# therapy dog



## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

In about 6-8 more months" I'm getting shadow to be a therapy dog ! She is smart, obedient, caring and I know she can do it !

I decided this when I started training her, I seen her confidence build up especially after using the prong. As continuing to use the prong, in about a couple months she will be ready!


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## jae (Jul 17, 2012)

My trainer certifies therapy dogs and CGC. You can test both at the same time but I am pretty sure CGC is a requirement as well as the dog being at least 12 months old. 

She thinks that my dog is a perfect candidate for therapy as he is comfortable with every piece of equipment she has brought out during puppy class as well as loud noises and he does not jump or over react to strangers. Is friendly to every dog and human and has never shown aggression that I or she has ever seen. One thing she noted when I was trying prongs for trainin is that if you use a prong during the test, the score must e perfect or fail. I rarely use prong but just saying. Keep working on obedience and confidence and your dog will do well!


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## Quinnsmom (Dec 27, 2008)

I don't know about the regulations surrounding use of the prong in CGC testing but I do know that therapy dog oranizations in Canada will not permit use of a prong during visiting for fear of the elderly injuring their hands while interacting with dogs. Their skin is very fragile and many are taking anti-coagulants which make them bleed easily.


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## Kdrees (Nov 25, 2012)

I actually read the regs for the CGC test today and you are not allowed to use a prong collar, it must be a buckle or slip collar - FYI


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

Im not gonna use a prong when gettin her certified. I have to wait until she knows how to walk better thats when I will take her to get certified..

My pup is already 6 months, so I said I have to wait 6-8 months.

And thanks a lot Jae! You should get your dog


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Just a note...TDI certification is more like an insurance policy than the title of "therapy dog." We have a lot of dogs at our club that go to schools and retirement communities without it because its like a $40 fee every year for pretty much liability insurance that your dog won't scratch someone.

I'm not trying to say you don't need to get the certification, but most places could care less and don't ask for those things anyways. They just kind of expect that you won't bring a dangerous dog into a group of children or elderly people.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

do you think you need the help of a professional trainer? how
do you know your dog can be a therapy dog? do you know
what kind of training your dog needs to become a therapy
dog?



kelina said:


> In about 6-8 more months" I'm getting shadow to be a therapy dog ! She is smart, obedient, caring and I know she can do it !
> 
> I decided this when I started training her, I seen her confidence build up especially after using the prong. As continuing to use the prong, in about a couple months she will be ready!


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

doggiedad said:


> do you think you need the help of a professional trainer? how
> do you know your dog can be a therapy dog? do you know
> what kind of training your dog needs to become a therapy
> dog?


Yes I know the trainings. I do know she can be. Im confident in myself, so unless I feel like I need one then sure.


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

martemchik said:


> Just a note...TDI certification is more like an insurance policy than the title of "therapy dog." We have a lot of dogs at our club that go to schools and retirement communities without it because its like a $40 fee every year for pretty much liability insurance that your dog won't scratch someone.
> 
> I'm not trying to say you don't need to get the certification, but most places could care less and don't ask for those things anyways. They just kind of expect that you won't bring a dangerous dog into a group of children or elderly people.


Seriously :O


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Therapy dog is just an obedient, calm, confident dog. It's just a certification that says your dog can go places like shelters, schools, retirement homes, ect. and make people feel better with its presence. I don't want to down play it but it's really something a well behaved, highly obedient dog can do. It is difficult to do it when the dog is young though so props to OP for doing it that young.

I'm pretty sure you cannot do the test with a prong collar on. Or pretty much any correction collar. It is usually done on a flat collar right along the CGC. Not sure who gave you the information that with a prong they would need a perfect score but its is pretty much like an AKC trial...no prongs allowed.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

kelina said:


> Seriously :O


Yeah look up "therapy dog international" on google...they have a website all about their certification and their program. Once you pass it, you pay $40 a year or something like that to keep having that insurance in case your dog scratches someone and they make a fuss about it. It is like a $1,000,000 liability policy but they never expect to pay because in general no one will make that large of a fuss. This is why we have many dogs at our club that do therapy outings and don't have the certification...their owners/handlers think its just a waste of money.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

all you need is a dog with a good temperament, good foundation in basic obedience, T.D.Inc registers therapy dogs, not certify`s, big difference, some dogs do well in hospitals, some dont, you`ll have to see what your pups likes, T.D.Inc registers your dog and you have a 5 million dollar liability policy, and no prongs allowed


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

martemchik said:


> Just a note...TDI certification is more like an insurance policy than the title of "therapy dog." We have a lot of dogs at our club that go to schools and retirement communities without it because its like a $40 fee every year for pretty much liability insurance that your dog won't scratch someone.
> 
> I'm not trying to say you don't need to get the certification, but most places could care less and don't ask for those things anyways. They just kind of expect that you won't bring a dangerous dog into a group of children or elderly people.





martemchik said:


> Yeah look up "therapy dog international" on google...they have a website all about their certification and their program. Once you pass it, you pay $40 a year or something like that to keep having that insurance in case your dog scratches someone and they make a fuss about it. It is like a $1,000,000 liability policy but they never expect to pay because in general no one will make that large of a fuss. This is why we have many dogs at our club that do therapy outings and don't have the certification...their owners/handlers think its just a waste of money.


My pup is a hella puller for the time being, so im correcting this performance with a prong ATM  after a months of use and still no improvement, I will throw the therapy dog out of my mind! So no prong use during testing!

But thanks for the support! It made me smile lots  ! 

That is really crazy with the whole not being certified! But your dog is a therapy dog? You are in the club so im guessin ^-^


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

ken k said:


> all you need is a dog with a good temperament, good foundation in basic obedience, T.D.Inc registers therapy dogs, not certify`s, big difference, some dogs do well in hospitals, some dont, you`ll have to see what your pups likes, T.D.Inc registers your dog and you have a 5 million dollar liability policy, and no prongs allowed


Phew  ! I see your dog is T.D ! Aweeeesome!


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

IMHO here's my experience: My lab had several certifications, including his CGC and CDX and was a "certified" therapy dog. He was certified over in Seattle, and here in Spokane, no hospital or retirement/assisted living place or school ever even had the same requirements--heck, most of them didn't even ask me for his certifications!

What I would say, is--for sure the dog MUST be calm and ROCK SOLID. There are often patients with dementia, and they can suddenly become violent or very upset/emotional. The dog must be able to take it. Same with the kids wards--children are often under a great deal of stress and will act out. My yellow lab once had to endure (for just a brief moment until I removed him quickly) an elderly man suddenly start hitting him on the head and screaming. My wonderful, trustworthy dog, for those brief terrible moments where it seemed like slow motion that I was moving him back, just closed his eyes and remained absolutely calm. 

Rocket has gone to a school and taught a bite prevention class 4 times over the last year. He has done wonderfully, but even though he is 17 months, I feel he still needs a bit of maturing and proofing before I consider doing any therapy work with him. The dog needs to be able to handle the stress (yes, it can be stressful for a dog, because often people in a hospital or retirement venue just ooze emotion) and the different sounds, ways people might act when they're disabled, machines they might use, and most importantly the smells and sights. My MIL and my SIL are very disabled, and I was greatly encouraged this Thanksgiving to see how calm and gentle he was around them. 

Things to think about. It's also a commitment, because they will come to look forward to you and your visit. If you back out, it's extremely disappointing to people who have very few things as "bright" spots on the horizon.


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

Wow @rocketdog - an amazing story and that lab is absolutely amazing. My heart would be racing! 

I do appreciate the things to considers so thanks for taking out the time to write to my post 

Hopefully your rocket will be up for the challenge! Shadow is still a little lap dog hehe, she is REALLY learning well ! This thanksgiving was a great time to teach her obedience skills and she succeeded in so much!

No lie, she actually is starting to come when I say come lol ! So excited my baby girl is growing up SO quick!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I know around here it is hard to find any place that would allow a dog to visit if they are t registered with a therapy dog organization. The testing shows that the dog has at least been observed by someone (the tester) that they are obedient and safe around people. I also wouldn't scoff at the idea of insurance, you just never know...


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

Chicagocanine said:


> I know around here it is hard to find any place that would allow a dog to visit if they are t registered with a therapy dog organization. The testing shows that the dog has at least been observed by someone (the tester) that they are obedient and safe around people. I also wouldn't scoff at the idea of insurance, you just never know...


True ! Can we post videos on here? I would love to show off my pups techniques lol 

Maybe it will be easier to determine if she will be a good therapy dog ?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Jax has all the training, and passed the TDI test, to be a therapy dog. Except there was one problem...she has ZERO interest in strangers. She watches them, determines they have nothing of interest and turns away from them.

I think the number one quality you need to look for is if SHE wants to do it. And her personality may change as she gets older and matures. Second, she needs to be stable around other animals and people with disabilities. Could be awkward if she takes exception to a walker in a skilled nursing unit.

The rest is on you...training...training...training...and commitment to show up every week. Some of these people will wait all week to see the therapy dogs. For some of these people, it's all they have.


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## EJQ (May 13, 2003)

Unless I am very much mistaken you are not allowed to train for CGC or Therapy while using a pinch collar.
Sorry but I don't agree that any calm, cool, dog can do therapy work without proper training and testing. If you have ever done Therapy (especially the kind that I do) you would realize that your dog needs to exhibit the ability to do this work. They need to be prepared for it through professional training.

I visit three schools in my area - the students range from pre-K to sixth grade. The students include special needs kids of all ages. One class is made up entirely of Autistic kids. 

In addition to the schools, I visit three psychiatric facilities. One lock down, one walk in clinic and one psychiatric group residence.

In each case I began my visits by official invitation. Before physicals, background checks, and HIPAA training, the very first thing that these people wanted to see was proof that my girls were TDI tested - it was a requirement.

Good luck!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

Kelina you asked "
Maybe it will be easier to determine if she will be a good therapy dog "
From what you say "
My pup is a hella puller for the time being, so im correcting this performance with a prong ATM  after a months of use and still no improvement"
and just coming around to "No lie, she actually is starting to come when I say come lol"
But especially this "
I miss when my pup use to stay quiet and ignore things  she use to be fearful of so many things lol. I was always the person she came back to when afraid ha! Now she is 6 months (in a cple days) and really showing her barking side lmao!"

In my opinion your pup does not sound like a good candidate for a therapy , visitation dog , and would benefit if you joined an obedience class for training opportunity.
I wondered what you meant when you said using the prong collar made the dog more confident. Pretty young dog to need prong , which like any equipment can be used incorrectly. Looks like there needs to be better connection made .


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Chicagocanine said:


> I know around here it is hard to find any place that would allow a dog to visit if they are t registered with a therapy dog organization. The testing shows that the dog has at least been observed by someone (the tester) that they are obedient and safe around people. I also wouldn't scoff at the idea of insurance, you just never know...


This is 100% true. A person off the street just can't go into a hospital or nursing home. They have to be involved with an organization. My dog's trainer has two Rott's that are therapy dogs, so she is willing to help me and guide me in the right direction.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

My dog is not a registered therapy dog. He's very excitable and really likes to check out new places (sniff every corner) and he's extremely vigilant and really doesn't relax.

I'm going to take the test the next time its offered at my club mostly for my own want to see how he will do but he does do well in therapy situations. These aren't really as involved as what EJQ talked about. We go to a large room, people sit around the room, our dogs do some obedience/agility stuff. We teach kids/adults how to approach dogs. Our dogs go around to people and say hello, but its really not a big deal for the dog to be a little more aloof. As long as they aren't fearful or very shy, they'll do just fine in that group...especially because most of their training buddies are in there with them.

These are all events set up by a club member and are planned for months in advance. Of course no one just walks into these places and tells them their dog is a "therapy dog" and so they will go around doing stuff. But its really rare for the place to ask the group for their TDi certificate, maybe its just the trust in our group (that's been doing it for such a long time).

I think you should try to get the certification...just don't be upset if you don't do it at a young age. My dog was not calm enough to do it before the age of 2, and it was just due to his drive and personality. There are dogs at my club that don't have that drive and therefore can be therapy dogs at 12 months old. Like some of the others have said, it has so much to do with the dog's personality as well as the kind of training you're doing.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Jax08 said:


> I think the number one quality you need to look for is if SHE wants to do it. And her personality may change as she gets older and matures.


This is exactly what I was going to say. Not every GSD is ga-ga over strangers. A good therapy dog LOVES people and loves to socialize, and not all GSDs are into that. In fact, the GSD standard calls for the dog to be "aloof" with strangers. Even a pup that is a social butterfly and loves to meet people may mature to become an aloof adult. Just keep that in mind.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Sorry, my post should have read "hard to find any place that would allow a dog to visit if they _aren't_ registered", I typed it with an on-screen keyboard and it likes to skip letters so it came out "are t" which looks like ARE so I just wanted to clarify that!


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Kelina, I think it's great that you want your puppy to become a Therapy Dog, because so many people enjoy the visits. My last GSD was a Therapy Dog, and it's very rewarding. But I didn't have him tested until he was 3 years old, because he was a silly puppy up until then, and I wanted him to enjoy that. 

What I'm working on with this puppy now is making sure that he has excellent exposure to as many people/things/experiences that I can. I watch to make sure he's always happy about investigating new things, because he's going to need this confidence if he's going to become a TD. IMO, this is where a puppy should be at, not just putting a prong on and getting good behavior. There's plenty of time for that later, after he's comfortable with being exposed to new things and enjoying being curious about them, not just being told to ignore them. That's why I don't use the prong when I introduce him to these things, in case he self-corrects into submission instead.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

We hoped that Havs would be a therapy dog but no interest in strangers and he doesn't like to be petted by outsiders. He'd be great if we could have therapy sessions in our home. Havoc thinks that were the Olive Garden. "When you are here, you're family."


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## mnm (Jan 9, 2006)

I am a CGC evaluator and also evaluate for our local "Rock-N Paws Therapy Dogs" group. The ones of us that have registered our dogs are through Therapy Dogs Incorporated (TD Inc.) based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, since they are the closests to us. (We've got 2 CGC evaluators in our group and that way we can test each other's dogs, and not have to drive 100 miles to someone else.

Our local group requires all dogs to have earned or be working towards earning their CGC certificate. TD Inc doesn't require a CGC, but it can be used in place of a reference letter. We encourage everyone to get their dog registered (they do not certify a dog) in order to have the liability insurance coverage, as our group is all volunteers and we stress over and over, that if your dog is not registered with a therapy dog organization, you are responsible for making sure that your own personal insurance will cover any incident. 

We just got our group started about a year ago, and finally starting to get things going. We've got about 10 handler/dog teams and 4-5 more that are about ready to send in their paperwork to get registered. We are in the process of setting up regular days to make visits to the different nursing homes, and hopefully at some point, will be able to coordinate with the hospital to get regulations set up so we can visit there as well. We've also made visits to schools, and the library for story time for the youngsters. 

AKC offered a Therapy Dog (TD) title now. It requires a total of 50 logged and signed visits. Your dog doesn't have to be a registered purebred dog, as mixed breed dogs can now get a PAL/ILP registeration or whatever they are calling it now. Its a great opportunity for people that have rescued or adopted dogs that want to do something with them. The latest new member is a retired school teacher who adopted a dog 2 months ago and is working to train and get him registered so he can go to the schools in his town to work with kids.


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## wrx_02 (May 18, 2012)

Want to get certification for my dog when he hits a year old but have some questions. 

We got him to have a family companion first and a guard/alert dog mostly. 
He is 8 months and alerts to any sound from outside when at home. He barks and then is happy once we let someone inside. If I just talk to them at the door he has that uncertain look but he doesn't growl. 

I take him as many places as I can. He loves people but is cautious when the people at PetSmart give him treats. 

Only fear aggression he has ever had was when a larger dog was barking at him (it was tied up). 

Would training him for therapy take away from his home guarding?


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Therapy Dogs are not so much trained for the job but rather enhanced. Dogs can not be trained to enjoy the interaction with people other than their owners.

A Therapy Dog needs obedience training and many are trained a trick or two to entertain but their basic personalities are to be outgoing. 

A more aloof dog can be trained to put up with touches etc. from those they do not wish to be around but this is not a safe mode for any length of time. If a dog is stressed they may for awhile follow training but there reaches a point that they will begin to go against training. 



> Would training him for therapy take away from his home guarding?


The answer to this would first be what you consider his home guarding?
Barking to alert that someone is here? (He could be barking because he is happy to have company, he is barking because he knows doing so pleases you, or he may be barking because he doesn't like non-family members in his area.

At eight months I would say to keep up with obedience work and make sure you socialize him as much as possible - this is with other people and controlled situations around other dogs. Over the next months you will have a better idea of how he will mature. 

Honestly, it is not easy to give advise over the Internet. When your dog reacted to another dog was it with true aggression or could it have been a startle reaction? 

Simple answer for therapy work vrs. guarding/alert. If you want to lean more to personal protection or a dog that not only alerts but reacts then I would say therapy work would be in conflict to each other and not something that would give good or safe results. 

We can not always chose what type of work that is a best fit for our dogs. Sometimes we have to just let them lead us as they develop and show us what they are comfortable with.


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## SFGSSD (Dec 28, 2012)

ILGHAUS said:


> We can not always chose what type of work that is a best fit for our dogs. .


 Is that ever the truth


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## wrx_02 (May 18, 2012)

Thanks for the information. 

I will keep up with the obedience training I am doing. I am told that at about a year he will not favor everyone like he favors me and the wife. Not sure if this will be true for him, we socialize him A LOT! So he tends to make a lot of friends easy. 

The only fear aggressive he had was when he was 5-6 months and he barked and his hair was standing up. He was scared of another dog. I take him to the dog park and he likes to play with them all. He is still a bit rowdy but it getting way better with age.


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