Training

As Patricia McConnell says, “Not all people would make a good therapist; not all dogs make a good therapy dog.” It is vital to carefully consider whether your dog would make a good therapy dog. In the first place, it is important to emphasize that the dog is only one part of the team. The handler is often more important than the animal in setting the team up for success!

• LOVES interacting with strangers. I’m not talking about an animal that is “OK” around or tolerates strangers, but one who seeks out the company of people, perhaps over others of his own species. A therapy dog is genuinely relaxed, confident, and comfortable being touched, handled, cuddled, snuggled, and/or smooshed by strangers (not just family). In other words, a happy therapy animal is forgiving of people who do things that are rude in dog language.
• Develops a social and emotional relationship with strangers. In other words, a happy therapy animal interacts with strangers in a manner that helps clients feel like the animal really wants to be with them.
• Is very accepting of and at ease around people acting differently than people do at home. People who are ill, for example, act differently than people who are feeling well. An dog who is worried about a person acting differently than what he considers “normal” will not be happy working in animal-assisted interactions.
• Is confident in an environment that is different from home. Visiting environments (healthcare settings, prisons, schools, etc.) contain dynamics that are quite different from home in sounds, sights, smells, energy level, and activity level. A happy therapy animal is confident and feels at home in a variety of environments.
• Has exceptional self-control and focus. Visiting environments are full of distractions. A happy therapy animal is physically calm and content in the midst of both exciting and possibly anxiety-producing distractions. In addition, a therapy dog is able to ignore those distractions and focus on the client.
• Is psychologically sound and mature. It can be challenging to visit people who are physically or mentally ill, incarcerated, in school classrooms, etc. Just like you can feel tired after a day’s work, a therapy animal can feel tired after interacting with strangers. Some animals have a tendency to bring the woes of others home with them. Others let clients’ woes roll off their backs. A happy therapy animal leaves work at work.
• Is physically and emotionally healthy and mature. Adult animals are better able to deal with the challenges of AAI better than baby animals. Some people are overly eager to get their puppies involved in AAI work, yet puppies deserve to have a puppy-hood before they begin working.

Therapy Dog Prep