# Courses - what's the next step?



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I was just wondering how old your dogs/puppies were when you started your Therapy Dog training classes?

Stark and I just started out obedience level 2 course which will run for another 4 weeks and then we will be starting our obedience level 3 course shortly after.

My trainer's Therapy Dog course states that they only accept dogs that are 1 year of age or older to take the course. I haven't spoken to her about this yet, but it was on her website and in our booklets.

I have been taking Stark to a local nursing home, hospital and school for some time now (since he was about 9 weeks old or so) and he is great with all of it. We have been working very hard on socializing him and it really has paid off, he is such an amazing little guy!

I would also like to try for a BH in the future.

How old was your puppy/dog when you enrolled them in specific classes for therapy training?

What steps did you take in regards to formal training and at what age?

Thanks everyone!


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## ahlamarana (Sep 22, 2008)

Therapy Dogs International requires that the dog be 1 year old to test: http://www.tdi-dog.org/HowToJoin.aspx?Page=Testing+Requirements 

I took a 4 week long therapy dog class with my female when she was about 2, the test was given at the end of the class. I had taken a couple of beginner level obedience classes before that (not good ones), but nothing else.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I've never heard of "therapy dog" classes.

He is getting "schooled" on how to behave in "therapy dog mode" everytime you take him to a school, hospital ect... why the need for a special "class" for something he is already doing?


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Delta gives a series of optional classes to help prepare the team for testing. There is a book to go along with the classes which goes over things that the handler needs to know besides dog handling. 

Pet Partners® Team Training Course
_Learn the skills needed to visit safely with your animal in hospitals, nursing homes, classrooms, and other facilities. Successful completion of this course, in instructor-led or home-study format, is required for registration as a Pet Partner. _

Pet Partners® Team Evaluation
_The Team Evaluation process evaluates the animal/handler team, how well the handler interprets and manages the animal's behavior, and how well the animal responds to the handler. This a required step on your way towards becoming a registered Pet Partners® team. _

Delta Webpage


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: BlackGSDI've never heard of "therapy dog" classes.
> 
> He is getting "schooled" on how to behave in "therapy dog mode" everytime you take him to a school, hospital ect... why the need for a special "class" for something he is already doing?


This course through my trainier covers the following:

Exercises

Role playing exercises 
Walking on loose leash (Covered in both level 1 and 2 obedience)
Greeting people and other dogs politely (Covered in both level 1 and 2 obedience
Walking through a crowd 
Teach "leave it" 
Prompt recalls with distraction (Covered in level 1 and 2 obedience)
Sitting politely for petting and grooming 
Sit and down on command and hold the position until released (Covered in level 2 and 3 obedience)
Familiarization with hospital equipment 
Working around loud noises, food, toys and other distractions 
Acclimation to infirmities such as uneven gait, shuffling, heavy coughing, wheezing, falling, etc. 
Supervised separation 
Appearance and grooming 
Additional Topics

Stress and calming signals in dogs 
Tellington touch relaxation exercises

Most of these things I have done on my own and socializing has a lot to do with it in my opinion too. Personally I don't think we need to do this course in order to be certified, as I have been working with him since the day he came home. I think we are good to go in those avenues (as long as I keep it up of course). 

Can you complete your basic obedience courses and then take the test? 

I plan on going through the Level 3 (highest level in my area) obedience course when we are finished this one (we are in level 2 now) and we are continuing to work on our tracking (which we both are loving).

What about the CGN? At what age can this be done at? What do I need to do to obtain this? Would it be a good idea to complete this test first then do the therapy test?


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote: What about the CGN? At what age can this be done at? What do I need to do to obtain this? Would it be a good idea to complete this test first then do the therapy test?


Do you mean the CGC, the Canine Good Citizen Program test?
If so then yes, the CGC first as it is the basis of most programs' testing. If a dog can not pass the CGC then it is not ready to go for Therapy Dog testing.

AKC CGC Link


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I believe it is the Canine Good Neighbour test in Canada.

I am located in Ontario, Canada.

http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=91


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

My bad.







I wasn't even paying any attention to your location.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

That's okay, no problem.

I tend to forget to mention that I am from Canada since the majority here are from the States.


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## Quinnsmom (Dec 27, 2008)

<span style="color: #3366FF">Personally I don't think we need to do this course in order to be certified, as I have been working with him since the day he came home. I think we are good to go in those avenues (as long as I keep it up of course). 

Can you complete your basic obedience courses and then take the test? 

Would it be a good idea to complete this test first then do the therapy test?</span>
You are correct in thinking that you do not need to do this course in order to be certified as these skills are all part of good socialization for a pup. I have been involved with dog evaluations in York Region for the St. John Ambulance TD program. I've not yet come across anyone who took a specific TD course, just people who have done CGN, which covers almost all the same skills. The SJA evaluation is not that difficult to pass. You need to have a dog that engages readily with people, allows all kinds of physical handling, has basic leash and walking skills, stays calm when walking in a crowd or when exposed to unusual behaviour or sudden noises. If a dog is lacking in a couple of skills, practise and retest at a later date is allowed. All dogs must be well behaved when in close proximity to other dogs. Aggressive behaviour means rejection with no opportunity for a retest. All dogs must be one year old before testing regardless of any previous certifications like CGN. I personally would not rush to get a year old GSD certified. They are still developing and in their teenage mindset at that point. You could be working on OB with Stark, continuing to visit the school, hospital and nursing home settings, and present him for evaluation when he is maturing at 18 months to 2 years.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

What Therapy Dog group or organization are you looking to test with? Different groups have different requirements, but many of the big registering organizations, such as Therapy Dogs International do not require you to take any special classes - although they can certainly come in handy.

Taking the CGN, or CGC for us Americans, is often a great step in the right direction because many of the testing points are the same as on the Therapy Dog tests, so passing that would give you a good idea what you might want to spend more time on before taking your Therapy Dog test.

Both the Canine Good Citizen (or Canine Good Neighbor) and Therapy Dogs International tests don't require you to take ANY classes whatsoever, and definitely not specific classes geared toward passing them.

I did the CGC with my Abby while I was still enrolled in Levels Obedience, because they were offering the test for free at the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue reunion picnic. Had I not passed it with her then, I would have taken it at the end of Level 4 when they were offering it at the training facility we went to.

With Ronja, I tested for both the CGC and the TDI in the same day, since many places offer testing together for people who want to do both. I've never had her in any formal classes, just trained out in public wherever we were able to (pet store, at the local gas station, etc.). She had no problem passing either test.


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

I took a therapy dog class with Khana when she was just over a year old. I didn't feel that we NEEDED the class, but since I was new to therapy dog testing I felt it would fill in any gaps I might have in my knowledge of what was expected.

The class was very short - two days - and then testing for those who wished it followed. We have to get someone to come to our area for these classes/testing so everything is done pretty quickly. So of course you have to do much of it in advance on your own. Dogs need to be well socialized and have a high level of obedience training, and be temperamentally and physically sound.

The class helped in that it explained some of the testing and allowed us to practice with wheelchairs, mock situations that we might encounter during a therapy dog visit, etc. Working on these in a class situation is much better then having them suddenly thrown at you in a situation where there is not as much control (such as at a nursing home). When you can practice these ahead of time - like seeing how your dog will handle suddenly being grabbed and hugged, or how he will accept people suddenly yelling and moving erratically - it helps YOU know how to handle the situation too. 

I wouldn't necessarily take another class if I wanted to certify another dog - I can do the testing without having to take a class. But I do'nt regret taking the class I did take.

Khana, by the way, passed her testing with zero problems. She didn't mind the stranger hugging her, or the people staggering around and yelling, or the clattering noise of crutches being dropped. She even passed the "take a treat gently" part which most of the handlers chose to skip (you could have your dog listed as being okay to give treats to or not, but if the tester felt teeth at all that meant the dog flunked the entire test, so that's why many chose to skip it). And Khana didn't have a CGC or CGN, but was tremendously socialized and obedience trained. 

So - my opinion is that if you have an opportunity to take a class that provides you and your dog with controlled situations that you may face in therapy visits, it wouldn't hurt to take the class (especially as your dog is so young and has plenty of time before he's a year old and eligible for actual testing). I would ask permission of the instructor to allow your dog in the class since he's younger, and just use the class as additional training. It sounds like classes are limited in your area and once you finish the Level 3 obedience you have no other options. If you're wanting to progress with your dog and maybe do some obedience trialing (or even just the BH) then continuing to work your dog with the distractions of other dogs and people is a benefit. 

When I felt better, I took my dogs to all sorts of classes both for the distractions and because I enjoyed going and being around the other dog people. Luckily here we have ALL sorts of classes and if there isn't one that suits me, I offer to teach one (which is how we ended up with freestyle classes .. *L*). Being in that atmosphere is valuable for continued success in having a nicely behaved dog, too, and I can sure see the difference in my dogs when we don't go to classes for a while. 

Just my opinion.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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