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Does anyone have any information on how a dog can be certified as a therapy dog? I've decided I might like to try to see if Bindi would be good at it. She's such a sweet, gentle little soul whom I think would really make some people in need of some loving very happy. This would be an opportunity for her to give back after having been rescued herself. I know she'd need some training but I really don't know how to go about it. I haven't heard of any organizations in my area for therapy dogs. Please let me know if you have any ideas for us.
Sandi

My son's American Staffordshire Terrier is a Certified Therapy dog. He did advanced dog training, Canine Good Citizen certification through AKC (not easy to do). Then he went through the actual Therapy Dog Training through Luv-a-Bull in Austin TX. He is a member of the only all bully type dog therapy group in the country....the Pit Crew. They do a lot of temperament and behavior screening before they allow the dogs to be trained. Angus loves going to schools, adult day car, universitys, libraries, girls homes, etc. He likes everybody (people and dogs) but especially loves kids. It is a lot of work for both owner and dog but very worthwhile when done right.

Check out this site to see if it helps you http://www.akc.org/events/title-recognition-program/therapy/organizations/

As with service dogs, there are many bogus organizations that will "register" your dog as a therapy dog or a service dog so be careful because I know you want legitimate training and real certification.

My previous dog Roe also went through the Canine Good Citizen certification and although we never did do the therapy, he could have.

Liz wrote:My previous dog Roe also went through the Canine Good Citizen certification and although we never did do the therapy, he could have.

How would we go about getting the Canine Good Citizen certification?
Sandi

Sandi, my Sophie hasn't been certified but I used to take her to nursing homes to visit all the time in Kerrville. All I did was go talk to the head of the home and often took Sophie to meet them. All I had to do was show them her rabies certificate. I would dress Sophie in various outfits, my favorite was her fairy wings and tutu. You might contact some homes near to you and see what they say. I remember this one lady in the home. She had no family and was in hospice care in the home. One of the nurses told me she missed her dog terribly. I used to put Sophie up on the bed with her and she would put her arm around Sophie and the two of them would nap together. I once left her there for a couple of hours because it made the lady so happy.

monik7 wrote:

Liz wrote:My previous dog Roe also went through the Canine Good Citizen certification and although we never did do the therapy, he could have.

How would we go about getting the Canine Good Citizen certification?
Sandi

The same trainer that taught basic obedience did it. Find a reputable trainer....not a PetSmart type.

If you check out the link I gave you, I think you will find some help there. The Good Citizen training is certified by AKC. If you find a group for Therapy Dogs, they should also have insurance to protect you during your therapy visits. The Therapy group that my son belongs to reimbursed each level of the training that Angus passed. He was also a rescue dog.

Sandi -- when my granddaughter was in the hospital this past Nov & Dec. several people brought their dogs in to visit the children. They handed out cards about the dogs, just like a baseball or sports card, to all the kids. Joslyn had them all taped to the closet door. The kids loves to see the dogs, they always had smiles when they petted the dogs and watched the dogs. It brought such cheer to the kids who had surgery and were missing their homes.
Also, as mentioned previously the people in the nursing homes love to see pets.
Something to think about!

The two main Therapy groups I am familiar with are Therapy Dogs International and Delta....there may be another Pet Pals or something that has been created more recently. T am guessing that you could check on line for "testers" and dates near your area. As an advisor I always took my dogs through with the 4-Hers and the 4-H club made arrangements for the "testers" to come, etc. The Canine Good Citizen test from AKC covers the basic skills that are needed to pass in order to quality. The sections are all Pass/Fail. Passing means that you have earned the AKC CGC certificate. The only differences that the therapy groups add are bringing in adaptive equipment like walkers and wheel chairs and also dropping noisy things to watch that the dog doesn't panic. They are allowed to react to sounds but then immediately settle their attention back to you.

There is an initial fee to take the test and their is a yearly fee to renew membership. Passing and membership does provide you with some liability insurance as long as your visits follow their guidelines.

Therapy Dog International requires that you NOT belong to any other therapy group. Stuart did not renew this membership this year. AKC has now started recognizing some of the Therapy titles (level of visits, etc.) as official AKC title. When I started ten years ago this was not an option and I wasn't interested in chasing the right people down to get the dog's documentation of visits sheet signed after each visit. They organizations also certify the dogs for "Reading" program where they can go into a school and listen to children read to them. Remington and Stuart have gone to the library with the 4-H group when they are actually in town during the school year.

Hospitals and require all the official certifications as Karen mentioned, many nursing homes and small facilities are just so happy to have you there that they don't ask. The nursing home that Herschel and Remington visited for so long just made sure that they had a copy of current vaccinations, etc.

Thanks everyone for your information. Seems a little daunting to me right now. I was hoping there would be one place I could go to get training for Bindi and for me, certification, etc. and so far haven't found anything like that. I think I'll work with her for the time being to make sure she's sufficiently socialized, has basic training and is not afraid of things and then decide later if I want to try to get her certified. Thanks again.
Sandi

When my Mom was in a nursing home, my then dog Moxie would visit with me. She ended up visiting many of the people there and staff would tell me people they thought would appreciate a visit or who asked about her. She wasn't certified, etc. And she surprised the heck out of me because our first visit the wheel chairs terrified her. After laying next to my Mom in one, the next visit she calmly took me around to every person in a wheel chair. If they ignored her, she moved on to the next. If they reacted, she would lay next to them awhile before moving on. But she spent most time with my Mom. My mom was never a big animal person, but loved her Moxie visits.