Filled with compassion, loyalty and love, dogs of all breeds have healing powers. French Bulldogs, fondly known as Frenchies, are exceptional as emotional support animals. Can French Bulldogs be therapy dogs? Let’s find out.
Why Are French Bulldogs Good Therapy Dogs?
If you are going through a tough time mentally or you know someone who’s suffering from a mental illness and needs some tender loving care, look to a French Bulldog for comfort, emotional stability, and unconditional support. You can also Buy French Bulldogs by letting us know in comments, we can help in knowing the bull dogs temperament in more details.
They Can Read Your Mind
Frenchies have an ability to catch on to your thoughts, emotions, and actions of human beings. This makes them the most impeccable stress busters one could ever ask for. Their curious nature stimulates their mental and emotional capacity to understand pain, trauma, and other complex emotions in humans. By simply being around you, Frenchies can sense your discomfort and offer immediate assistance.
They’re Perfectly Sized
Frenchies are perfectly sized to fit in with you even on a hospital bed or the couch. They are lightweight, so they can be easily lifted up for cuddles, if need be. They are calm-natured and extremely loving, and make the best company to those who are recovering from trauma and experiencing anxiety.
They Can Be Trained
With appropriate training, French Bulldogs can also be great service dogs who help people with physical disabilities. From picking up your medicine bottle to offering you a shoulder to cry on, these intelligent beings can do it all.
They are calm-natured and extremely loving, and make the best company to those who are recovering from trauma and experiencing anxiety. People who have this problem can get the written recommendations for an Emotional Support Animal to carry the dogs with them where they want.
Do Frenchies Need Training To Become Therapy Dogs?
French Bulldogs are lap-friendly, they love being around people, and they are hardly aggressive. So, as emotional support dogs, French Bulldogs don’t need any specific, therapy related training. However, if you need your Frenchie to be around with you in a hospital or care home, basic discipline and etiquette training is essential.
Obedience Training
Frenchies must undergo obedience training that will check for and correct any behavioral issues that might come in the way of the dog’s service. When emotionally assisting patients, frenchies spend a lot of personal time with people and so, they might need to train to become sociable. Fortunately, these training modules are simple and you can train your French Bulldog to be a therapy dog at home. But, frenchies must be tested for compatibility.
Discipline and Vaccinations
Most hospitals and care homes expect a certain decorum to be maintained and the authorities are likely to run standard safety checks before allowing your dog in. Your dog will need to get vaccinated before they can accompany you inside. You are also expected to submit proof of rabies vaccinations, so carry a note and slip from your vet.
Used to Sudden Movements
Typically, you need to help your french bulldog become used to loud sounds and sudden movements. People dealing with trauma and anxiety are often not in control of their emotions, so a frenchie who is well-adapted to their human companion is best suited to be a therapy dog. It’s also important that your frenchie adapts well to people who have physical disabilities and limited mobility.
French bulldogs can be therapy dogs if you want them to be. Training them involves clear communication, interaction, and regular conditioning. It comes naturally to frenchies to unconditionally love people with emotional and mental issues. But you need to train your dog to fit into public spaces and face situations that may arise outside of your home.
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Places They Can Be Used As Therapy Dogs
Thanks to their emotional intelligence and their willingness to be around humans of all ages, French Bulldogs are the perfect beings to have around in a stressful situation.
Hospitals
Hospitals are probably the last place you’d expect to see a dog but doctors have enough reason to believe that French Bulldogs can help heal patients back to good health. Imagine having a lovable and warm french bulldog running around the hospital, playing with kids and making people laugh.
This is therapy at its best and French Bulldogs have the power to make this kind of difference.
Schools and Colleges
French Bulldogs make amazing study mates, too. Because they sit around attentively and don’t make a fuss, you could sit and read to a frenchie for hours without any interruption. This can make kids study better. Knowing they have an adorable and playful dog in their midst, children tend to feel motivated to come to school and learn something new.
Colleges can get hectic for teenagers and having a therapy dog like a frenchie on campus is quite a blessing. Thanks to their calm and friendly nature, French Bulldogs can put students and teachers at ease, especially on the worst days. Whether you’re revising for an exam at the last minute or you’ve had an exhausting class, greeting a happy frenchie in the hallway will make your day.
Disaster Zones
It’s not unusual to find therapy dogs such as frenchies at disaster or accident spots. French Bulldogs are as cool as a cucumber even when the whole world is turned upside down. Irrespective of what’s happening around them, their first instinct is to help those in need. Being the calmest dogs of the canine universe, frenchies help people overcome stress and panic in troubled times.
Children’s Homes
French Bulldogs are amazing with children and because they were bred to be among humans, frenchies crave physical contact. So if children need cuddles and hugs to make them feel better, frenchies fit right into children’s homes.
French bulldogs aren’t very loud or noisy. They don’t bark, so little kids are seldom frightened by them. They are easily approachable. Children need therapy dogs like frenchies who won’t intimidate them. Jovial, protective, and cuddly, French Bulldogs love playing with children. You can rely on them to look after children even when they aren’t being supervised.
Final Thoughts
French Bulldogs have an unmatched zest for life. When you’re recovering from a traumatic experience, you need to surround yourself with energy that uplifts you and only a therapy dog can do that. Just like golden retrievers, French Bulldogs can be therapy dogs, too. They require minimal training and a whole lot of love to be the best versions of themselves.