Puppy and Therapy Training

[llwaxan]

I posted this in the Working forum, but no one has replied
So I am hoping for some advice here. I would like to attach a picture as well but I cannot figure out how to do it...??? Here is the original post:

Hello to all...
I have just acquired a new puppy. I am an experienced Rottie owner, this pup is my 5th Rott. However, he is my first puppy as all my others were rescues or adopted. I have Ester Vom Aggertal, a 9year old female Rottie and Satchmo, the pup, is 7 1/2 weeks. Ester is trained well in basic Obd. But I am really interested in training Satchmo as a Therapy Dog as his bloodlines have strong working (lots of ScH3's) characteristics and I believe that Therapy training best suites my lifestyle and goals and will additionally provide an opportunity to help others and improve the perceptions of our magnificent breed.
I need some advice on how to start, when to start (age wise), and any and all other info y'all can provide.
As an aside, Ester is on a modified BARF regime (still using some wet/dry super premium), and I am wondering when I can start Satchmo on this regime as well.
My thanks in advance and please know how vital this forum is for me, my dogs and our on-going education. I truly value the experiences and opinions of the rott.net members...
El

[Luvs]

Socialize, socialize, socialize


If you are wanting to do therapy work with your new puppy, the most important thing you can do now, is expose him to as many different things as you can. He needs to meet all different types of people in all different kind of situations. He needs to see a wheelchair, walker, crutches, ect. This is all stuff you can do while he is still young.


Of course socializing is important for ALL puppies, no matter what you want to do with them.

[llwaxan]

Hi Luvs and thanks for replying. Satchmo went to work with me twice last week, grocery shopping yesterday, and today went to the hair salon and he drives in the convertible with me and my female Ester everyday. I will call some of the nursing homes and see if he can come for a visit folllowing his last series of puppy shots. He really digs the socializing thing!

[2rotties2luv]

Hi El, and welcome to the forums.

Here are two important websites that have information on therapy dogs:

www.deltasociety.org - check out the links for Pet Partners, and
www.tdi-dog.org

I have trained and worked two rotties as therapy dogs for the past 7 years. Both of them were evaluated, tested and registered with Delta Society. We have visited the county hospital, a camp for children with cancer, given therapy dog presentations at a local college, trained airport security personnel how to examine a dog, visited a pre-school reading program as "Good Dog, Carl" and have given a yearly dog safety teaching presentation at several elementary schools. In addition, for the last 5 years, we have made weekly visits to provide dog therapy to the residents of a local nursing home.

That said, I would strongly advise you NOT to bring your 7 1/2 week old puppy to a nursing home. First of all, your pup is just too young. There are many things there which might scare him or otherwise overwhelm him. The nursing home personnel would not appreciate puppy piddle or poo on their floors. Many elderly folks have very fragile skin, and a playful nip or toenail scratch from a playful pup can cause injury and infection which could get you a major lawsuit. An unsocialized, untrained frisky playful pup is definitely not appropriate for a nursning home.

I advise rottie owners to begin by socializing their pups to everything they can think of. Be sure to get your pup around people of different ages, ethnic groups, people with different clothing, hats, beards, eyeglasses, hairstyles, etc, etc. If you see someone in a wheelchair, walk your pup nearby. If the pup is not scared, ask if you may approach, but by all means don't force contact with the person in the chair, unless the person asks to pet the pup. Do the same for walkers and crutches. Expose your pup cautiously, gradually and from a distance so as not to make him fearful.

Next thing is to begin obedience training when the pup is old enough. OB training should be of the positive type to give your dog confidence and teach him to enjoy working. Most experienced trainers here recommend a rottie be in continuous training until mentally and physically mature around 3 years old. This is especially important for a rottie used as a therapy dog, as they must be under control at all times hile working.

I recommend to rottie owners that they should not consider working their dog as a therapy dog until the dog is about 3 years old, and is mentally and physically mature. At this time, the adult temperment of the rottie will be apparent, and it can be evaluated as to whether it is suitable for a therapy dog. A rottie used for therapy work must have good nerves, must be calm and confident, friendly, and perhaps most important, must be under your complete control at all times. Although the pet therapy organizations will test a dog at one year old, please keep in mind that rotties are much slower to mature than other dogs - a 1 year old rottie is not mentally mature enough to begin therapy work. My female rottie began at 4 1/2 years old, and my male rottie at 4 years.

Please spend the time until your rottie matures and is ready for therapy work in socialization and training. Remember that obedience training is work that your rottie will enjoy. So it's not like you would be doing nothing with him while you're waiting for him to grow up.

Remember that every rottie that does therapy work will be under close scrutiny by everyone they come into contact with, because rotties often have a very negative reputation with the general public. Your rottie will become an ambassador for the breed only if you teach him impeccably good manners, if he is obedience trained and completely under your control and is gentle and friendly with people. This is a lot to ask of any dog, but a rottie with good nerves and temperment can excel at this work.

[llwaxan]

Thanks 2rotties! I have bookmarked the 2 sites you provided and I agree with everything you wrote. Based upon my experience with older Rotts I am confident in the steadfast and sweet nature of the breed when handled properly. I had thought of going by a nursing home only when the pup is older for sure. He is a danger to my thick skin at this point and most of the time I am redirecting his teeth from my feet to a chew toy.
I am also very lucky to be able to take my older female and now Satch to work with me everyday and I work in a non-profit center which treats men and women from every imaginable background and of all ages. The effect my dogs have on my clients is remarkable; the clients are clearly more relaxed and will open up faster and are much less guarded with their disclosures.
Wonderful advice! Thanks...

[2rotties2luv]

El, thank you for taking my post in the spirit in which is was meant - other new members in the past have taken it as a criticism and have been quite put out because I recommend that they should wait several years before beginning therapy work with their rottie.

Providing dog therapy for a nursing home is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done in my life. It isn't easy work for either the dog or the handler either. I truly believe that a mature, even tempered, well trained and well socialized rottie makes an awesome therapy dog. They are so smart and read people so well that they realy excel at this work.

One more tip - I recommend the Delta Society program very highly. While it is more difficult and more time consuming than some of the other therapy training programs, you will complete all of the study and evaluation and testing knowing that you and your dog are well prepared for therapy work. The Delta Society requires that the handler complete a home-study course. While this may seem like a lot of work, it will train you with valuable information in how to interact with people on therapy visits and how to handle your dog in all sorts of situations. Actually, it doesn't take that long either, you can complete it in 2 or 3 evenings.

In any case, I hope you will stick with this goal. There is a great need for therapy dogs, and the good they can do is beyond measure. Please be sure to post if you have more questions!