“I want my dog to be a therapy dog”. That phrase is so easy to say but what does it mean?

First, a therapy dog is not a service dog. Service dogs are very highly trained to perform a specific type of task usually for someone with a disability. These tasks include helping the blind, helping those with physical challenges, or being able to tell a person’s blood sugar level. These dogs are usually trained and then provided to the person that needs there service. Service dogs have many protections by law and can go most places there owner can go.

A therapy dog is trained to be a well behaved dog, and after passing several tests, you can go into prearranged places such as schools, hospitals, Hospice, malls, etc., to allow you and your dog to interact with people who might benefit from an interaction with a dog.

Resources

Prior to starting the process to become a therapy dog you need to make sure your dog is well socialized. Your dog should be comfortable around other dogs, kids, adults, males, females, etc. Along with the social aspect your dog should be comfortable in many different environments. Imagine where you would like to take your dog, (hospital, nursing home, school) and then think of all the smells, sounds, and surprises they could encounter. The more you can get your dog prepared in this stage the easier the rest of the testing and evaluation will be.

The next step to becoming a therapy dog is to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC). Information on the test can be found at the AKC website. While passing the CGC is not a requirement in many cases, it is a highly recommended step to help ensure your dog has the skills needed.

AKC Canine Good Citizen Test

Training and testing can be done on your own (training part) or through most training facilities throughout the valley. Some options are:

Idaho Capital City Kennel Club

Pawsitive Step Dog Training

Positive Pet Dog Training

Once you have the basic CGC (there are actually three levels) the therapy testing is the next step. These organizations are regionally or nationally recognized and provide a standardized test as well as training opportunities. If you pass the test these organizations also provide liability insurance for you and your dog.

Alliance of Therapy Dogs

Therapy Dog International

Once you pass your therapy test, you are now able to go arrange with companies to visit and share the joy of your dog. If you do not want to find your own places to visit several organizations already have a list of places. Check out:

Helping Idaho Dog

There are some organizations that perform more stringent testing as well as having events set up for you and your dog to participate in. Go Team Therapy and Crisis Dogs is one such organization. They do require an evaluation prior to signing up for there testing, and the test itself takes an entire weekend. If you pass the Go Team test, you and your dog will will also have passed AKC's CGC-U and CGC-A test. More information on Go Team can be found below.

Go Team Therapy and Crisis Dogs