Train Your Dog to Be a Therapy Canine Companion
Therapy dogs visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other places where people do not receive enough human contact and may be at risk of depression or loneliness. Elementary schools often integrate literacy programs where students read to companion dogs as part of their curriculum, while companion dogs regularly make the rounds at nursing homes, visiting seniors, and at hospitals, visiting the ill, old or young. A good temperament and obedience training are the most important factors for a successful companion dog, along with a training and certification program.
Instructions
1. Socialize your dog as much as possible. Bring your dog to the dog park, to family gatherings, and anywhere it can interact with other dogs, as well as people of all ages. The more contact your dog has with people, the better.
2. Determine your dog's comfort level. Socializing your dog will help you determine with what people and in what situations it is most comfortable. Some dogs may simply feel more at ease around children than adults. Your dog will make a great visitor at an elementary school if it can tolerate lots of little hands and some minor ear tugging. Other dogs might not be able to tolerate this kind of treatment and would prefer visiting with adults.
3. Enroll your dog in an obedience class. Companion animals must be able to follow commands all the time, in any situation.
4. Have your dog's temperament evaluated. Therapy Dogs International (TDI) stipulates that dogs must be at least 1 year old with a sound temperament if they are to qualify as therapy dogs. The dog must also pass the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Canine Good Citizen Test, which introduces a dog to basic behavior and obedience training, sometimes to prepare it for further training, or simply to teach a dog basic manners, while teaching people keep their dogs under control. Beyond this, a therapy dog handler must evaluate her dog's behavior around people with some type of service equipment, such as a wheelchair, crutches or a walker.
5. Have your dog's health evaluated. TDI requires yearly health examinations for membership. If your dog visits hospitalized children or adults, or those with compromised immune systems, you and your dog will probably have to be evaluated more frequently for the safety of those you are visiting.
6. Join an organization. Aside from TDI, there are many local organizations dedicated to the training, certification and use of therapy dogs. Remember that these organizations are volunteer-run and often supported by the annual dues their members pay.
Tags: Canine Companion, companion dogs, dogs must, Have your, nursing homes, obedience training