i want to make my dog useful so i want to take her to hospitals and shelters. what do i have to do to be able to take her?
Answers:
Check with any institutions you would like to take her to and find out what they require. Some work with established organizations, such as Delta Society, Therapy Dogs, International, or a local humane society. Others run their own Animal Assisted Activities program. In this case, they will likely require that your dog have a Canine Good Citizen certificate. The American Kennel Club's web site (www.akc.org) has info on this.
You would need to have it become a certified therapy dog. To do that there is a list of things the dog must be able to do and then be tested by an evaluator of the program.
http://www.tdi-dog.org/
That's a link to the Therapy Dogs International website, gives all the info on how to become certified with them.
I think you mean that you want your dog to be a therapy dog.
Do an online search, therapy dogs need to be trained and certified.
You will need to have her completely trained and reliable, plus she should be well socialized, like every pet. Also all her shots should be up to date. Start with taking her to obediance classes and while there you can talk to the trainers to get more information about your goals for her. I think it's great you want to do this with her! GL :)
You'll want to contact your local training club and see if they offer classes. She'll need to go through basic obedience training and the pass her Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog test. And some hospitals have a specific program in place that has additional classes you'll have to take.
It's been a while since I've had a CGC/TD dog but the test used to consist of:
-walking on a loose leash
-meeting a friendly stranger with/without a dog
-meeting people in wheelchairs, with walkers or canes, etc.
-a down/stay with you out of sight for 3 minutes
-coming when called
-not reacting negatively to a loud noise (when my dog was tested they threw a pan with car keys in it onto the floor to see if she'd freak out)
-being touched by a stranger
I know there are more, I think there were 10 altogether, I just can't remember them all.
There may also be things you'll have to do. I took my dog to a juvenile detention facility for therapy dog visits. Before we could start they had to do a complete background check on me.
Good luck and have fun!
look at the akc website and look up canine good citizen. start there, then go to therapy dogs international and look up their requirements. The CGC is needed first. Good luck
Hi,
I have a website with a page all about Therapy dogs and what you need to do to have your dog become one. Check it out, it might help.
http://www.standardpoodlesusa.com/therap...
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