therapy dog wash-out

[Miabella]

Well, we had Ilsa's first, and probably last, visit as a therapy dog last Friday. She did well for the first 30 minutes or so, and the volunteer coordinator really liked her. However, she started to seem a little stressed after meeting 8-10 patients, panting with a worried look on her face. I told the volunteer coordinator that I thought we should quit for the day. As we walked out of the ward, a guy in a motorized wheel chair with a respirator came up and started patting her clumsily, and she flinched, backed away and barked.

I decided that she is really not therapy dog material. I think that a therapy dog should be unflappable and really love the work. Ilsa enjoys meeting new people, but I think that the cumulative stress of meeting and being handled by so many people in such a short time period was too much for her. She just doesn’t have the nerves for it, I guess. The volunteer coordinator was such a nice lady, and she was glad that I made the call on my own not to push it. She said that many people who come in have blinders on about their dogs, and they don't want to admit it when things just aren't working out.

Oh well, I guess I tried. But this visit tells me that she just isn't cut out for the work. I feel kinda disappointed, but I guess not every dog can be a therapy dog. I think it's also interesting to realize that passing the certification doesn't mean that it's going to work out, because she did great on the TDI test. I think the test would be more useful if it lasted longer, perhaps the length of a real visit.

[Judi W]

Ilsa has a good owner. She is a lucky girl.

[Rott-Wiley]

You did the right thing by taking her out of the program. Not all dogs are cut out for doing therapy work, this is not uncommon at all. Canine Partners for Life (CPL) trains a lot of dogs for that purpose and then sells them to the health care facility. The dogs that cannot complete the TDI requirements are sold as companion dogs to people with disabilities. That process involves screening the applicant and matching them up to the right dog.

[lblax]

Originally posted by Miabella
Well, I decided that she is really not therapy dog material. I think that a therapy dog should be unflappable and really love the work. Ilsa enjoys meeting new people, but I think that the cumulative stress of meeting and being handled by so many people in such a short time period was too much for her. She just doesn’t have the nerves for it, I guess. The volunteer coordinator was such a nice lady, and she was glad that I made the call on my own not to push it. She said that many people who come in have blinders on about their dogs, and they don't want to admit it when things just aren't working out.

first of all i agree with judy and i resect your decision... but i would like to add no dog is unflappable and i also know the type of love and training that even goes into passing the therapy dog test...to me 8-10 people on a first visit seems a lot if it were me i believe i would do some more and limit it to 2 or 3 people per visit and see how she does..... even if she can only do one per visit then she has made someone very happy....but only you know your dog if you feel she doesnt have the temparmant for it then wash her out....but if you think you just over worked her then lighten her load and try again , but whatever you decide i have the utmost respect for you for even trying

[mmgy]

I imagine you've made the right call for the moment. But keep in mind that she may do better at an older age, or in a different environment. Maybe a situation that's not so one-on-one, or with less wheelchairs, or children instead of adults....after all, she's a good therapy dog for you, isn't she??;)

[Bucky's Mom]

In the grand scheme of things she has come so far so quickly with you as her trainer - but in "real world time" you have had her only a short time (around 7 months??) - I would continue to look for other venues where you and she might be comfortable.
Continue her exposure in public to different people, places, and things.
She might in the future come to "settle" in and like this type of work.

Or - you can go with plan "B" and start her on those violin lessons. :)

[Elijah's Mom]

It seems to me I read somewhere about Therapy Dogs visiting troubled teens and children and it was more of a one on one situation...........that might be an idea? I have this idea of doing therapy work with Elijah when he is older...it is such a wonderful thing to do. Right now Elijah would most probably back off and bark at a respirator, too. He is used to wheelchairs because our neighbor is in one all the time. I really don't know anything about therapy work other than what I have read, but it seems like there should be a "breaking in" period where you visit just a couple of patients the first time and build up from there...alot easier to ease your dog into it I would think.:)

[Anton]

Originally posted by Miabella
I decided that she is really not therapy dog material. I think that a therapy dog should be unflappable and really love the work.

Oh well, I guess I tried. But this visit tells me that she just isn't cut out for the work. I feel kinda disappointed, but I guess not every dog can be a therapy dog.

Oh, please don't give up. It sounds like your girl may have just been a little overwhelmed on her first visit.

Maybe you could find another place to visit. And start out slow, for the first few visits (30 min max) until she gets used to what is expected of her. What organization are you involved with? Delta Society or TDI? Maybe a call to them would help you locate a place that may be more fitting for you both.

I did therapy work for over 5 years with 2 of my dogs. I had to quit due to a change in work schedule, and I miss it very much.

[Rottlva]

Neither her nor you are a failure. You recognized a potential problem and dealt with it before it became one. That to me sounds like a keen handler doing whats best for her dog. Nothing wrong or shameful about that.

[Miabella]

Thanks so much for all your support, everybody! After having a week to sit on this and think about your comments, I'm not ready to give up totally. I still think this nursing home situation was too intense for her, but maybe if I can find a situation in the future where she can visit with just a couple people, we will try again. I don't know if there are any programs for dogs to visit the homes of shut-ins or the like, but that might be a good idea.

I'm going to contact our TDI evaluator and see if she has any good ideas. :)

[Anton]

Originally posted by Miabella
I don't know if there are any programs for dogs to visit the homes of shut-ins or the like, but that might be a good idea.

I'm going to contact our TDI evaluator and see if she has any good ideas. :)

What about contacting a Hospice organization? Maybe through them, you could set up a couple of visits with in-home patients (cancer or aids) in your area that would love to have a pet visit them.

It would be a one-on-one with the patient, and you could limit the visits to any length you want.

Good Luck. :)

[Bucky's Mom]

I hope you find a situation you are BOTH comfortable with and I am glad you are not giving up- I KNOW the Meals on Wheels program is big in DC - would THEY consider you - (of course not WHILE the food is there :D:D:D) - but they cater to many shut-ins who might enjoy a doggie visit - just a thought :)

[Carina43]

Oh, I agree with everyone else - I respect your decision, but don't give up yet!
That IS a lot of stress - there are so many weird smells and sounds in nursing homes, and she visited a lot of people on her very first day. That can be pretty overwhelming for a dog's first time in a nursing home.

Honestly, it sounds like she did very well, she just needs to be a bit more comfortable and ease into it. At least she didn't do what Cooper did on one of his first visits....got VERY interested in someone's colostomy bag. The lady just fell in love with Cooper because he laid his head in her lap, gazed at her adoringly, and breathed deeply. :p Only I knew what was going on in his little doggie brain!

Another thought to run by your TDI coordinator (or just try to rustle up yourself) is hospice visits, where you go to someone's home. There's a number of volunteer opportunities around here where they want people to visit with home-bound folks and just spend time, or do little chores & errands...when I have time I'm going to look into doing that & taking Cooper along.

One little tip: Take a non-greasy treat along. I use almonds, because they don't mess up anyone's hands. It might relax her if she has folks giving her little treats & taking it slow.

Good luck!

[CarolineS]

I am a coordinator for a Canadian therapy dog organization. One of the things I do is help out and train new volunteers and dogs after they pass the initial test. I accompany them for the first four to six visits to make sure they, and their dog, are comfortable with visiting.

On the first visit, just the volunteer comes and leaves the dog at home. He/she gets a tour of the facility (usually a nursing home), gets to know the layout and staff and speaks to some of the residents.

The next visit, the dog comes along. A dog's first visit usually doesn't last anymore than 15 or 20 minutes. As you saw, a dog can get pretty overwhelmed, pretty quickly. I find that on the first visit, most dogs barely even focus on the people because there is so much going on and everything is new.

The next visit can be up to 30 minutes as long as the dog doesn't indicate it is stressed before that. By the second visit, you quite often see a real difference in the dog in that they start to focus on people a little more. Like Carina said, if you take along some treats with you and have the residents feed the dog a treat, the dog comes to recognize this place is fun!

The following couple of visits are all about 30 minutes as long as the dog is okay with that. If a dog does great for 20 minutes, then starts to get a little stressed at 25 minutes, no problem, we listen to the dog and leave. I've found that usually by visit number four or five, the dog handles 30 minutes just fine and has figured out why he is there. :)

At that point in time, when both volunteer and dog are comfortable with their 30 minute visits, they can start visiting on their own without my supervision. By then, the volunteer can gradually build up the length of visits, still being careful to watch the dog for signs of stress.

I think what happened with you is that you unintentionally overfaced your dog on her first visit. It is very easy to do with all the people clamouring to see the dog. It's hard to say no and disappoint people.

If you decide to give it another try, explain to the volunteer coordinator that you'd like to come in for just 15 or 20 minutes and slowly get your dog used to everything. If there is someone in a wheelchair, try and take her to them first and have them feed her a treat if possible. Watch her very closely and at the first sign of stress, get her out of there. All new therapy dogs get stressed, this is not at all unusual. If after five or six visits, she is still stressing out very quickly, then she may well not be cut out to be a therapy dog. I don't know how old she is...if she's young, she may need more maturity before you try it again. I would definitely not give up after just one visit though. If you know a very experienced therapy dog handler within your organization, perhaps they could come along with you and give you some tips?

By the way, visiting with children, troubled or otherwise, is a whole lot harder on a dog than a nursing home and it's not something I'd recommend for a new therapy dog. Our organization requires the dog to pass yet another test before they are allowed anywhere near kids, even if they're very experienced visiting with adults. Maggie is certified to visit with children. We've done presentations at schools with the SPCA and we've visited with mentally-challenged teens. Children are often rougher and definitely louder with a dog than nursing home residents!

[Miabella]

Thanks so much for your support, everyone! The more I think about it and hear feedback from experienced therapy people, the more surprised I am that the volunteer coordinator at the nursing home expected so much on the first visit. As a newbie, I just trusted that she knew what was right, and I didn't listen to my head.

My TDI evaluator is holding a workshop for new therapy teams on the third Saturday of June, so I'm going to attend that. Her group visits a facility about 40+ minutes away from me, so I was hoping to find something closer to home. I think that hospice would be a great idea, if we decide to go forward with this.