Can Older Dogs Be Trained As Service Dogs

Humans are learning more and more these days about the health benefits of dogs. As a result, public involvement in therapy dogs has been increasing. Therapy dogs provide relief to those in anxiety-provoking situations, bring comfort to those who are grieving or lonely, and offer affection to humans who are in institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. If yous've got a friendly, well-behaved canis familiaris that loves people, yous and other owners in similar situations might be wondering — how are therapy dogs trained?

What Is a Therapy Dog?

A therapy dog lends condolement and affection to people in a facility setting or to certain individuals who require visitation to deal with a physical or emotional problem. Therapy dogs are non service dogs, who provide a specific service for a person with special needs, and who receive full public admission per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They are too not emotional support animals, who require a prescription from a mental health or health care professional person but need no special preparation or certifications to do their job.

Why Train a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs bring many physical benefits to the humans they visit. They may assistance lower blood force per unit area and centre rate, reduce patient feet, and increase levels of endorphins and oxytocin. Only it'due south not a one-way street. Studies take shown that therapy dogs too turn a profit from their work. Rates of endorphins and oxytocin are higher in therapy dogs than boilerplate family unit pets.

"Therapy dogs get out to hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, schools, disasters. Essentially any venue where a clientele exists and it would be helpful for the dogs to be there," says Linda Keehn, CPDT-KA, therapy dog trainer, evaluator, and handler, and owner of Positive Canine Training and Services in New York.

But you tin can't only accept your dog to visit a relative in a infirmary, for instance. Therapy dogs do need certification from, and registration in, a reputable national arrangement. Certification is the concluding hurdle in a defended process toward becoming a therapy domestic dog, however, which includes temperament cess, training, and more than.

Can Whatever Dog Be a Therapy Dog?

Although your dogs may requite you unconditional love, that doesn't necessarily qualify them every bit a expert fit for therapy work. Too, simply because you might be an empathetic person, you might also non be an ideal half of a therapy dog team. So what makes a good therapy dog and how do pups and people become a therapy dog squad?

Therapy dogs must have attained machismo, with many organizations not assuasive puppies under a year erstwhile. Additionally, many organizations require dogs to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen(CGC) test for obedience, although others require a therapy-specific test in place of the CGC. Keehn, who both trains and evaluates dogs for CGC every bit well as therapy certification, affirms that these elements are extremely of import for when whatsoever therapy dog is in public. A canis familiaris who can't "go out it" on cue or collaborate with children in a friendly manner will non succeed.

Other than that, age and brood don't really matter. Keehn has tested dogs equally niggling as a four-pound Yorkshire Terrier and equally old every bit xiii-twelvemonth-old Beagle – both of whom passed their CGC with flight colors. To avoid conflicts of interest, Keehn will only exam teams for whom she's played no role in training. Aside from bones obedience, the dog must possess a naturally social temperament, not be too young or bouncy, and must desire the chore.

"Nigh dogs love jobs," says Keehn. "Your domestic dog's job may just exist hiking alongside you, or something else. But most dogs like some kind of job and this is a wonderful job for them to have. However, information technology'southward not fair to give a dog a job that information technology doesn't desire."

Would Your Dog Make a Good Therapy Dog?

Keehn advises watching your dog closely and dispassionately at first to determine its true temperament. Most of all, she says, ask yourself if your dog likes amore from people other than y'all.

"Does the dog really savor interacting with new people in different scenarios?" asks Keehn. "Does information technology seek out attending from people and have a calm demeanor? Information technology could exist the nicest dog in your living room, but non elsewhere. Most oft in a therapy situation, people just want a dog that sits next to them and lets itself be pet."

In short, therapy dog candidates are naturally at-home, friendly, and appreciating to strangers. They are also well-trained in basic obedience, and easily adjustable to novel noises, places, smells, and equipment. Virtually therapy domestic dog organizations likewise require that dogs be healthy and well-clean-cut, with regular health and wellness check-ups.

Would Yous Make a Practiced Therapy Dog Handler?

Training a therapy canis familiaris tin can pb to new experiences for both dog and possessor. The dog'south world opens up, and every bit a pair, you're helping out your community. Keehn recommends joining a national or local therapy chapter that holds social events. That mode, both you and your dog make friends. She also emphasizes that therapy dog piece of work is as adept for the person equally information technology is for the dog. Withal, she cautions that while the handler and the dog are working together, sometimes handlers must play unforeseen roles.

"Getting out of yourself and giving back to the customs can better your own mental and physical wellness," says Keehn. "When you're bringing a dog to a veterans' organization or hospital, you may be the only not-medical person they're seeing. Information technology may exist the only real conversation they've had for days. Exist prepared as the therapy domestic dog handler to connect to the client. It may be helpful to take a cognitive dog training course."

Other practiced advice for handlers includes mentoring with another handler who knows how to train a therapy dog. Refer to a reputable trainer for additional background or experience. At the very least, Keehn says, most therapy dog organizations take printed material or websites that you tin can read in grooming.

Plus, you can often choose where you work. If your domestic dog loves children, opt to visit schools or libraries. But if you don't beloved children, and so that volition exist a mismatch. Then, you might opt for home visits with the elderly instead.

How Are Therapy Dogs Trained?

You can cull to railroad train a therapy canis familiaris on your own or with assistance. Keehn, who helps owners train their dogs as one-half of a therapy squad, advises that you look for a formal organization that lists well-educated trainers on their websites to assistance yous on your path.

If private training is too expensive, Keehn recommends reviewing the CGC exam for the x basic commands, then going on YouTube and watching videos for tips. Taking a group Canine Proficient Denizen form is another good option, perhaps post-obit up with more directed and targeted classes. While the 10 commands are necessary to pass the CGC the test, training, particularly done past positive reinforcement, is invaluable and lasts a lifetime.

"Every time you interact with your dog, your dog is learning something," confirms Keehn. "Reinforce the behavior you lot desire. Keep your criteria at a level that your dog tin can handle. Be clear in your communication with non-verbal and verbal cues. You don't need to touch the dog. They larn to follow their basic instincts to sit and lay down by doing what's comfortable."

Tips For How To Train A Therapy Dog

Learning to train a therapy dog is no like shooting fish in a barrel job, and often requires a lot of work on behalf of both the dog and the handler. Indeed, some of the most well-trained dogs in the world volition never get suitable therapy dogs due to their temperament. Conversely, some tricky-to-train dogs will open with the correct training style, and may stop up first-class therapy dogs. The information above provides a deep-dive into how to train a therapy domestic dog, but to eddy it down to basics, here'south a skilful place to commencement:

Socialize your puppy or dog to new people, places, objects, and surfaces.
Obtain the AKC Canine Proficient Citizen title for your domestic dog. Railroad train necessary behaviors for therapy work including "leave it", "watch me", loose-leash walking and not jumping on people ("four on the floor").
Consider moving up to the AKC Advanced Canine Good Citizen (AKC Community Canine) championship to practice CGC test items in a real-world scenario. Or the Urban CGC if you live or plan to visit in decorated urban areas.
Enroll your canis familiaris in a therapy domestic dog class that will set up you and your dog for visits. Many classes will include a therapy domestic dog evaluation at the end of the course.
Once you've passed your test, annals with a national therapy dog organization to begin making visits and brightening lives. It'south your responsibility, however, to stay on top of your dog'southward training and make sure they're the all-time therapy domestic dog they tin possibly be.