How To Train My Dog For Therapy

October 16, 2021

Can Any Dog Be a Therapy Dog? So what makes a good therapy dog and how do pups and people become a therapy dog team? However, it’s not fair to give a dog a job that it doesn’t want.”Would Your Dog Make a Good Therapy Dog? She also emphasizes that therapy dog work is as good for the person as it is for the dog. Tips For How To Train A Therapy DogLearning to train a therapy dog is no easy task, and often requires a lot of work on behalf of both the dog and the handler.

How To Train a Therapy Dog: Learning If Your Dog Is Fit For

Humans are learning more and more these days about the health benefits of dogs. As a result, public interest in therapy dogs has been increasing. Therapy dogs provide relief to those in anxiety-provoking situations, bring comfort to those who are grieving or lonely, and offer affection to humans who are in institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. If you’ve got a friendly, well-behaved dog that loves people, you and other owners in similar situations might be wondering — how are therapy dogs trained?

What Is a Therapy Dog?

A therapy dog lends comfort and affection to people in a facility setting or to certain individuals who require visitation to deal with a physical or emotional problem. Therapy dogs are not service dogs, who provide a specific service for a person with special needs, and who receive full public access per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They are also not emotional support animals, who require a prescription from a mental health or health care professional but need no special training or certifications to do their job.

Why Train a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs bring many physical benefits to the humans they visit. They may help lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduce patient anxiety, and increase levels of endorphins and oxytocin. But it’s not a one-way street. Studies have shown that therapy dogs also profit from their work. Rates of endorphins and oxytocin are higher in therapy dogs than average family pets.

“Therapy dogs go out to hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, schools, disasters. Essentially any venue where a clientele exists and it would be helpful for the dogs to be there,” says Linda Keehn, CPDT-KA, therapy dog trainer, evaluator, and handler, and owner of Positive Canine Training and Services in New York.

But you can’t just take your dog to visit a relative in a hospital, for instance. Therapy dogs do need certification from, and registration in, a reputable national organization. Certification is the final hurdle in a dedicated process toward becoming a therapy dog, however, which includes temperament assessment, training, and more.

Can Any Dog Be a Therapy Dog?

Although your dogs may give you unconditional love, that doesn’t necessarily qualify them as a good fit for therapy work. Likewise, simply because you might be an empathetic person, you might also not be an ideal half of a therapy dog team. So what makes a good therapy dog and how do pups and people become a therapy dog team?

Therapy dogs must have attained adulthood, with many organizations not allowing puppies under a year old. Additionally, many organizations require dogs to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen(CGC) test for obedience, although others require a therapy-specific test in place of the CGC. Keehn, who both trains and evaluates dogs for CGC as well as therapy certification, affirms that these elements are extremely important for when any therapy dog is in public. A dog who can’t “leave it” on cue or interact with children in a friendly manner will not succeed.

Other than that, age and breed don’t really matter. Keehn has tested dogs as little as a four-pound Yorkshire Terrier and as old as 13-year-old Beagle – both of whom passed their CGC with flying colors. To avoid conflicts of interest, Keehn will only test teams for whom she’s played no role in training. Aside from basic obedience, the dog must possess a naturally social temperament, not be too young or bouncy, and must want the job.

“Most dogs love jobs,” says Keehn. “Your dog’s job may just be hiking alongside you, or something else. But most dogs like some kind of job and this is a wonderful job for them to have. However, it’s not fair to give a dog a job that it doesn’t want.”

Would Your Dog Make a Good Therapy Dog?

Keehn advises watching your dog closely and dispassionately at first to determine its true temperament. Most of all, she says, ask yourself if your dog likes affection from people other than you.

“Does the dog really enjoy interacting with new people in different scenarios?” asks Keehn. “Does it seek out attention from people and have a calm demeanor? It could be the nicest dog in your living room, but not elsewhere. Most often in a therapy situation, people just want a dog that sits next to them and lets itself be pet.”

In short, therapy dog candidates are naturally calm, friendly, and affectionate to strangers. They are also well-trained in basic obedience, and easily adaptable to novel noises, places, smells, and equipment. Most therapy dog organizations also require that dogs be healthy and well-groomed, with regular health and wellness check-ups.

Would You Make a Good Therapy Dog Handler?

Training a therapy dog can lead to new experiences for both dog and owner. The dog’s world opens up, and as a pair, you’re helping out your community. Keehn recommends joining a national or local therapy chapter that holds social events. That way, both you and your dog make friends. She also emphasizes that therapy dog work is as good for the person as it is for the dog. Still, she cautions that while the handler and the dog are working together, sometimes handlers must play unforeseen roles.

“Getting out of yourself and giving back to the community can improve your own mental and physical health,” says Keehn. “When you’re bringing a dog to a veterans’ organization or hospital, you may be the only non-medical person they’re seeing. It may be the only real conversation they’ve had for days. Be prepared as the therapy dog handler to connect to the client. It may be helpful to take a cognitive dog training course.”

Other good advice for handlers includes mentoring with another handler who knows how to train a therapy dog. Refer to a reputable trainer for additional background or experience. At the very least, Keehn says, most therapy dog organizations have printed material or websites that you can read in preparation.

Plus, you can often choose where you work. If your dog loves children, opt to visit schools or libraries. But if you don’t love children, then that will be a mismatch. Then, you might opt for home visits with the elderly instead.

How Are Therapy Dogs Trained?

You can choose to train a therapy dog on your own or with assistance. Keehn, who helps owners train their dogs as one-half of a therapy team, advises that you look for a formal organization that lists well-educated trainers on their websites to assist you on your path.

If private training is too expensive, Keehn recommends reviewing the CGC test for the ten basic commands, then going on YouTube and watching videos for tips. Taking a group Canine Good Citizen class is another good option, perhaps following up with more directed and targeted classes. While the ten commands are necessary to pass the CGC the test, training, especially done by positive reinforcement, is invaluable and lasts a lifetime.

“Every time you interact with your dog, your dog is learning something,” confirms Keehn. “Reinforce the behavior you want. Keep your criteria at a level that your dog can handle. Be clear in your communication with non-verbal and verbal cues. You don’t need to touch the dog. They learn to follow their basic instincts to sit and lay down by doing what’s comfortable.”

Some therapy dog organizations require a dog to “leave it” when offered a treat. Or, to remain calm while approached by strangers in a wheelchair or walker. Here, Linda Keehn practices both with this owner and handler.

Tips For How To Train A Therapy Dog

Learning to train a therapy dog is no easy task, and often requires a lot of work on behalf of both the dog and the handler. Indeed, some of the most well-trained dogs in the world will never become suitable therapy dogs due to their temperament. Conversely, some tricky-to-train dogs will open up with the right training style, and may end up excellent therapy dogs. The information above provides a deep-dive into how to train a therapy dog, but to boil it down to basics, here’s a good place to start:

Socialize your puppy or dog to new people, places, objects, and surfaces.
Obtain the AKC Canine Good Citizen title for your dog. Train necessary behaviors for therapy work including “leave it”, “watch me“, loose-leash walking and not jumping on people (“four on the floor”).
Consider moving up to the AKC Advanced Canine Good Citizen (AKC Community Canine) title to practice CGC test items in a real-world scenario. Or the Urban CGC if you live or plan to visit in busy urban areas.
Enroll your dog in a therapy dog class that will prepare you and your dog for visits. Many classes will include a therapy dog evaluation at the end of the class.
Once you’ve passed your test, register with a national therapy dog organization to begin making visits and brightening lives. It’s your responsibility, however, to stay on top of your dog’s training and make sure they’re the best therapy dog they can possibly be.

Can Your Dog Be a Therapy Dog? See If Your Pup's Got the Right

Expert dog trainers weigh in on how to train your dog to be a therapy dog and the positive impact these animals have on their communities. Although many people use the terms therapy dog and service dog interchangeably, they are not the same. "Most people have no idea that the terms service dog, therapy dog, emotional support animal, and comfort animal are not all interchangeable. So what determines whether a specific dog will be successful as a therapy dog or not? Does your dog have the following temperament traits of a good therapy dog?

AKC Therapy Dog Program – American Kennel Club

Therapy dogs, the dogs who will be earning the AKC Therapy Dog™ title, do not have the same special access as service dogs. How to Earn the Title: QualificationsTo earn an AKC Therapy Dog™ title, you and your dog must meet the following criteria:Certified/registered by an AKC recognized therapy dog organization. A special Canine Partners Therapy Dog Enrollment Form is available for mixed breed Therapy Dogs needing to obtain a dog number in order to receive their Therapy Dog Title. Apply for an AKC Therapy Dog TitleIf your dog meets the criteria and you would like to apply for an AKC Therapy Dog title, please complete this AKC Therapy Dog Title Application and mail to the AKC address shown on the application with a $25 recording fee. Add Canine Good Citizen to Therapy Dog TitlesEffective July 2015, dogs who are registered with an AKC recognized therapy organization and have earned an AKC Therapy Dog Title may receive the official Canine Good Citizen Title when the owner submits the CGC Therapy Dog Grandfather Application.

How to Train a Puppy to Be a Therapy Dog

There are two broad categories of therapy service: animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities therapy. Practice the Tests for Therapy Dog TrainingOlder dogs usually make the best therapy animals (they tend to be less excitable and know basic obedience) but you can start training your puppy early to prepare it for a future as a therapy dog. After that, you and the dog still must be assessed by a TDI evaluator for temperament and suitability for becoming a therapy dog. But even the most responsive, affectionate pet may never develop the knack for being a therapy dog. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the dog, just that it's not a good candidate for being a therapy dog.

Therapy Dog Training

For the DogAt a minimum, the therapy dog should have the ability to complete basic obedience such as:Heeling or walking on a loose leashDownSitComeLeave ItWalking past a neutral dogGently taking a treat or objectThe dog should want to do the interactions. It should not be robot-like in its obedience to the point that it cannot share its personality with the client. If you do not have coverage through an organization or are working as a professional, you may want to consider liability coverage. Lastly, it is important to remember that you are there for the benefit of the client. If not, speak up to protect yourself and the dog.

How to Train Your Dog to Become a Therapy Dog

People who have therapy dogs may need their therapy dog to help with conditions such as autism, social therapy, or anxiety. Training a therapy dog begins with socializing your dog as a puppy. If you would like to register your dog as a therapy dog, he will need to be registered through a national therapy dog organization once he is trained. Because therapy dogs and service dogs are completely different, your therapy dog does not need to be registered. This is especially true if you plan to use your therapy dog within your own home.

How to Train Your Dog to Become a Therapy Animal

Learn the steps required to train and certify a therapy dog. Therapy Dog Therapy dogs are trained to offer people comfort and affection. Complete a Therapy Dog Training Program After finishing the Canine Good Citizen test, your dog should be ready to begin targeted training for therapy. Find a Therapy Dog Registration Program While you are training your dog to become the ideal therapy dog, start researching official animal-assisted therapy organizations. According to Human-Animal Bond, a non-profit service dog training organization, a properly trained therapy dog will know about 30 important commands.

How To Train Your Adult Dog To Become A Therapy Dog

How To Train Your Adult Dog To Become A Therapy DogAs any dog owner knows, the expression ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks isn’t precisely accurate. Check Out Different Therapy Dog ProgramsWhile most therapy dogs perform the same service and give pastoral support and comfort to people, there are many different programs. Consider working with a leading therapy dog certification organization such as the Alliance Of Therapy Dogs. If your dog fails, you should review whether your dog is suited to therapy dog work. Align With An Experienced Therapy Dog OrganizationIf you’re still unsure whether your dog will make a good therapy dog, or you want to find out more about K9 Reading Buddies Of The North Shore, then contact us.

How to Train Your Dog to Visit Nursing Homes

IntroductionThink your dog has what it takes to be a therapy dog and become a popular visitor in your local nursing homes? Many nursing homes have very specific requirements that include registration and certification. There are some nursing homes and senior centers who do not require certification, only that your pup prove that he is well-behaved. Be sure to check with your local nursing homes to see what their requirements are before you take your pup in for a visit. The main role of a therapy dog is to provide a range of support, affection, and comfort to those he visits with.