Is Your Dog “Therapy” Material?

Back in the early 1990's I was picking up “Brenna” (an affectionate Rottie) from a boarding kennel when the owner suggested that my dog would make a great therapy dog. I had never heard of such a thing, so I spent some time with her learning about the program and left with a new interest to pursue. You could say that I sort of backed my way into animal assisted therapy (“AAT”) as I had no concept of what it was about and I was fortunate to have a dog that already had a fair amount of training and socialization under her collar. All I knew was that if the shoe were on the other foot....I would want someone to share their dog with me if I were stuck in a medical facility. That has always remained the fire that fuels my dedication to this rewarding field.

When Brenna entered the program it was somewhat of a milestone as “guardian” breeds, such as she, were rare due to perception problems and concern of frightening patients rather than offering comfort. She became an advocate for her breed, of which I was very proud. She loved her job and enjoyed over nine years in the program, retiring two weeks before her death.

Had Brenna not been an accomplished obedience dog, it would have been highly beneficial for me to do some basic training with her. Like a child learning good manners, it's something all dogs should have. With doing AAT, you will represent a valuable program in which your dog should behave well. Training also helps you and your dog learn to tune into one another and work as a team.

Is your dog therapy material? In this section I'll suggest things you can do to test the waters with your dog. Just because your dog is the ideal companion at home, doesn't necessarily guarantee that he'll be ideal in a distracting, public environment. In a section to follow, I'll cover some basic things you can do to socialize and prepare your dog for therapy work.

Park

Take your dog to a public park. Walk the trails among joggers, walkers, kids and other dogs. Your dog should adjust and accept all this input without going nuts, showing fear or aggression.

Obedience

Your dog should be able to do the basics (sit, walk on a loose lead, stay, down) in a mildly distracting environment.

Play Groups & People

Your dog should be able to adjust to being around other dogs and interact with them well. He should also be open and friendly towards strangers. A good therapy dog will have no aggression issues. Thanks to the Internet and Meetup.com, finding a local play group has never been easier. Play groups are a good way to socialize your dog with other dogs and dog friendly people.

Travel

Your dog should travel well without becoming a basket case every time he gets in the car. He should also be able enter a public place exhibiting good manners and behavior. A good therapy dog should not be worn out by the time he gets to his facility nor should he enter a facility acting like a maniac.

A great therapy dog is a well traveled dog, well mannered, used to accepting new things, comfortable, confident and trusting of your judgment. With all that in place, your dog will be a stellar therapy dog. New things your dog will likely be exposed to in a facility are: elevators, wheelchairs, crutches, janitorial equipment, medication carts, medical equipment & alarms, children and many noises just to name the most common. If you've done well to socialize your dog these new things will be tolerated well and it won't take long before your dog is at ease in such environments. Don't expect complete acceptance the first time, for example, dogs I've experienced take several times before being at home with traveling in an elevator.

I have been fortunate in that there is a regional pet therapy organization in my area. You may not be so lucky. In that case, a national organization is the route you'll be taking. Jazz is in the early stages of training for national certification herself. Look over their websites and what's required of you and your dog (see Jazz's Links to the right). Most require that your dog pass the AKC's CGC test. This is why I'll devote so many entries to training. A well rounded, well trained dog should be capable of passing this test easily.

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