Therapy dog?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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At her age I would just work on socializing the heck out of her and exposing her to lots of new things. I'd also definitely enroll her in a good puppy class if you haven't yet. I'd see if you could find a training center or AKC club that offers therapy dog and/or CGC classes that she could take later on too.
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Permalink Reply by Nikki Rippy on
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Thank you! I'll enroll her in puppy classes at the beginning of summer. I've looked into a few therapy classes here and I am getting very excited!
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Nikki, contact the hospital and find out which group they work with. For example, this hospital have already posted all the info you need.
In most cases, you begin with a puppy, medium, advance class, follow by a CGC test, once you got CGC, you can pick which pet therapy organization to receive further training and certified. For example: Delta Society and Therapy Dogs International.
The ideal therapy dog can handle sudden loud or strange noises; can walk on assorted unfamiliar surfaces comfortably; are not frightened by people with canes, wheelchairs, or unusual styles of walking or moving; get along well with children and with the elderly...etc.
Don't be discourage if your dog don't get certified at a young age, some dogs are born with the right temperament, other dogs can also perform well as a therapy dog later in life.
Remember therapy dogs are not service dog, guide dog, hearing / signal dog, they require very different training. Good luck and have fun doing it :)
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I did that today. Thank you Sam! Delta Society is the one they require. I am not going to start really training her until she is at least a year old. I'll take her to obedience training and things like that. I looked up the CGC test too and I will do that as well. She is quite shy which I'm a tad bit worries about but hopefully she will grow out of it. Thank you for your help. I'm really looking foward to it!
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Hi Nikki,
Sidney is a therapy dog with Love on a Leash. When he was the age of your pup, he was nervous about a few things (bikes, skateboards, balls, trash cans) but he grew out of it and almost nothing phases him!
Come check out this group: it's for those looking into therapy or just getting started
http://www.mycorgi.com/group/therapycorgisintraining
Good luck!
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Thank you so much! I just joined the group. I am going to socialize her a lot more especially with children.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Three words: Socialize, socialize, socialize. :-)
Seriously, mine are both therapy dogs with TDI, though we are not as active as I would like. Maddie was an adult when we got her so she just needed to learn the basic obedience commands (her former owner/breeder had already done a fabulous job of socializeing her). Jack was not ready to take the test til he was almost two because he was a very high-energy puppy.Just worry about your basic training now, but put her in the car and take her to a few little league games. Find out where the local cross-country team practices (this is usually in the fall) and hang out there. Take her to big-box stores (on a slip collar or harness so there is no chance of escape). When people smile in her direction, ask "Would you like to pet the puppy? I'm socializing her!"
She should get used to people of all ages, genders, and races. She should get comfortable with lots of noise and lots of moving feet around her (that's why visiting crowded areas like little league games is good). Stores help her get used to the rattle of wheels from the carts, which will help later with wheelchairs and walkers.
She should be comfortable being around strange dogs and either 1) Interact with them pleasantly or 2) Be able to ignore them on command.Make sure she's seen and is not afraid of umbrellas and raincoats and sudden loud noises; she can startle briefly but not panic and/or bolt from noises. She should be curious about, rather than afraid of, strange objects put on the ground.
Socialization is, IMO, 90% of successful therapy dog training. The obedience stuff is pretty basic and most dogs and handlers who have gone up through training classes can handle it. It's the other stuff. We had the best-behaved, best-mannered Sheltie in our group fail his test because he spooked when the evaluator dropped a metal object on the floor while he was looking the other way.
Good luck!
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Thank you so much! Arkansas travelers have a dog days where we can take them to the game. I'm going to do that as well as a lot of other things to socialize her. I am really excited! I've also looked into a lot of training classes. I think she will make a great one. She ia just a little shy right now. Thank you again foe your help!
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Hi Nikki,
Sage is working on her Therapy dog title also and we started with basic obedience and are now on our second advanced obedience class. Sage is less than 15 months and our CGC and Therapy Dog test will be May 12th. We go to our AKC Club and that's where we test also. Don't get discouraged if she's afraid just let her get used to people/dogs/things and let her go at her pace. It took Sage a bit to get used to some of the other dogs and her mom literally sat under my chair the 1st night of classes.
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Thank you! That makes me feel so much better about her being so shy. She has gotten a lot better around my nephew. I take her EVERYWHERE with me. :)))
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Sidney had his first therapy visit since his hip injury in August. He remembered! Today's visit was mainly a show-style visit, with the residents seated in a circle in the common area and the dogs first visiting and being petted, then they took turns doing tricks. Every dog messed up a bit, but errors were greeted with good hearted laughter. It took three "roll over Sidney" before he finally did it, and three "bang!"s before he went belly up. Other than that, he did great!
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Yay! that's awesome. I hope willow does that well! :)
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