.
In that matter, that is the perfect solution for those with social issues. For example, lack of confidence can be a huge problem. There are different reasons why people are facing it. However, meeting new people, finding new friends, and even a new partner will become much easier with the support of this loveable animal.
It is Relaxing
Anxiety is a serious issue today, and a lot of people are facing it. A lot of reasons can cause it, and people often react by getting stressed out. However, getting a dog will represent an additional occupation and joy. That can help you forget some struggles and issues at least from time to time, and only think about the entertaining moments with your new friend.
Besides that, these animals can sense stress and will react on that by snuggling or some other actions. It can lead to instant results. We also have to mention the benefits for people with high blood sugar. Getting relaxed is not always that simple, but you can expect more joy with a playful dog, and that can even lead to lower blood pressure.
Improved Habits
It is common for people with mental struggles to often avoid others, and spend most of the time at home. The same is for those with the lack of confidence that can be caused by different reasons. However, getting a therapy dog will change your life.
First of all, you will get more active. Walking around your area will suddenly become interesting, even if it was a struggle before. If you are not in the best physical condition, it can be a great start for new habits where you will become more active, and start working on losing some weight.
The great thing is that dog parks are very popular, and they are common in all bigger cities. Therefore, that is the perfect way to motivate yourself to get up early in the morning, and take you little friend to such park. You will also have a chance to chat with a lot of different people, and even make new friends.
What Are the Best Breeds?
While all dogs can provide all the benefits we mentioned, there are some particularly good as therapy companions. Some of the most popular choices are Greyhound, Labrador, Golden Retriever, and Corgi. The main reason why these breeds are perfect is because it is easier to teach them the perfect behavior.
For example, they won’t jump when greeting people, they will never be aggressive, react to loud sounds, and they will always listen to your commands. It is important to understand that these breeds will always focus on your commands and be fully depended on you, which means that you should never expect any guarding or defensive behavior.
The key characteristics are the ability to stay calm, to always be playful with everyone, and the most important one, to recognize the feelings and behaviors of the owner, and react properly on that. There are many interesting examples. When someone is experiencing the panic attack, or showing other sings of problems like crying and being angry, the therapy dog will immediately try to cheer that person up by playing around, snugging, licking, and other actions.
When it comes to choosing the best breed, you should know that it depends on your condition and preferences. It is not always essential to choose a trained companion. For instance, getting any dog can be a perfect choice if you are looking for a pet, and someone to take care of, while also having a chance to change some habits and meet new people. On the other side, getting a trained one will make it easier since you won’t need to struggle with that on your own.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, choosing a pet trained to be playful with people, and to react on your actions and feelings can change your life. It is a perfect solution for different conditions like anxiety, depression, obesity, low self-esteem, or when you are healing after a difficult break up.
Nina Smith 