Dog-training professionals get calls every day from people who say they want their dog to be a therapy dog. Often, the person calling has no idea what a therapy dog is or what a therapy dog does. Some are simply confused about the terminology. A few of them want a service dog—a dog that is individually trained to do specific tasks to mitigate the disability of their handler; a dog that, with its disabled handler, has rights of access through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that pet dogs do not have.
The majority of the callers inquiring about therapy dogs want an emotional support animal (ESA). They may be in counseling with a mental-health professional who supports that idea. They might live or want to live in a public-housing situation that prohibits pets but allows ESAs. They might want to have their dog ride at no charge in the passenger cabin of an airline, for whatever reason.
Although service dogs and emotional support dogs certainly do provide what can be called “therapy” to their owners—many people believe that all dogs provide “therapy” to humans—the terminology about therapy dogs is clear and specific. A therapy dog is “a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and in stressful situations, such as disaster areas.”
Photo by Sarah Langevin-Gaspar
Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily. A therapy dog’s primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an individual’s lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there.
A therapy dog is one with a temperament that is friendly, patient, and outstanding overall. A therapy dog has a desire to visit with people, loves children, and interacts with other animals well. Therapy dogs also interact with other dogs they encounter in positive ways.
Therapy dogs must be on-leash obedience-trained and remain under control while presenting excellent behavior. They need to have the ability to work around other dogs while remaining free of aggression. Therapy dogs are social, interacting with people in a positive manner. They enjoy being touched, petted, and held if appropriate. Therapy dogs present a stable temperament and do not display aggression or fear. They also have the ability to stay calm in situations that are new and may involve a number of distractions.
Therapy dogs come from a variety of breeds; there is no, “perfect” breed or mix of breeds that make the best therapy dogs. The dog must healthy, one year of age, well-mannered, and enjoy interacting with people. If the dog fits these requirements, it might make a good therapy dog.
https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/serviceanimals/therapy-dogs.php
What’s generally required in the way of training and behavior for a therapy dog? How does the handler know that their pet is properly prepared to be a therapy dog? If dogs can be tested as young as one year of age, what do they have to know and what must they be able to do?
Is your dog comfortable with people and able to handle new situations? Is he or she comfortable around other dogs and can tolerate loud or unfamiliar noises without bolting for the nearest door? Once you are satisfied that your dog’s temperament is perfect for a therapy dog, check your local area for certification organizations. Therapy Dog, Inc. and PetPartners (formerly Delta Society) are two national organizations which will help you locate services in your area.
Your local evaluator will determine if your dog is right for the job by evaluating if your dog:
▪ Is comfortable being in crowds
▪ Is friendly and confident
▪ Will initiate contact and stay engaged
▪ Is able to cope with stressful situations
▪ Doesn’t jump up on people
▪ Is comfortable being touched, at times awkwardly
▪ Is able to disregard food or toys on cue
▪ Feels comfortable around health-care equipment
Commands such as sit, down, stay, come, and leave it must be part of your dog’s repertoire, and as the handler you need to be able to know your dog well enough to pick up signs of stress and be able to reassure your pet. Dogs must also have a current rabies certificate and be up to date on all immunizations that are considered necessary by your state and veterinarian.
With certificate in hand, you can now register you and your dog as a therapy team with one of the national therapy dog organizations. Registration allows you to enroll in an insurance program for therapy dogs, which many facilities require.
http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/what-is-involved-therapy-dog-training/
What’s in the future of a dog who’s passed the testing? Where will the new therapy dog and his handler, now an official team, work? What will the pet-therapy dog team accomplish in their new volunteer role?
A good dog-and-handler team does a lot more than just make people feel fleetingly happy. True therapy dogs—dogs who participate in structured programs designed by health-care professionals (Animal Assisted Therapy, or AAT)—can decrease pain, improve mobility, speed up post-surgery healing and even calm autistic children as well as increasing their social interactions. That’s a pretty impressive body of work, and it is just the short list. A larger number of dogs and handlers participate in what are called Animal Assisted Activities (AAA), in which teams visit hospitalized children and senior-center residents. The petting, tricks and furry companionship can stimulate the release of massive quantities of the world’s greatest drug, the neurohormone oxytocin.
Another benefit: AAT and AAA can be as good for the providers as the recipients. Take it from me—watching a senior citizen glow while petting your dog and talking about the special pup she owned 70 years ago is guaranteed to put you in a good mood that lasts for hours.
—Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.
https://thebark.com/content/dog-assisted-therapy-your-dog-good-fit
What about those few callers inquiring about therapy dog training . . . the ones who do know what they’re asking for? It may sound strange, but very often these callers don’t have a dog yet. They’ve realized that finding the right dog to go into therapy-dog training isn’t as easy as one might think. They want advice from dog professionals because they know they need guidance right from the start. Picking a prospective pup trainee as carefully as possible is always the best choice.
(The hardest calls to handle, dog professionals report, are inquiries from people who already have a dog, a dog that has some problems. When the problems sound serious, dog professionals must be honest. There’s much work to be done first, with no guarantee that a dog with a sad start can be turned into a dog that can qualify as and enjoy being a therapy dog.)
Next week: Dog professionals (and amateurs) who have raised, trained, and volunteered with their own dogs in therapy teams talk about their experiences, with great advice for prospective therapy-dog handlers-to-be!
