Do they have to pass a test? How old must they be? What are the laws about therapy dogs in training? I'm considering training my dog to be a therapy dog but I'm not very informed of the subject because I keep reading different things.
It would depend upon your means of therapy. Where you would be taking the dog to be theraputic. Some facilities would requires different kinds of things. I think mostly ... just documents stating it has had shots/vaccines/spay/neuter. I worked at a verterinary clinic for 3 years. That was about all they needed. But I would contact places that would know .. such as: places you would take the dog for therapy, nursing homes, hospitals, peoples houses, churches, clubs, organasational events, etc. Hope it helped!
God bless!
:)
Therapy dogs don't have to be registered with the AKC, but must be certified by a qualified trainer. You and your dog will learn together. Once you and your dog are registered with a certified service dog trainer, your dog will be allowed to wear a service dog jacket/vest, and it will be allowed in areas and places which do not allow other animals, to help with it's training.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
You need to sniff out someone in your local are who is qualified to train, and get all local requirement information from them. Go from there.
There are many types of training for various types of services your dog may qualify for or not, depending on it's personality, etc.
If you are just wanting to use your dog for visiting seniors in rest homes, etc., That is much different, and depending on your dog, should be much simpler, as long as your dog is very well behaved, never bites, and gets along very well with other animals.
A therapy dog goes to hospitals and visits people.
Many facilities, such as nursing homes are just happy to have a dog visit, and they do not ask for any credentials.
There are organizations who are happy to take your money and pronounce your dog certified after it passes one of their tests, which amazingly is the AKC CGC test that they call their own.
Google Therapy Dogs International one such group. Besides their test and their yearly fee they also want a yearly exam done by your vet including fecal.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Other groups to look at are Love on a Leash who have less stringent requirements or Delta Society.
I got mine tested through Therapy Dogs International (TDI) and I am waiting on the official paperwork right now. There is also Delta Society that is another official therapy organization. To be therapy certified, the dogs must pass a Canine Good Citizen and extra therapy certification testing. Most dogs must be at least 6 months old to test also and also should know basic obedience.
Some organizations that do volunteer dog therapy do not require the dog to be therapy certified, the dog must be temperament tested though. PAL (Pets and Animal lovers I think it is called) is like this and the Fairfax Pets on Wheels (Washington DC area ) It depends on the organization, also it depends on the facility if they will allow non therapy tested dogs. I tried Walter Reed Medical hospital a few months ago through Red Cross and the dogs had to be certified, when I got them certified, Red Cross told me they were not taking any more certifications becasue they were full and even on the waiting list.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Hope this helps and I would suggest typing therapy dog organizations in google for your area and see what comes up. Once you find an organization, they should be able to assist you with information on how to get your dog ready, if your dog is even eligible, and what you need to do.
Good luck. It is a good feeling when you go into a hospital or nursing home and see the dogs interact.
Yes, they must pass a test and have earned their CGC (canine good citizen). The test consists of making loud noises around the dog, seeing how the dog reacts to handicapped people, how the dog reacts to a person approaching you in a friendly way, etc.
They must be at least one year old, so that the owner has lived with them long enough to know what to expect from them.
I'm not sure what you mean about the laws w/therapy dog training, but unfortunately they're not allowed in places that serve food just because they're therapy dogs. They'd have to be service dogs to do that.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com I'd contact your local therapy dog association (google, I'm not sure where you are) and get more information from them. Good luck.
Yes they have to pass a test. The test includes things like:
-Making sure the dog knows basic commands such as sit, stay, leave it ...
-Making sure the dog walks nicely on a leash
-Making sure the dog allows others (kids, strangers, elders) to touch it .. Play with it's ears, legs, paws ..
-Make sure the dog doesn't react badly to loud/strange noises
They have have to be atleast over a year old
There are no laws about therapy dogs in training
