WHAT IS A THERAPY DOG?

DOGS AS THERAPISTS
Many of us enjoy the companionship of pets. In fact 63% of American households include pets. These animals do not ask for much, just a short list of the basics such as food, shelter, veterinary care and of course companionship. But pets offer far more in return, teaching us about love, improving our emotional and physical health and providing us with unconditional affection and friendship.
Companion animals are natural teachers. They help people of all ages learn about responsibility, loyalty, empathy, sharing and unconditional love.

A therapy dog is a pet that provides emotional comfort by sharing its unconditional love and affection with adults and children.
A THERAPY DOG IS HANDLED BY ITS OWNER. THESE DOG/HANDLER TEAMS ARE VOLUNTEERS WHO WANT TO BRING JOY INTO SOMEONE’S LIFE.
Although some facilities will allow any pet to visit, a true therapy dog has been evaluated and registered with a national organization such as Therapy Dogs International (TDI) or the Delta Society (Delta). Therapy dogs should not be confused with service dogs (such as seeing-eye dogs), who have been specially trained to assist disabled persons as needed in their daily routines.

Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. Some therapy dogs have pedigrees while others have been adopted from a local shelter or rescue group. All of them provide an invaluable service. While many pets provide love and companionship in their homes, not all are qualified or have the temperament suited to be a therapy dog. Therapy dogs must be well-behaved, love people, be friendly yet calm, and adaptable to new or unusual circumstances.

What does a therapy dog do?
Therapy dog teams (handler and dog) visit hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, shelters, prisons, institutions, disaster sites, or wherever a therapy dog may be needed.

What are the benefits of pet therapy?
Research has proven that therapy dogs have the ability to:

• lower blood pressure;
• lower cholesterol levels;
• increases survival rates of people who have suffered cardiac arrest
• relieve stress;
• ease depression;
• humanize the complexity of medical treatments;
• help put patients at ease;
• increase patient and staff morale;
• provide social stimulation;
• provide encouragement to communicate;
• improve the quality of life;
• helps autistic children with their verbal skills
• stimulate memory in Alzheimer’s patients; and
• inspire happiness and laughter.

Pet-Assisted Therapy
This is another service provided by therapy dogs. Motor skills can be improved by a patient throwing a toy to play fetch with a dog, or even just reaching out to pet the dog. The dog can also be used as a reward when a patient does his or her physical therapy. Children with low self-esteem or learning disabilities can improve their literacy skills by reading to therapy dogs.

Therapy Dog Organizations
There are two national organizations that test and register therapy dogs: Therapy Dogs International, Inc. and The Delta Society. The national organizations provide certification and liability insurance for visiting, networking opportunities, and gives credibility to its members when scheduling visits.

Certification Requirements
Each national organization has behavior and temperament standards that must be met for dogs to be certified. Basic and intermediate obedience training is a necessity, as the dogs are required to walk through a crowd on a loose leash, sit and down on command, stay in place and come on command. Dogs must politely accept and be petted by strangers. The dogs are tested around medical equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs and canes to make sure they will be confident in a care facility. Dogs are also tested around other dogs and other distractions, to make sure they are reliable in different situations. All dogs tested must be at least one year old and an annual health form must be completed and signed by a licensed veterinarian.

WHO CAN BECOME A THERAPY DOG?

Good therapy dogs come in any size, breed or mix of breeds. They need to like people, be well mannered, have a stable personality and an ability to accept the unusual or new circumstances. These dogs and handlers must have an unselfish desire to help others, taking the time to “paws” awhile for love.

REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION WITH TDI AND DELTA ORGANIZATIONS

Although some facilities do allow pets to visit without any affiliation with an organization, it is highly recommended that you and your dog be evaluated and registered with a national organization such as TDI or DELTA. This gives you a way to network with others, be a part of a local club, be covered by liability insurance and lend credibility when scheduling a visit.

Basic obedience training is very helpful as each dog must pass a test to become certified as a Pet Therapy Dog.

A. You and your dog(s) must pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC) and a Temperament Evaluation for suitability to become a potential Therapy Dog. The test includes:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and Grooming
4. Walking on a loose leash
5. Walking through a crowd
6. Sit and down on command and staying in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reaction to distractions (noise and food)
10. Supervised separation
11. Saying “Hello” to another person with a dog
12. Acclimation to Infirmities.
13. Reaction to medical equipment.

Dogs must be tested on a buckle collar
For a more detailed description of the evaluation go to www.tdi-dog.org.

B. Dogs must be a minimum of one year old.

C. There is no minimum age for handlers, but if the handler is under 18 they must be accompanied by an adult on visitations and the Registration form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.

D. TDI registration must be submitted with the Annual Health Form
Current registration fee is $35 for one handler and one dog per year.

PET ASSISTED THERAPY

This is a program usually arranged through hospitals or rehabilitation facilities. The dog is used as a reward when the patient does their physical therapy or whatever they are asked to do. An example would be with autistic children the pet is used to help the child or adult eat. If the child or adult sees the dog eating something, they think it is OK to eat also.
The dog may also be used as a reward for completing some physical therapy routine. When the routine is finished, they can play with the dog. What motivation!!!

HOW ARE VISITS ARRANGED
Each individual club organizes their calendars of visits, usually to facilities in their local areas. You may also arrange individual visits with a facility after you and your dog are certified as a Pet Therapy Dog Team.

Is Pet Visiting For Me and My Dog(s)?

People and their pets in the health care has become increasingly more popular. It can be rewarding for handler, the dog, the patients and even the staff of a facility.

It’s a team effort. Therapy work is not for all dogs. You can’t make a dog like therapy work.

Is Your Dog Both Calm and Friendly?

• You need to honestly evaluate your dog’s personality and social skills.
• How does your dog react to strangers on the street and in your home?
• A good prospect for therapy work will enjoy meeting strangers; will actively approach in a calm manner.
• A dog that is so happy it jumps up, or pushes with feet, body or nose, will need some work before visiting can begin.
• A dog that is fearful or aggressive probably should not be considered for therapy work.
Does Your Dog Take Unusual Events, Sights and Sounds in Stride?

• How does your dog react to unusual events? What happens when an alarm clock rings? Or the smoke alarm? Or some books fall off the shelf? Pans falling on the floor?
• Your dog should show interest in these unusual events, but calm readily.
• If the dog barks at a knock on the door, it should be quiet and under control when you open the door.
Does Your Dog Have Basic Good Manners?

*Will your dog walk on a leash without pulling?
*Will it sit or lie down when you tell it to do so?
*Can you hand the leash over to someone else and then leave without the dog pulling, or making a lot of noise?
*What happens when you walk past another person walking their dog?
*Your dog must be reliable around dogs and other animals as well as people. While visiting you may meet other people with dogs.

Evaluate Your Dog’s Personality

The people your dog visits must be absolutely safe from your dog. The dog must be forgiving of clumsy petting. Dog bites are not the only concern. Many of the people your dog may visit are very fragile. Frail skin tears easily. A friendly paw on an arm can cause ugly red welts and your dog will be blamed. A pet shove with nose or body can easily topple someone who is unsteady on their feet.
Remember that even if your dog is not ready now that does not mean your dog will never be ready. If your dog is basically under control, and generally friendly, there is much you can do to help your dog get ready. In some cases it means simply waiting for your dog to mature.
In other cases, it might mean revisiting basic and intermediate obedience to build a strong foundation.

Things to Ask Yourself:

• Do I enjoy visiting health care facilities?
• Do I enjoy meeting strangers and making conversation with them?
• Am I comfortable interacting with the elderly, children, the physically and mentally handicapped?
• Do I have the time to make this type of commitment? This is equally, if not more important. Once you start visiting a facility, they count on your being there.

This is a team effort for you and your dog to enjoy.

Great job pals, hopefully these forums will be attached soon and we can start to see it get busy again!

Dogpawfile wrote:Great job pals, hopefully these forums will be attached soon and we can start to see it get busy again!

You are so welcome! Love doing this.

This is so great!! I thank you so much for introducing me to therapy--- I never thought of it before and its has been a great experience. Maddy and I still have a few things to work on but she's a great little dog thats really cut out for this kind of thing.

WisconsinMutts wrote:This is so great!! I thank you so much for introducing me to therapy--- I never thought of it before and its has been a great experience. Maddy and I still have a few things to work on but she's a great little dog thats really cut out for this kind of thing.

This is so cool to hear!! Keep working with her! She is a great therapy dog already!!

That is amazing suka fits perfectly to all that

mustangirlie121 wrote:That is amazing suka fits perfectly to all that

Maddy (Wisc Mutts) and her mommy worked and got their therapy dog certification this weekend. Maybe you should check it our for Suka!! That would be so pawsome ..

Ask your obedience instructor about the Canine Good Citizen information and or classes. Also depending on where you live the Delta Society may be able to help you with information on Therapy Dog Tests. I have only gone through The Delta Society Program with a cat (2nd cat in my county who passed) so I am sure the rules are different for dogs. Good luck to you and your doggie, it is a very rewarding opportunity.

Really excellent information and thanks a lot for that and moreover,I have been looking into doing the necessary courses for my dog to become a certified therapy dog and I'm wondering if it will be worth it in the long run.

In one line Great post nice and informative.




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There are Various types of therapy to treat the dogs. Your information is very good about dog therapy.