Could your pet be a therapy dog?

One of the best attributes dogs have is the ability to make you feel better. Let’s face it, that’s one of the reasons we have dogs, isn’t it? They are that unconditional friend who won’t judge, won’t lie to you and most importantly, is always there for you no matter what.

That’s what therapy dogs do — they make people feel better. Since I receive so many inquiries from people wondering if their dog has what it takes to be a therapy dog, I thought I’d shed a little light on the process of becoming a registered or certified therapy dog team. That’s right; therapy dog work is not just about the dog’s abilities and qualities. It’s also about the abilities and qualities of the human at the other end of the leash. 

What exactly is a therapy dog team? A therapy dog is not an assistance dog and does not have federally granted public access in places such as restaurants, grocery stores or on public transportation. It’s a team of one handler and one dog who participate in animal-assisted therapy and activities with the public. Animal assisted-therapy is a goal-directed program, managed by physical or mental health professionals, in which the dog actually participates in a patient’s treatment. Its purpose is to improve a patient’s physical, social, emotional and/or cognitive functioning and it can be presented in a variety of settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities and rehabilitation centers. Some examples would be allowing the dog to help improve a patient’s wheelchair skills, balance, fine motor skills, attention skills and decrease anxiety. The patient’s progress is measured and evaluated on a continual basis, and the dog becomes an integral part of the patient’s treatment process.

The most common type of therapy dog work involves the therapy team providing motivational, educational and recreational benefits to an individual or group in a variety of environments. There are no specific goals for each visit, but rather the time spent is spontaneous. Some examples are a therapy team making routine visits to inpatients in a hospital, visiting a nursing home to interact with residents and their family members, or “reading” with children at a community library. 

So, what makes a good therapy dog team? Could you and your dog be candidates? Here are some basic questions to ask yourself: 

• Is your dog well socialized and eager to interact and socialize with humans?

• Has the dog been introduced to and become comfortable with a variety of people such as persons with an unsteady gait, people with physical and/or emotional handicaps, children and adolescents?

• Does the dog demonstrate a comfort level in a variety of settings and environments?

• Is your dog reliable and predictable with basic obedience skills (sit, down, stay, come when called, leave it) despite environmental distractions?

• Are you comfortable interacting with people from varying backgrounds (different ages, ethnicities, genders, disabilities, etc) and handling stressful situations?

• Do you have good listening skills?

• Do you have free time to devote to this work?

• Are you reliable, dependable and respectful?

• Are you trustworthy? People may share intimate details of their lives with you. You should be trustworthy and consider all things said and heard to be confidential.

• Are you able to recognize you and your dog’s limitations?

 If you answered yes to all of the above questions, you and your dog just might be good candidates for therapy team work! If your dog is a bit rusty with his obedience skills, additional training may be necessary, but if you both have the basics, you may be closer to this goal than you think.

For more local information, contact the Rappahannock Comfort Canines at rappcomfortcanines@yahoo.com or visit its Facebook page. 

Stafford business owner Laurie C. Williams is a published author and nationally-recognized dog trainer. She can be reached at info@staffordcountysun.com.