Choosing a breed
When selecting your future Psychiatric Assistance Dog (PAD), the most important thing to keep in mind is that its primary role is to assist you with your disability. An assistance dog is not a pet. It is essential to recognise that your favourite breed may not be the most suitable for becoming a PAD. You need to choose a dog that will best mitigate your disabilities, which may mean it is not the breed you have always dreamed of owning. Your assistance dog must be physically capable of performing task-related and public access behaviours without requiring your assistance.
Technically, most breeds can be trained as assistance dogs, but some are better suited to the role than others. There is no single “best” breed for everyone, as the ideal choice depends on factors such as the tasks required, the handler’s personality, and their living environment. However, the PADs foundation recommends considering the following as the best starting point when selecting your assistance dog.
Labrador Retriever
Golden Retriever
Goldador – Labrador Retriever x Golden Retriever (cross)
Standard Poodle
Labradoodle – Labrador x Poodle (cross)
Goldendoodle – Golden Retriever x Poodle (cross)
Labradors and Golden Retrievers (or a mix of the two) are regularly used as assistance dogs as they consistently display the traits necessary to:
a) make it successfully through rigorous training
b) have a long and effective working life.
While Poodles are not as commonly used in professional Assistance Dog Training Programmes, this breed has demonstrated that they possess the key characteristics of a good assistance dog. An increasing number of owner-trainers are turning Poodles as a hypoallergenic alternative.
Successful assistance dogs typically share specific traits, such as trainability, gentleness, and a strong work ethic.
However, some breeds—particularly herding breeds—are not recommended for individuals with mental health conditions such as anxiety or PTSD. Despite having many qualities that make them excellent assistance dogs, these breeds can be prone to developing overprotective behaviours, which may be perceived as aggression.
Please note that PADs Foundation have restrictions for the registration of Toy, Brachycephalic breeds or dogs with phenotypical conformations e.g Shar-Pei / Dachshund. For the welfare considerations of our assistance dogs PADs reserves the right to refuse the registration of a dog breed that is not suited for the task requirements of the handler. Please contact us if you have any queries regrading breed selection.
*Cross bred dogs may also fall into the Toy or Brachycephalic category – your veterinarian will need to assess your dog (an accurate assessment may not be possible until your dog is fully grown).Toy dogs are small dog breeds that weigh 15 pounds or less when they are fully grown.
https://ukpetguide.com/toy-dog-breeds/
https://www.hepper.com/brachycephalic-dog-breeds
Breed considerations:
Throughout the world, there are approximately 400 recognised dog breeds, each with its own unique history, genetic profile and reputation (van Rooy and Wade, 2019). Assistance dog facilities typically use the same limited number of breeds in their programs. These are Labrador Retrievers (LR), Golden Retrievers (GR) and a mix between the two breeds. Some also use German Shepherds (GS) (Ennik et al., 2006), Labradoodles, and Goldendoodles (Shouldice et al., 2019). Facilities have also expanded into Royal Poodles, Bouvier des Flandres, Bernese Mountain Dog, Labrenese (LR x Bernese Mountain Dogs), and Saint-Pierre (Dollion et al., 2019).
There are differences between breeds which can make some more suited to the role than others (Ennik et al., 2006). Caron-Lormier et al. (2016b) conducted a study using guide dogs to investigate the patterns of undesirable behaviour in dogs. A data set collected by Guide Dog UK staff over a 20 year period provided this study with 7770 dogs, where 6465 dogs reached retirement and 1305 dogs were withdrawn before retirement for behavioural reasons. Withdrawal decisions were made by the dog care and welfare manager.
In Caron-Lormier et al. (2016b) it was found that Labrador Retrievers (n =2877) are the most likely breed to reach retirement (ie. the dog successfully completed their training programme, was partnered and worked until retirement was necessary). They scored higher for nerve stability and were more cooperative when compared with German Shepherds. They were also the least fearful of the breeds assessed (Caron-Lormier et al., 2016b). In Ennik et al. (2006) which assesses the suitability of four dog breeds for guide work, Labrador Retrievers (n =690) scored higher in traits such as courage, hardness and friendliness than other breeds (Ennik et al., 2006). van Rooy and Wade (2019) focused on behavioural genetics of dog breeds and found they were also ranked highly around the world as having low levels of aggression and scoring highest in trainability.
Golden Retrievers (n =848) were also a chosen breed in Car-on-Lormier et al. (2016b) and were seen to have been withdrawn early due to reasons of environmental anxiety. They were less likely to be withdrawn for social behaviour reasons (Caron-Lormier et al., 2016b). van Rooy and Wade (2019) found they have a lower owner directed aggression when compared to other breeds and exhibit low aggression levels towards unfamiliar humans and dogs. They also score high for trainability, but not as high as Labrador Retrievers. While working with Golden Retrievers (n =407), Ennik et al. (2006) suggested that they may benefit from a prolonged training period. Golden Retrievers worked 36 days shorter than the average 3108 days (Caron-Lormier et al., 2016b).
Ennik et al. (2006) found that Labrador Retrievers crossed with Golden Retrievers (n =360) had the highest probability of becoming a guide dog, suggesting that the genetical mix between these two is favourable. The combination of both the gentleness of the Golden Retriever and the willingness of the Labrador Retriever allows this crossbreed to be a successful assistance dog (Evans et al., 2015). Car-on-Lormier et al. (2016b) used a variety of Labrador Retrievers crossed with Golden Retrievers. They were grouped depending on generation, purebred cross and what breed the sire and dam were. Golden Retriever x Labrador Retriever (n =2167) scored best under the excitability group and were least likely to be withdrawn due to this. However, Second generation Labrador Retrievers crossed with a pure bred Golden Retriever (n =268) were less likely to reach retirement due to unde-sirable behaviour (not specified in text) being displayed to the Guide Dog Owner. It has been suggested that older dogs often develop undesirable behaviours such as increased distractibility, this therefore contributes to a breakdown in obedience.
German Shepherds have a strong instinct to control the movements of those around them. Their intelligence, trainability and high activity levels make them good candidates for an assistance dog position (van Rooy and Wade, 2019). Ennik et al. (2006) found they (n =576) often scored highest in traits such as sharpness and defence drive. In Car-on-Lormier et al. (2016b), German Shepherds (n =286) were the most fearful of breeds assessed and were seven times more likely to be withdrawn for fear and aggression than the Labrador Retriever. They scored well in willingness and confidence and are 70% less likely than the other breeds to be withdrawn for these issues. They were less likely to reach retirement (3108 days) due to behavioural issues such as anxiety, fear and aggression and were withdrawn an average of 172 early (Caron-Lormier et al., 2016b). It has also been found that they are susceptible to several health conditions including musculoskeletal condi-tions, skin conditions and nervous sensory conditions which shortens their working life (Caron-Lormier et al., 2016a).
In recent years, Labradoodles, which is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle have become a popular assistance dog. They are a purpose crossbreed originally intentionally created by Wally Conran with the goal to create a hypoallergenic assistance dog. Goldendoodles have also become a popular assistance dog breed. These are a Golden Retriever crossed with a Poodle (Shouldice et al., 2019). Current research indicates that Labradoodles and Goldendoodles are suitable for use in roles such as therapy dogs for people suffering with dementia (van Zon, 2017) and diabetes detection dogs (Petry et al., 2015). However, there are no studies available which assess their capabilities as an assistance dog nor their behaviour during their training.
Excerpt from:
Marcato, M. Kenny, J. O’Mahony, et al (2022). Assistance Dog Selection and Performance Assessment Methods using Behavioural and Psychological Tools and Devices. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Available from: DOI:10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105691