Any info on Therapy Dog Training?

[kristins1877]

I was wondering if anyone has any info on training for Therapy Certification? Trooper is in his basic obedience and does very well. He is so gentle and I would really like to get him involved in therapy work (visiting nursing homes, Ronald McDonald house, etc.) His trainer doesn't have any info, nor does his vet. This is something I know he would enjoy and I think it would be nice to do together.

[SonnyRott]

A good start may be to do a search on this site for Therapy Certification.

Good Luck. Sounds like you have a nice boy!

[Judi W]

Visit the TDI site at
http://www.tdi-dog.org/

[2rotties2luv]

Also check out the Delta Society Pet Partners program at

www.deltasociety.org

In my experiecnce with my own rotties as therapy dogs and in helping with Delta Society evaluations I would recommend the following for rotties:

1 - Even though the organization will evaluate dogs one year or older, a mentally mature (3 years or older) rottie will make a much better therapy animal. This is because your rottie will be past any stages of fearfulness and past the challenging and stubborn behaviors typical of rottie adolescents.

2 - Make use of the time until your rottie matures to do lots more obedience training. If he isn't bored, you can repeat classes just for the fun of it. This will teach your rottie to look to you for leadership and allow him to develop the confidence which makes rotties such great therapy dogs. Also continue to socialize your dog with all sorts of different people and reward and encourage friendly behavior.

While tharapy work is very rewarding and is a great job for a rottie, it is at the same time stressful for the dog. A dog started too young can become fearful and so stressed that he will begin to avoid strangers. I've seen it happen.

That said, I hope you will read the information at these websites and you will pursue your hope of doing therapy work with your rottie. There is a tremendous need for therapy animals, particularly in nursing homes. I would encourage anyone reading this who might be interested to look into it. It's the most rewarding work I've done in my life.

[Nico'sMom]

Great links, thanks! I was also wondering if this might be something for Nico to do when he is a little older. There is certainly nothing better to improve the rotty image.

[PuppyLove]

You may also want to look at Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs at www.golden-dogs.com and find out if they have a location near you. My GSD X just went through a Therapy Dog Workshop and Evaluation with them (out of my training facility), including a field trip to a local assisted living facility. She visited with the Seniors in the assisted center, the Alzheimers unit and the hospital wing. It was very rewarding (especially the hospital wing. One woman had been waiting all day for the dogs to get there and the nurse had to go wake her up (she had just went to bed). She was SO excited to see the dogs. It was great. We go for our official certification in two weeks.

We have a ten month Rotti in our group. He is very quiet and mature for his age, but he cannot be certified until he is at least a year old.