Pet Therapy Dogs 101 – Become a team of therapy dogs

Pet therapy dogs are extremely helpful in the world, especially for people with disabilities and other health issues. There is a common misconception that therapy dogs must be of a certain breed or bred to be therapy dogs as pets from a very young age. However, therapy dogs can come in all breeds and sizes. Whether you want your pet to work in a hospital, school, or retirement home, you will bring joy to numerous people throughout your life as a therapy animal. If you are interested in getting your dog certified, please follow the steps below.

1) Find a trustworthy therapy dog ​​organization
You can search the Internet to find an animal assisted therapy organization in your state that offers a training program. Call the phone number you are interested in and they will help you get started. Be sure to research more than one organization and ask lots of questions before deciding on one. You may also be able to meet with a trainer to learn more about the organization.

2) Go through an evaluation and a training course.
Most animal-assisted organizations are required to offer a thorough evaluation, training program, basic obedience training, and follow-up. If they don’t, you may want to reconsider the program you put your dog through. An experienced trainer will evaluate you and your dog as a team and place you on the appropriate training courses. Proper training courses should approach dogs with positive reinforcement and patience.

3) Start volunteering!
An organization called The Good Dog Foundation maintains relationships with hospitals, schools, and other facilities where they help schedule and familiarize therapy dog ​​teams with pets as they begin their outreach. After certification from a therapy organization, you and your dog can volunteer on your own. You can even work with that organization to find volunteer opportunities in your area.

Becoming a therapy dog ​​team is very rewarding once you get started. Remember, not all dogs are meant to be therapy dogs, but if you’re passionate about this, you should give it a try and if yours doesn’t pass the training programs, it’s not the end of the world. The key is teamwork between you and your pet. If you maintain a good relationship with your dog, you are likely to establish good relationships with the people you visit. Therapy training can be a lot of work, depending on your dog, but it’s worth it in the end.