Becoming a Therapy Dog Volunteer and where to start.

Whether you have a puppy or an adult dog and want to become a therapy dog volunteer there are some steps you need to take to ensure you and your dog become a great team. Each therapy group have their own policies on what makes a great team. You can find this information on the groups webpage. The first step is locating a therapy group in your area. There are many different therapy groups. I’ve listed the top three groups that I think of when someone mentions therapy dogs and groups. Below the three listed I have a link to the AKC webpage that lists all the therapy groups registered with them and their title program. Once you locate a group and evaluator in your area you can get started learning to become a therapy dog volunteer.

To become a team your dog needs to be at least one year of age. If you are starting out with a puppy it is my recommendation that you get a puppy from great temperament parents if getting a purebred, do your research to make sure the pups are going to be what you want when grown up. You play a big part in how this dog is brought up so you need to do things to ensure this puppy becomes a model citizen. To do this you should socialize your puppy to everything, should take it every where’s, should introduce it to all kinds of different people, places and things. Puppy kindergarten classes, beginner obedience classes and adult obedience classes are also a good place to start. They will be introduced to other dogs and people, while learning to trust you has their mentor. If I was starting out a puppy to become part of my team I would make sure I was always introducing them to different things. Puppy’s and young dog’s go through several fear periods so you need to make sure nothing traumatic happens to them during these times. Introducing them to different things and making it a pleasant experience will make your puppy a confident dog that can recover from different situations without becoming fearful.

I started my dogs out in therapy when they were adults so looking back some things that I would do with my next puppy is learning it to lay down at a younger age along with teaching it to stay laying down for an extended period of time. I would also teach it to “look” when I say look and point it would look at the object I was pointing to and touch the object. This works really well in therapy situations when you want the dog to focus on the subject. Say the subject is reading to your therapy dog, you can point to the page they are reading and say “look” and the dog will touch the page and show the subject that they are interested and paying attention to what is being read.

You should get your puppy/dog used to handling, handling of feet, ears, mouth, brushing and a big thing is hugs. Everyone likes to gives hugs as it brings comfort to them so a dog that will sit there and have a hug given is a bonus. You can also teach them to give a kiss when asked and is appropriate. You will need to get them used to handling to because you will need to keep your therapy dog in good health as in short nails, clean ears and clean coats. You should teach your puppy/dog leave it as many will try to give your therapy dog treats or human food. All this stuff can be worked on as a puppy growing into an adult.

AKC offers Canine Good Citizen testing while UKC offers Socialized Pet Obedience Testing each origination has tests that can be taken to prove that your dog is a good citizen. These tests can be done at any age. There are training facilities that have classes for getting your puppy/dog ready to take the test. You don’t need to take a formal training class if you don’t want to it’s not a requirement. You and your dog need to complete each of the 10 steps to become a good citizen. With this title it will show the therapy evaluator that your dog has the beginning to becoming a great therapy team.

There are also training facilities that will offer therapy dog classes as well. Again, you don’t need to attend classes you can train on your own. You and your dog need to complete the skills needed to pass the therapy dog test. Some skills that you can work on with your dog is basic obedience, they need to heel nicely, no pulling, they need to sit and down when told. They need to be comfortable with different medical equipment as in walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, beds and so forth. Your dog shouldn’t react to flailing arms, kicking feet, clumsy petting. This can happen with seniors or people with disabilities. You are taught to be your dog’s protector and to not put them in situations that aren’t good for them or to remove them from a situation when deemed necessary.

Once you feel you and your dog are ready to take the therapy dog test with the organization you picked set up your evaluation, do your test, join the group and begin your therapy career. Doing pet therapy is so rewarding to the people you are doing therapy with, to you and to your dog. It’s a win win situation. You will be rewarded for many years.

 

1. Alliance of Therapy Dogs

Sharing Our 4-Legged Friends to Spread Smiles & Joy

ATD provides testing, registration, support, and insurance for members who volunteer with dogs to visit hospitals, special needs centers, schools, nursing homes, and other facilities. We’re a network of caring volunteers who are willing to share our special canines to bring smiles and joy to people, young and old alike.

Whether you and your dog are looking to become a registered therapy team or your facility would like to start a therapy dog program, Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) is your #1 choice for pet therapy. ~Alliance

Find a tester/observer

https://atdmemberportal.com/Public/FindATO.aspx

You can find them on Facebook.

2. Pet Partners

Pet Partners’ mission is to improve human health and well-being through the human-animal bond.

In the more than forty years since our organization’s inception, the science that proves these benefits has become indisputable.

Our Therapy Animal Program represents the best that the field of animal-assisted interventions has to offer. Volunteers in the Therapy Animal Program interact with a wide variety of clients including veterans with PTSD, seniors living with Alzheimer’s, students with literacy challenges, patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, and those approaching end of life.

At Pet Partners, we believe that the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship that improves the physical, social, and emotional lives of those we serve. We are motivated by connection, compassion, and a commitment to sharing this meaningful bond with everyone who can benefit from time spent with an animal.

“In an age of research when it is tempting to reduce emotions to biochemical reactions and to rely heavily on the technology of medicine, it is refreshing to find that a person’s health and well-being may be improved by prescribing contact with other living things.”

— Michael J. McCulloch, MD, co-founder ~Pet Partners

Find an evaluator

https://petpartners.org/volunteer/become-a-handler/find-a-pet-partner/

You can find them on Facebook.

3. Therapy Dogs International

Therapy Dogs International (TDI^®) is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of
therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and
wherever else therapy dogs are needed. ~TDI

Find an evaluator

http://tdi-dog.org/FindEvaluator.aspx

You can find them on Facebook.

Therapy Dog Organizations – AKC Title Recognition Program

Since the 1980’s, there have been significant advances in the field of animal assisted therapy and the use of therapy dogs. Organized therapy dog groups provide educational material to volunteers, they screen both volunteers and dogs, and they provide liability insurance for when the dog and handler are volunteering in a therapy setting.

Therapy dog certification organizations are the experts in this field. It is their dedication that has organized and advanced the work of therapy dogs and their efforts should be acknowledged and appreciated. The following certification organizations are recognized by the AKC. A dog must be certified by one of these organizations to be eligible to receive the AKC Therapy Dog title.

AKC would like to thank the following national therapy dog registration/certification organizations for their assistance during the launching of the AKC Therapy Dog title: Click here to view all the therapy groups registered with AKC. ~AKC

Another therapy group that one can join is Intermountain Therapy Animals

Their mission is: Enhancing quality of life through the human-animal bond.

They are a non-profit organization that launched R.E.A.D. in 1999. R.E.A.D. mission is: The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.

R.E.A.D. is Reading Education Assistance Dogs.

Once you are a member of a therapy group you can then take the R.E.A.D. written test to become a member of the R.E.A.D. team. Your insurance with your therapy group will cover you and your team when you are doing R.E.A.D. programs.  ~R..E.A.D.

You can find them on Facebook