A Therapy Dog is a specially trained animal who works in animal assisted therapy. The dog's job is to go to a variety of institutions and participate in programs offered throughout the community in order to enrich lives and spread happiness to all those they visit.

Some times they can actually reach individuals that seemed unreachable.

  These Dogs bring with them smiles, unconditional love, hope, joy, strength, and encouragement.

They often help people to forget their troubles and worries.

It has been medically proven that pets can have a calming effect & even lower blood pressure. They may actually even help people to live longer, healthier, happier lives.

Patcheeno demonstrates how a great big
APBT smile is contagious!
(Picture courtesy of Close Encounters of a Furry Kind)

WHO MAKES A GOOD THERAPY DOG

Is your dog up to the challenge?

Therapy Dog work is rewarding, but remember it is not for everyone. The owners must have the time and dedication for both training and working the dog.

Unfortunately, not all dogs have what it takes to be Thera-Pit.

Therapy Dogs are those with a friendly disposition and a tolerant, stable, extremely reliable temperament.

A dog that is timid, fearful, shy or aggressive should not be considered for therapy work.

Therapy Dogs do not overreact to loud noises, strange smells and sights or crowds of strangers.

These dogs respond positively to all of the following:
hugging, petting, touching, and even
the occasional tail, fur or ear pull.
In general, they love attention
and really just love to be loved.

A Therapy Dog must possess good manners and know all the basic obedience commands reliably, such as:
sit, down, stay, come, and leave it.

They do not pull on the lead or jump on people. This is not only for the protection of the clients you are visiting, but the dog too. Remember the people you are visiting may be extremely fragile and could possibly be injured or knocked over by an over zealous excited or unruly dog.

A Therapy Dog should be immaculately groomed before visit (bathed, nails, trimmed and filed to prevent scratching fragile skin, etc.).

A Therapy Dog should be in good health (sick dogs can often act unpredictably).

THERAPY DOGS REQUIREMENTS

Therapy Dogs can be any breed or mix breed. It is especially important for American Pit Bull Terriers to be involved in this type of work, not only because it is a fantastic community service, but in order to educate and improve public opinion about our breed while aiding in the fight against BSL (Breed Specific Legislation).

The dog must be at least 1 year of age and have an exceptional temperament.

The dog will have to pass a Therapy Dog test in order to be certified and insured.

Some organizations require a CGC be given and some don't.

The dog must be kept totally under control during the therapy visits at all times.

They must have an annual physical exam, be current on all shots and have yearly heartworm and fecal tests.

The dog has to be well groomed with nails trimmed. They can not have fleas, ticks or any other type of parasite infestations.

Females can not visit while in heat for obvious reasons.

They must wear a tag that identifies them as a Therapy Dog. The handler may also be required to wear a badge depending on the organization.

WHAT'S THE FIRST STEP

If you feel your dog is a good candidate, the first step in training a Thera-Pit is to develop a solid foundation in basic obedience.

To help your dog become a good visitor a basic obedience class or refresher class is helpful but often not enough.

You will also need to work on distraction training.

An actual Therapy Dog class specifically designed to prepare you for the test and visits may be offered in your area.

If no therapy classes are offered in your area, after completing your obedience training...

- I recommend taking your dog to a variety of
places to socialize, such as shopping center
parking lot, parades, parks, etc.

- Bring them on elevators, up bleachers, and stairs.

- Expose them to wheelchairs, crutches and walkers.
-Get them used to opening and closing umbrellas, and loud noises like clanging pans, slamming doors, blenders,
vacuums, fans bussing alarm clocks, etc.

Your dog must be comfortable in all sorts of situations and you should be prepared for the unexpected.

There are many Therapy Dog organizations that offer certifications.

- Call or visit the web site of the organization you will be dealing with to get the exact requirements for the specific test your dog will be taking.  This will help you to decide if your dog is ready or needs more training. They may also be able to help you locate a qualified trainer.

HELPFUL LINKS

Here are a few sites that you may find helpful:

http://www.golden-dogs.org/ - Bright and Beautiful

http://www.tdi-dog.org/ - Therapy dog international

http://deltasociety.org/ - Delta

http://www.thera-pits.org/forum/ - Here is a dog link to an American Pit Bull Terrier Therapy Dog Forum if you have any questions post them here or feel free to e-mail me.

www.therapydogs.com - Paws for Reading program

http://therapydogs.com/ - Therapy dogs site

http://www.dog-play.com/join.html - This link helps locate other Therapy Organizations

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