therapy dog - Page 1

i am considering therapy dog training for my gsd and wonder if any one else has a therapy dog and what i should be training towards. angus has and is in obedience training, going into a bit more advanced now. he's 14 mos, very mellow, very calm and friendly with dogs and people, esp children. i am on a list for seminar information, but was wondering if there were things i could work on in the meantime. thanks for any info.

Good for you. Some friends of ours have therapy dogs they take to nursing homes, hospitals, schools and wherever they are needed.  The dog must be calm and stable no matter what.  Being willing and able to sit or lay down quietly for lengths of time is a must.  A child might suddenly SCREAM!!!! (Been there with special kids) and he can't react overly, no barking back or triggering prey/aggression.  Wheelchairs and walkers look and sound "funny", canes can too.  Stairs or all kinds and elevators must be learned. One thing becoming popular is the "Reading Program"  Kids learn to read by reading outloud to a dog.  The dog does not intimidate them as an adult may.  Let us know how it goes.

You can get your dog a legit therapy dog license thourgh TDI - Therapy Dog International.  This fall a lady is coming to our SchH club to administer the CGC and TDI test.  I'm sure they are not the only organization to offer evaluations.  Google it and search for the test requirements to get a better idea of what scenarios to train for.

Best wishes!  BTW, very good idea to do the therapy dog thing.  We could use some positive press for our breed. 

Yvette

We have a rottweiler as our therapy dog on the hospice unit that I work on...she is a sweet girl who raises the spirits of our patients and their families no end.....I brought my female in, as we allow pets to visit, and she was so gentle and careful, my Kali who is usually so hyper, that I began to think that was her calling....then she met my boss...and wouldn't stop this real soft mumbling growl....HOW do they know these things????LOL   jackie osborne

I am glad you are considering this.  A few years back when my Great Uncle was in a nursing home in AZ, I went and visited him with my dog Eischa, who really is not that suited to this kind of work.  I will never forget the reception Eischa received from both the patients, their loved ones and the nursing home staff.  One of the therapists just kept coming up to me and saying Eischa was perfect and they really needed a Therapy Dog program.  One elderly man, would not let go of her leash.  Just hung on for dear life.  My own Great Uncle, held the string of her ball and played tug as much as he could (he had had a stroke).  We were only there over the weekend but Eischa was the talk of the nursing home for many weeks thereafter.  This nursing home by the way is in Sedona, AZ, so anyone living in the area, there is a calling for you.

thanks, i'm trying to find a local training program. and i'll see the breeder this weekend and see about advanced classes w/them. he's very calm around anything w/wheels, whether skateboard, skates, bikes, motorcycles (my 78 yr old dad rides a harley), wheelchairs and motorized scooters. he's a dream w/kids, except he always wants to keep them or go away w/them. if they're really little, he'll lay down on his own (he does this w/little dogs or puppies too) so they can reach him better. sirens don't bother him at all. i read that he'll need to get used to elevators/escalators, but, maybe that's w/licensed trainers along. i can't take him to a mall or anything. we have a 2 story house, so stairs don't bug him. joggers and bike riders dont bother him, but i usually put him in a sit when i see them, so they dont get nervous (he's a big puppy). i'll look up TDI today. thanks again for the info and encouragement. i'll update as it progresses.

I think it is a great thing to do. I had a American Staffordshire Terrier and she was a certified theraphy dog through TDI. I mainly did it because I wanted to show people that this breed is awesome and that it is not always aggressive or only used for fighting. After she recieved her TD certification we signed up to go to juvenile detention center. I thought that would be the best place to educate young kids with this breed. I lost her when she was 3 to cancer and there is not a day that goes by that I don't miss her.

Good luck with your dog.

Denise

jettasmom, sorry about your dog. my neighbor has a pit (the short/low tank kind). he has the biggest head on a dog i think i've ever seen w/the exception of the giant breeds. he weighs close to 100lbs. he is one of the sweetest beasties i've met. he and angus get along just fine and have since they first met about 7-8 months ago. i wish they had the time to do therapy training (or at least get evaluated). he seems like he'd be a good ambassador too. and honestly, pits are not my favorite breed (too many really bad owners), but you can see what breeding for temperment and socializing and training can do. the juvenile detention center sounds like a good idea too. maybe get some of these kids to respond to something positively.

Argusmom,

I have a couple things that I have realized doing Therapy work with my dogs that are Certified with TDI, that I might mention to help you in your training. You may want to prepare for, besides the elevators and gurney's (which will be part of therapy work), a few things not normally thought about with our larger breed of Dog.

One, We do normal Therapy Dog work here at the main hospital one night a week at 6:00 p.m. which is when we do reevaluations and testing on new dogs for Certification with TDI. This is either during the dinner hour or right after dinner (depending on the floor, extended care, pediatrics etc.). If you have a dog that is a real "begger" or one that is going to drool over everything........it may be something you will need to work on a little extra for your final testing.  When every patient on the entire floor is in the middle of dinner, don't tell me that your dog isn't going to notice *laffin*.  Nobody wants your dogs nose in their plate or slippery drool on the floors where people are using crutches or unsteady on their feet.

Second, Remember, we have large dogs. Some TDI dogs are small and can be carried from room to room. But, with our GSD's, they walk from room to room visiting and remember these rooms are small and cramped. Your dog needs to be very very careful of electric lines, plug ins, oxygen lines running across rooms and all around the bed, wires taped to floors and to beds, balloons bobbing up and down, all sorts of disctractions and potential hazards.  Also, many patients are crippled, in casts, bandaging, just out of surgery etc. and your dog MUST be gentle and under COMPLETE control every single second you are at such a public place with them. Just a brush of a paw or twist of their heads can bump someone the wrong way or even open up stitches.

Your dog is still young.......be sure to take the time, make sure they are always aware of their own movements before you consider taking them to do Therapy work amoungst the injured or sickly. There are different types of places as mentioned to do Therapy Dog Work,pick one that is less stressful and hazardous if you are just starting out with a new dog.

SBB

My two older dogs are certified via TDI.  I have taken Libby to a retirement home a few times as well as preschool classes at my nieces and nephews schools.   Libby is a very calm, polite shepherd, but not really into being petted or hugged.  She doesn't growl or anything but she will pull away if given the chance.   She would rather play ball, so I was disappointed that we have not really found a great fit for her yet doing TDI work.   I have higher hopes for my younger dog Molly.  She loves to be petted, hugged, kissed etc and I hope to have her tested in September.  There is an after school program at our local middleschool for children with autism.  My hope is Molly will be able to make visits there.  

Good advise about the Elevator.  I didn't practice that and ran across that with Libby on our second visit.   She was a little spooked at first.

Good luck!  It is a great experience.

Cheryl