| Compassionate Canines, Incorporated |
What is a Therapy Dog?
Therapy dogs perform important work in the community! They bring support, love, and
animal companionship to people of all ages in a variety of settings. Though sometimes
mistaken for service dogs, therapy dogs do not have the same public access rights as
service dogs. Therapy dogs are designed to be calm, loving, polite visitors.
Required Canine and Handler Skills
As a dog owner, it can be difficult to objectively assess your dog's skills to determine if
he is appropriate. If you are considering working with your dog in a therapy dog team
capacity, review the following skills:
Required canine skills include:
Required handler skills include:
Please remember these important points:
Do you think you and your dog have what it takes to become a great volunteer therapy
dog team? Click here to learn more about therapy dog training and registration.
Therapy dogs perform important work in the community! They bring support, love, and
animal companionship to people of all ages in a variety of settings. Though sometimes
mistaken for service dogs, therapy dogs do not have the same public access rights as
service dogs. Therapy dogs are designed to be calm, loving, polite visitors.
Required Canine and Handler Skills
As a dog owner, it can be difficult to objectively assess your dog's skills to determine if
he is appropriate. If you are considering working with your dog in a therapy dog team
capacity, review the following skills:
Required canine skills include:
- demonstrates social skills and manners
- demonstrates ability to follow directions in the midst of
distractions - greets people politely (absolutely no jumping!)
- calmly accepts petting from strangers
- visits with unfamiliar people comfortably without stress
and/or anxiety - remains well-controlled and polite around other dogs
- functions comfortably around medical equipment
- demonstrates basic skills (sit, stay, down, come, wait,
leave it) - advanced skills are beneficial! (go say hi, cuddle, touch, left,
right, settle/take a nap)
Required handler skills include:
- enjoys being around people
- friendly and polite
- excellent active listening skills
- ability to communicate with different populations
- understands and follows the rules of confidentiality
- remains aware of their dog at all times and is in control
- praises the dog's good behavior and redirects inappropriate behavior
- recognizes stress in their dog and is aware of ways to relieve it promptly
Please remember these important points:
- All breeds of dogs can be therapy dogs!
- It is very strongly recommended that you do not obtain a puppy with the intention
of the dog becoming a therapy dog. It is difficult to predict what the dog's
temperament will be at the age of two or three, even if the dog's breed is one
typically associated with having a calm, gentle nature. - Dogs must be one year of age to be tested to become a therapy dog.
- If your dog passes their therapy dog test, do not make the assumption that your
dog will be willing and eager to work in all environments. Some dogs are best
suited for work in non-medical setting, perhaps with older adults, while some may
thrive in a medical setting and be comfortable working with people of all ages. Do
not fault your dog if they are uncomfortable on particular visits. Respect their skills
and match them appropriately.
Do you think you and your dog have what it takes to become a great volunteer therapy
dog team? Click here to learn more about therapy dog training and registration.
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| a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization |