Training for therapy dogs is basically a technique, a technique used to train animals specifically dogs to treat people. Dog Therapy Training is important so the dog can treat people.
Dog Therapy Training is necessary so that they are able to interact with people and provide a sense of security and encourage feelings of well-being in them. People in rehabilitation for any disease, mental illness or even addiction are made to meet these dogs to feel at ease and relaxed.
When humans interact with dogs or play with them these activities increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine in them. The elevation of these chemicals helps humans to feel calm and relaxed.
Dogs are healers. But they have to undergo proper dog therapy training to become trained therapy dogs. Even your pet dog can be a healer, a therapy dog.
All a dog needs is to fulfill basic criteria to start its training of becoming a therapy dog. Here is our article on therapy dogs so you can know what makes certain breeds more suitable to become therapy dogs.
Table of Contents
What is a Therapy Dog?
A Therapy dog is a trained dog that helps people heal at settings such as hospitals and schools, by lending comfort and affection. “Therapy dogs” is basically a concept, a concept created to train animals specifically dogs to treat people. Training for therapy dogs is important so the dog can visit settings and treat people in need.
When humans interact with dogs or play with them these activities increase the level of serotonin and dopamine in them. The elevation of these chemicals helps humans to feel calm and relaxed.
Dogs are healers. But they have to undergo proper dog therapy training to become trained therapy dogs. Even your pet dog can be a healer, a therapy dog.
All a dog needs is to fulfill basic criteria to start its training of becoming a therapy dog. Here is our article on therapy dogs so you can know what makes certain breeds more suitable to become therapy dogs.
How to Train a Dog for Therapy
Dogs bring out the best in humans and to top this training for therapy dogs bring out the survival instinct in humans. Therapy dogs are supposed to spread joy to people suffering from illnesses in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and other places.
You can do your share to support and heal these people by turning your dog into a therapy dog. However, your dog needs to be suitable to become a therapy dog.
Test your dog if he/she is suitable for dog therapy training. Below is a list of basic criteria for dogs to become a therapy dog:
- The dog must be good and friendly with strangers.
- The dog should sit politely and be still when strangers pet him.
- The dog should allow people other than his owner to check his feet and ears and do the grooming.
- The dog should be able to walk on a loose leash with or without his owner.
- The dog should also be able to walk through a crowd without reacting negatively.
- The dog should be able to respond well to commands.
- The dog should behave well around other dog(s) when the owners are not paying attention.
- The dog should be good at focusing and should not be easily distracted.
- The dog should be able to handle short periods of separation from its owner.
Dog Therapy Training Certification
Canine Good Citizen (CGC) is a test recognized by AKC which is the test of basic training requirements in a dog. The above listed ten points are the key parameters on the basis of which a dog is tested to start Dog Therapy Training.
After the dog has achieved the CGC certification the next step requires contacting with organizations and ask them to acquire your pet’s or any dog’s therapy certification.
The therapy dog certification also works as a proof for therapy dog trainers or dog handlers in proving that they are well-trained.
All dogs cannot make good therapy dogs. To become a good therapy dog they need proper dog therapy training.
To start Dog Therapy Training you can either take them to training centers that have professional therapy dog trainers or you can yourself become the handler.
Dog Therapy Training is conducted by various organizations. In this article, we provide a list of these training centers. Continue reading if you wish to turn your dog/puppy into a therapy dog.
How to Make Your Dog a Therapy Dog?
You can train a dog to be a good therapy dog, yourself. If you do not wish to enroll your pup in to any of the training centers you can do the training for therapy dogs yourself.
Once your dog has acquired the therapy dog certification and the Dog Therapy Training is completed, you can put the special skills of your buddy to work. You can do so in different settings.
Therapy dogs are not only used in one particular place such as hospitals. The training for therapy dogs is such that they can be used at airports, in schools, conferences, disaster-relief areas and hospitals.
Your furry buddy can also be useful in courtrooms to help children. The dog therapy training makes a dog capable of healing possibly anything. In courtrooms, children cannot open up about being abused or having witnessed some crime.
This is where therapy dogs are useful. They help in making children feel secure and often they talk to these therapy dogs in terms of stories that can be heard by the officers in court.
Training centers that focus on dog therapy training and other pet therapy groups can guide you to get in touch with the right facilities and organizations.
Top 10 Dog Therapy Training Centers in the USA
Dog Therapy Training requires professional therapy dog trainers and these trainers are available at the therapy dog training centers. We at Dog Is World have picked some of the most reputed training centers in the USA.
These training centers are actively working to inspire and support the needy with the help of dogs. Dog therapy training provided by these training centers is without any doubt, the best and trust worthy.
You don’t compulsorily have to be a dog owner or receive dog therapy to understand how dogs affect humans and help them heal, mentally. Luckily if you are a dog owner of the most obedient and well-behaved dog, you can start the training for therapy dogs.
We have a list of Dog Therapy Training centers prepared so that you don’t have to search further. Below is an appropriately sorted list of training centers in the US for therapy dogs training.
1. Pet Partners
Pet Partners is the oldest and most trusted training center for dog therapy training. It is over 40 years old started long ago in 1977 as a Delta Foundation. Ever since Pet Partners was found, the people at the training center are working hard towards bringing the healing power of animals and specially dogs to people all across the United States of America. They started off with a limited number of staff, five veterinarians and only two doctors but now they are a team of thousands of volunteers, dedicated towards enhancing the human-animal bond.
2. PAWS for People
“Pet-Assisted Visitation Volunteer Services”- is the meaning of the “PAWS” in PAWS for people. This is a no-profit organization which also happens to be the largest training center in the Mid-Atlantic area, also serving other states such as the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.
Founded by a schoolteacher who rescued a golden retriever pup PAWS for people is now a big dog therapy training team. When more and more people got to know about what Lynn Robinson (the schoolteacher) was doing, people started showing interest and got their pets involved in the noble work.
Today they help train and vet these dogs to ensure the best possible care for their patients and clients.
3. The Good Dog Foundation
Founded in 1998 the Good Dog Foundation provides Dog Therapy Training at about 300 facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Currently, they serve patients and clients within the healthcare system, educational facilities, community organizations, and more.
Their most recent notable effort “Parenting, Prison & Pups”, used support animals and therapy dogs to teach inmate mothers the various skills of parenting.
They have well-researched and studied how to support the inmate mothers in prison with the help of therapy animals or precisely dogs.
4. Love on a Leash
Founded in San Diego in the 1980s, Love on a Leash expanded ever since to nearly all the states in America. They have nearly 2000 volunteers for therapy dogs training and care taking.
They have a very simple agenda, if they are to term their roles, it is very simple: to brighten someone’s day. For this they visit nursing homes, hospitals and schools to provide support and care to anyone and everyone. Not just this, they also take their pets to colleges during exams and help children reduce the exam stress.
Getting your pup trained with them is absolutely the best decision.
5. Therapy Dogs International
Therapy Dogs International also known as TDI was founded in New Jersey, 1976. Their sole purpose is to get dogs and their dog handlers registered for therapy dogs training.
They believe to serve the communities and assure the best prepared and top class training for therapy dogs as well as the therapy dog trainers.
They have as many as 25,000 human-animal teams of handlers and dogs registered with them. You can visit their website and get to know more about their stories of the organizations achievements and work.
Learn more about them and how their dogs help the community in improving lives of all the people around them.
6. Helen Woodword Animal Center
Based in the Southern California, the Helen Woodward Animal Center is widely known for their adoption program. They also provide therapy dogs training and have a Pet Encounter Therapy program.
The motive of this program is to bring animals to various shelters, hospitals, nursing facilities and also psychiatric units and offer comfort to the patients.
They not only provide training for therapy dogs but also have many different animals such as cats and rabbits. Choosing this training center will also guarantee a new buddy for your dog.
Human Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation
Almost all households in the US love and enjoy the human-animal bond, specifically with dogs. This is what the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation has researched and firmly believes.
Their name itself implies that this organization is all about funding and sharing the research to track and demonstrate the positive aspects of pet companionship.
They also offer training for therapy dogs as it in the research. They also host a huge library online, of all their research. They also have active social media presence.
8. Alliance of Therapy Dogs
Yet other resource for therapy dog owners to get themselves registered is what the Alliance of Therapy Dogs offers to you. They help you connect with the immense opportunities to share the human-animal bond in the community.
They not only provide training for therapy dogs but the organization also provides registration, insurance and support for its members. The Alliance of Therapy Dogs also helps its teams to connect with nursing facilities, hospitals, colleges, schools, airports and more.
They have a regularly updated blog, which helps people with proper advice and guidance.
9. Therapy Dogs United
Therapy Dogs United is a public charitable organization found in 2008. The Therapy Dogs United- TDU has no tie-ups with any national therapy dog organization.
They have certified therapy dogs trainers divided into teams. Their training for therapy dogs program is scheduled as either group or individual sessions.
They have therapeutic or animal-assisted dog visits by certified trainers. They function throughout the Northern Pennsylvania, Western New York and Ohio.
The training for therapy dogs provided here has good results and they are absolutely a great choice for your dog to become a therapy dog. Their teams are actively connected with schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, book stores, shelters and more.
10. Golden PAWS Assistance Dogs
Golden PAWS Assistance Dogs was founded in 2012 and it is a non-profit charitable organization. Golden PAWS Assistance Dogs provides high skilled therapy dogs training but they focus more on assistance dogs.
They help in training for therapy dogs to help wounded veterans and children with disabilities. Here dogs are trained to serve the wounded veterans.
What sets them apart is the start training their Golden PAWS dogs at a very early stage. This gives a benefit to puppy owners who wish to make them a therapy dog and start the therapy dogs training.
Golden PAWS Assistance Dogs is the perfect place for your dog to get in if you choose to serve the men and women who sacrificed for the country.
If you are thinking to convert your dog into a therapy dog we hope our article on the training process helped you. Kindly share about experience and let us know in what way you think therapy dogs are creating a change.
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Happy Petting To You Guys!
