Goldendoodles are one of the most popular breeds of dog today, and they are known for their friendly temperaments and suitability as a family dog. If you are interested in a goldendoodle, you may be wondering if you can train this breed to act as a reliable service dog.
In general, goldendoodles can be service dogs, but there are several factors that you need to consider when it comes to adding this dog into your treatment plan.
Below, we tell you more about goldendoodle service dogs, including the tasks this breed is best at and how you can add a helpful goldendoodle service dog into your life.
What Is a Service Dog?
A service dog is any dog that has been trained to help perform tasks that work to relieve the symptoms of a specific disability or mental health condition. There are multiple types of service dogs, and they can be trained to provide physical support, psychiatric assistance, or guidance, such as guiding the visually impaired.
Service dogs have legal rights protected on a federal and state level due to their importance in their handler’s lives, and these dogs are often very well-behaved and necessary for their owners. For instance, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protect the rights of service dogs to accompany their handlers in public spaces.
However, federal law does not dictate how a service dog is trained, only that they are trained to help address the symptoms of a disability or mental health condition.
Is the Goldendoodle Breed Good for Service Dog Work?
The goldendoodle breed can be a good choice for service dog work, but it’s important that you pay close attention to your specific goldendoodle’s temperament and trainability.
While goldendoodles can be loving, attentive, and perfectly suited for service dog work, they can also be anxious, fearful, and a little rambunctious, making them hard to train. Some goldendoodles are simply not suited to service dog work, especially if they deal with issues like anxiety or problems with other animals and being in public.
You must evaluate your specific goldendoodle directly, or work with an organization that strives to provide others with fully trained and well-behaved goldendoodle service dogs, to make sure you get the most benefits you can out of this service dog.
Could Goldendoodles Be Emotional Support Animals?
If you have a goldendoodle that isn’t quite ready to be a service dog, they could easily act as your emotional support animal (ESA).
ESAs don’t have the same wide-reaching rights as service dogs, but they do have federal protections when it comes to living with you, and your goldendoodle ESA can help provide relief from certain mental health symptoms related to stress, anxiety, depression, and even conditions such as PTSD or OCD.
The routine of caring for your goldendoodle and knowing that your pup is there to comfort you can be a great relief and help you to better go about your day with confidence.
Goldendoodle Service Dog: The Best Tasks for This Breed
Goldendoodles can be good service dogs, and they are better suited for certain types of service dog work. For example, goldendoodles are a larger dog, so they can easily perform mobility support work or guidance for their owners.
Tasks that your goldendoodle service dog may be able to perform include:
- Guiding visually impaired or hearing-impaired individuals
- Retrieving items such as medication, phones, and water
- Opening and closing doors
- Turning off lights
- Providing mobility or balance support, or allowing their owner to brace themselves against their body
- Deep pressure therapy, or providing a spot for the owner to lie their head down
- Checking around corners and inside rooms
- Guiding their owner to a safe space and helping them calm down
- Providing a buffer between their owner and the public
Goldendoodles can also be trained with medical alert tasks, such as alerting their owner when their blood sugar is low or checking food items for potential allergens. This training can take more time, however, and it is something that should be done by a professional.
Where Do I Get a Goldendoodle Service Dog?
Goldendoodle service dogs can come from two different places – you can adopt a goldendoodle and train them yourself, or you can adopt a fully-trained goldendoodle from a service dog training organization.
In general, training a goldendoodle service dog yourself is much cheaper than adopting a fully trained goldendoodle service dog, but the process does take much longer.
It can also be difficult to train your goldendoodle with more advanced tasks if you have never trained complex skills before. However, the process of training your goldendoodle service dog can be a bonding experience.
On the other hand, adopting a fully trained goldendoodle service dog is expensive, and sometimes the wait for one of these pups can be long. You may need to join a waitlist or wait for several months before you are able to adopt your goldendoodle.
That being said, it can be a lot more convenient to adopt a goldendoodle that is fully trained to your needs, and you will often bond with your dog as you get to know them and work with them.
How Much Does a Goldendoodle Service Dog Cost?
Goldendoodle service dogs, like most service dogs, can cost quite a bit of money. Properly training service dogs takes time, and you may find that service dogs who need to perform medical alerts or other intricate service dog tasks take longer to train.
On average, a goldendoodle service dog could cost between $10,000 and $50,000.
The final cost of your goldendoodle service dog really depends on the skills they have been trained to complete, the organization you are adopting from, and any other care that the service dog training organization has put into caring for your goldendoodle before they are ready to come home with you.
Can I Get a Goldendoodle Service Dog for Free?
It may be possible to get a goldendoodle service dog for free, if you take the time to figure out specific grants or programs where goldendoodles are trained for individuals in need by nonprofit organizations, like K9s for Warriors, that train and provide service dogs to veterans.
There are both national and local programs that work to place goldendoodles into the lives of those who would otherwise not be able to afford a service dog, though you will need to research a program that trains dogs for your specific service needs.
You may need to pay a small fee, fill out an application, and participate in your goldendoodle’s service dog training before you are able to take a trained goldendoodle service dog home.
Will Insurance Cover a Goldendoodle Service Dog?
Usually, your health insurance will not cover the cost of a goldendoodle service dog. While these pups can be very necessary for some individuals, they are often classified as a type of medical equipment that may be considered optional.
This means that if you purchase a goldendoodle from an organization that trains service dogs, or if you adopt a goldendoodle from a shelter to train yourself, it will be completely out of pocket.
That being said, you can always check with your health insurance directly to see if they will cover part of the cost. You can also reach out to local and national organizations to determine if you can get additional funding to help cover the cost of your goldendoodle service dog.
Adopting a Goldendoodle Service Dog
Goldendoodles are an interesting mixed-breed dog, and these pups may have the temperament to act as reliable service dogs. However, whether or not your goldendoodle is a good service dog depends on their individual temperament, how eager they are to learn tricks and work at your side, and additional factors, such as their size and tolerance for service dog work.
If you find that your goldendoodle is not the best trained service dog, they may make a wonderful emotional support animal.
Adopting a goldendoodle service dog is something that needs lots of research and time, so make sure you don’t rush into this process. Conduct ample research and speak to your medical or mental health providers for help determining if a goldendoodle service dog is right for you.