{"id":10428,"date":"2026-08-21T15:22:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/is-a-shepherd-the-best-choice-for-animal-assisted-therapy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T20:37:12","slug":"is-a-shepherd-the-best-choice-for-animal-assisted-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/is-a-shepherd-the-best-choice-for-animal-assisted-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a shepherd the best choice for animal-assisted therapy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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“Shepherds are intelligent, love to work, and are very attentive to their human. They therefore make excellent intervention animals.”<\/div>
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It is true that several shepherd-type breeds possess remarkable qualities.<\/div>
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They learn quickly.<\/div>
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They love to collaborate.<\/div>
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They are often very committed to their primary handler.<\/div>
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These characteristics can represent real strengths.<\/div>
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But an essential question deserves to be asked:<\/div>
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What have these dogs been selected for over generations?<\/div>
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The most common mistake<\/div>
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When we choose a partner animal, we often look at its most visible qualities.<\/div>
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Its intelligence.<\/div>
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Its desire to work.<\/div>
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Its attentiveness toward its handler.<\/div>
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We sometimes forget that these same breeds were also selected to fulfill very specific functions.<\/div>
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Depending on the lineage, many shepherds were developed to watch over, protect, be vigilant, manage the movements of a group, or intervene quickly when they perceive a situation requires it.<\/div>
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These characteristics are not flaws.<\/div>
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They are part of their genetic heritage.<\/div>
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The SPP methodology perspective<\/div>
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In animal-assisted therapy, we want an animal that works with its handler.<\/div>
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But we don’t want it to take on the responsibility of managing the clients.<\/strong><\/div>
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Should it be the first to greet a person?<\/div>
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To block their path?<\/div>
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To intervene when a client approaches quickly?<\/div>
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To decide that an interaction has become too intense?<\/div>
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To spontaneously protect its handler?<\/div>
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At Synergie Plumes et Poils, we believe these responsibilities always belong to the professional.<\/strong><\/div>
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The partner animal should never have to analyze a complex human situation on its own.<\/strong><\/div>
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An everyday example<\/div>
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At home, a shepherd that naturally places itself between its family and a stranger may be seen as an excellent guardian.<\/div>
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This response is often consistent with what it was selected for.<\/div>
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In this context, this behavior can be appreciated.<\/div>
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An example in helping relationships<\/div>
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A handler is accompanying a group of children.<\/div>
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A child suddenly starts running toward her while shouting, simply because they are enthusiastic.<\/div>
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A shepherd with a strong tendency to manage its environment could interpret this scene as a situation requiring its intervention.<\/div>
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It could place itself in front of its handler, block the child’s path, or use firmer communication to create distance.<\/div>
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Yet the child had no negative intention.<\/div>
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They were simply expressing their enthusiasm.<\/div>
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The dog didn’t make a mistake.<\/div>
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It responded according to tendencies that are part of its heritage.<\/div>
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This is precisely why selection is so important.<\/div>
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Professional practice takes genetics into account<\/div>
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Excellent preparation is essential.<\/div>
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It allows for the development of the animal’s skills, its collaboration with its handler, and its ability to evolve in varied contexts.<\/div>
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But preparation does not completely erase the fundamental characteristics for which a breed has been selected for generations.<\/strong><\/div>
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This is why certain breeds require even more rigorous selection and particularly careful evaluation when they are intended for animal-assisted therapy.<\/div>
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The goal is not to exclude a breed.<\/div>
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The goal is to recognize that an animal’s natural aptitudes must be compatible with the responsibilities it will be given.<\/div>
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At Synergie Plumes et Poils, we believe that a good partner animal is not just an intelligent or motivated dog.<\/strong><\/div>
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It is a dog whose characteristics, preparation, and natural choices support a safe intervention, where the management of complex situations always remains the responsibility of the handler.<\/div>
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In animal-assisted therapy, we don’t just select qualities. We also select the responsibilities we never want to entrust to the animal. <\/strong><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Shepherds are intelligent, love to work, and are very attentive to their human. They therefore make excellent intervention animals.” It is true that several shepherd-type breeds possess remarkable qualities. They learn quickly. They love to collaborate. They are often very committed to their primary handler. These characteristics can represent real strengths. But an essential question […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jet_sm_ready_style":"","_jet_sm_style":"","_jet_sm_controls_values":"","_jet_sm_fonts_collection":"","_jet_sm_fonts_links":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-animal-partner"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10430,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10428\/revisions\/10430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/synergiepp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}