Where to get therapy dogs

However, once your dog is registered and certified, it is still best to proceed with caution. Some animals may pass with flying colors, but may still be unprepared to deal with patients in a new environment. It is recommended that you test the waters with friends or family members before taking your dog to more formal therapy sessions at a healthcare facility.

Dogs must meet certain criteria to qualify as therapy animals. Therapy dogs are privately owned, but they must undergo a screening process to ensure that they are a good fit for patients. A registered therapy dog will need to meet the following criteria:. Therapy dogs must be well-tempered. This means that they are not quick to anger, and do not get stressed out easily. They should enjoy being touched, and not react aggressively if a patient mishandles them. While some of these behaviors can be trained, dogs will need to be inherently calm to some degree.

Therapy dogs should not shed excessively. Shedding can be a major problem for people with allergies, and it creates a mess for hospital or clinic staff to clean up. Therapy dogs must be social and friendly.

This is perhaps the most important requirement, as they will need to cheer people up when they need it the most. However, dogs that are overly energetic can be too rough with certain patients especially the elderly , so therapy dogs must be social, but not overly-enthusiastic. Therapy dogs will need to adapt to various environments. Sometimes they may need to provide support in highly stimulating environments, while sometimes they may need to help patients in cramped living spaces.

A dog that is uncomfortable or unadaptable may become shy or even aggressive, which can cause unnecessary harm to patients. While there is no shortage of legal and medical information available, it can be hard to parse through the facts and get the information you need regarding ownership of a therapy or emotional support animal. Some of the most common questions are answered below:. Talk with a medical professional to determine your eligibility for an emotional support animal.

Most mental health professionals recognize the therapeutic value of support animals and will be happy to write you a recommendation or prescription.

Most people are more than happy to certify a pet they already own as a therapy animal. Others will purchase an animal from a reputable breeder or trainer and use that animal for emotional support. Others will adopt a pet and obtain a letter to recognize the pet as an ESA emotional support animal. The cost of a therapy dog can vary depending on your approach. The most common therapy pets are dogs and cats, but they are not the only medical professionals you can work with — there are therapy llamas, pigs, and even birds!

In this article, we will focus on all the things you need to know about therapy dogs specifically. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties.

Service animals are working animals, not pets. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. Unlike service animals, therapy animals are not supported under the ADA, meaning that they may not be allowed at certain public venues or in living situations in which the landlord has a no-animal policy.

Therapy dogs are trained but not as rigorously or for the same tasks as service dogs. Their main responsibilities are to provide psychological and physiological therapy to people other than their handlers in times of stress. They have good temperaments and calm, easy-going personalities. 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.

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. Then, you might opt for home visits with the elderly instead. 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.

I Want to Advocate. Donate to Pet Partners Please help therapy animal teams make miracles happen for people in need. Thank you! I Want to Donate. Volunteer Center Already a volunteer or want to become one? Log In or create your Volunteer Center account.