Dogs that are used for therapy work are trained to provide comfort and assurance to people who need it. Many handlers travel to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and disaster areas with therapy dogs. 

Some people don’t know the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog. While a therapy dog is trained to interact with many individuals and give them comfort, a service dog is trained to help one specific person with a disability or other issue.

People who can benefit from therapy dogs are those who experience physical or emotional issues, like hospital patients, trauma survivors, veterans, kids, etc. 

Animal-assisted therapy was first introduced with the ancient Greeks, believe it or not. The first therapy animals were horses, used to lift the spirits of the patients. In the 17th century, physicians started to use horses to help with mental and physical issues.

Some later discoveries:

• Sigmund Freud often used his dog, Jofi, in his psychotherapy sessions in the 1930s. He believed that his dog could see the truest character in a person. Freud saw that his patients were more open and relaxed by the presence of Jofi.

• A man named Boris Levinson, who was a child psychologist, noticed a non-verbal, secluded child talking and interacting with his dog, Jingles. After the interaction, Levinson saw the potential benefits of animal therapy in his psychotherapy sessions. He was credited with naming “pet therapy” in the 1950s.

• Registered nurse Elaine Smith was working in an English hospital and noticed that patients spirits were lifted by a chaplain’s golden retriever. With that in mind, she founded Therapy Dogs International (TDI) in 1976. This organization was made to test and certify dogs and their handlers to visit nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Elaine Smith passed away in 2012, but the organization continues. In 2020, TDI certified over 24,000 dog-handler teams in the 50 states.

• The first therapy dog was Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier who served as the mascot for the 5th Air Force’s 26th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron in World War II. Smoky and her handler, Corporal William Wynne, went on combat missions and provided emotional support to soldiers in hospitals.

Dogs naturally make people happier and in a better mood after interaction, but therapy dogs provide a calmer, more comfortable approach to those who struggle to interact or are lonely. 

Dogs give people a sense of companionship, love, and a non-judgmental source of comfort. They are a welcome distraction from whatever struggles individuals may have going on in their lives.

By petting a dog repetitively, your body releases oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, which are stress-relieving hormones. This creates positive feelings and a connection between the person and the dog. Just by interacting with a dog, they can:

• Reduce anxiety and depression
• Improve mood
• Lower cortisol levels (stress hormones)
• Encourage more interactions with other people
• Lower blood pressure and heart rate
• Improve memory and focus

There isn’t a specific breed that is better than another for therapy work; it depends on the temperament, qualities, and behavior of the dog. However, dogs that are usually seen in this line of work are breeds like border collies, Labrador retrievers, Yorkshire terriers, Pomeranians, beagles, poodles, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels.