Begin Socialization and Develop a Trusting Relationship with Your Puppy as Soon as Possible
Socialization and the element of trust are, arguably, the most important characteristics a therapy dog must possess. It is important to expose your puppy to new people as often as possible, keeping the interactions pleasant and unthreatening. The focus should on pleasant encounters with unfamiliar persons, well-behaved children, as well as people wearing uniforms, hats, and glasses.
As your puppy is being introduced to new people and places, be prepared to expect the unexpected as one negative experience can have a life-long impact on a puppy. It is also important not to overwhelm the puppy with socialization experiences, so stop while you and your puppy are still having a good time. It is much better to have short, frequent and positive experiences.
Another good way to develop the puppy’s trust is to discover the things that you and the puppy-like to do together. It is important to allow the puppy to experience different things – go on walks, take hikes in the woods, play in the park, or visit the beach. For experiences that make the puppy apprehensive, take steps to improve the situation or shorten its duration. Puppies will come to trust that you consistently make decisions in their best interest. This trust is the cornerstone of the teamwork needed for every successful therapy dog team.
It is also important that the family is involved in therapeutic dog training. By having different people taking part in the socialization process, the puppy is continuously taken out of its comfort zone, letting the puppy know that he might experience something new regardless of who he’s with.
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Humans are learning more and more these days about the health benefits of dogs. As a result, public interest in therapy dogs has been increasing. Therapy dogs provide relief to those in anxiety-provoking situations, bring comfort to those who are grieving or lonely, and offer affection to humans who are in institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. If you’ve got a friendly, well-behaved dog that loves people, you and other owners in similar situations might be wondering — how are therapy dogs trained?
A therapy dog lends comfort and affection to people in a facility setting or to certain individuals who require visitation to deal with a physical or emotional problem. Therapy dogs are not service dogs, who provide a specific service for a person with special needs, and who receive full public access per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They are also not emotional support animals, who require a prescription from a mental health or health care professional but need no special training or certifications to do their job.
Therapy dogs bring many physical benefits to the humans they visit. They may help lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduce patient anxiety, and increase levels of endorphins and oxytocin. But it’s not a one-way street. Studies have shown that therapy dogs also profit from their work. Rates of endorphins and oxytocin are higher in therapy dogs than average family pets.
“Therapy dogs go out to hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, schools, disasters. Essentially any venue where a clientele exists and it would be helpful for the dogs to be there,” says Linda Keehn, CPDT-KA, therapy dog trainer, evaluator, and handler, and owner of Positive Canine Training and Services in New York.
But you can’t just take your dog to visit a relative in a hospital, for instance. Therapy dogs do need certification from, and registration in, a reputable national organization. Certification is the final hurdle in a dedicated process toward becoming a therapy dog, however, which includes temperament assessment, training, and more.
Therapy Dog Requirements
There are actually no requirements for age (besides being at least 1 year old) or breed. So as long as your pup is over 1 years old, then there’s a good chance that they can become a therapy dog, regardless of their breed.
That way, if there’s anything amiss, you can get it taken care of so your dog stays strong and healthy. Also, they’ll need up-to-date vaccinations, so make sure they’re all caught up before sending in your application.
12 Skills Your Dog Must Master To Become A Therapy Dog (Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizen Test)
Therapy dogs interact with people to offer feelings of well-being or encourage rehabilitation through contact. Playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.
Since animals are a nonjudgmental presence, they can help people who get scared or stressed out in unusual environments like hospitals, nursing facilities, schools, and rehab centers. Just by behaving normally and wagging its tail, a dog can help return normalcy to people of all ages who must endure abnormal situations.
If you want to share the love of your dog with others, the good news is that there is no age or breed requirement. All thats required is a positive puppy temperament test and that your dog is healthy.