I’ve loved our discussion about the “Right Stuff,” and how every dog has its own talents. I think that is never more true than when asking a dog to do Animal Assisted Therapy. AAT is on my mind now, because I’ve just finished working on a speech I’ll be doing in Naples, Florida to raise funds for a worthwhile cause, The Brody Project. I’ll be dining with donors this Wednesday, Jan 6, and speaking on Thursday, Jan 7th on “The Power of Pets.” The Brody Project does AAT at Moorings Park Continuing Care Retirement Community and if you are in the area, I’d love it if you came up and said hi. I also just finished a chapter for a new book by Audrey Fine, the silver-back of AAT, on what caretakers of assistance dogs need to know.
And here’s the bottom line: They need to know if their dog is truly and inherently suited for assistance work. I had a client come to me last year to help turn his neophobic dog into a therapy dog, when the dog was silently yelling to me that he couldn’t, he just couldn’t . . . “oh please please don’t make me go to that scary, smelly place again. . .”
There are many traits that make a good therapy dog, but here are the two that stand out to me:
1) Inherently social–the kind of dog that seems to think it’s a miracle that there is an endless supply of people in the world. I’ve mentioned before that when Willie sees a new person (as long as it’s not a loud, tall, unfamiliar male who runs up and looms over him), I swear he is thinking: “LOOK! There’s ANOTHER one! Oh boy, another person! Where do they all come from?” I don’t mean that the dog needs to be beside himself with excitement like Willie is (see #2 below), but you just can’t train dogs to deeply care about people they’ve never met if they don’t feel that way naturally.
2) Non-reactive and relatively calm–Thus, cross Willie off the list. Will would not be a good candidate now, because he is so enthusiastic about greeting new people. Oh, he keeps his butt on the ground (with great effort), but when people enter the house he is literally beside himself with joy, and can barely contain himself. I imagine, if he were in a hospital setting, that oxygen and IV lines would end up flying around the room, potentially joined by a previously immobile patient after being mauled by four overly enthusiastic paws and one very pink tongue.
However, Will may be the perfect dog when he is older. That’s something that Audrey and I talked about a lot for his book, that so many dogs are tested (and failed) at two years of age or so, when most dogs do best after they have aged and matured a bit. Many dogs need time and maturity to do grown up work, which doesn’t seem surprising when you think of it. How grown up are people anyway when we are twenty years old? Very grown up in some cases, but in others, not so much. No matter who you were when you were twenty, did you have the same level of balance and maturity at twenty that you did at forty? Fifty? Sixty? (Okay, lots of you are dropping out, but at 61, I felt compelled to continue listing the decades!)
I will never forget sitting in the International Dog Trials in Scotland many years ago, and noticing that the dogs seemed surprisingly old for such athletic work. I later figured out that the average age of the dogs in the trial (the olympics of herding competitions) was 7.5 years of age. Some dogs ran at age nine. Dressage horses don’t compete seriously until they are at least five or six years of age (someone correct me on this, or add to it… I’m estimating), and many of them aren’t considered even close to fully trained until they are over ten.
I’m curious about your experiences. Several of you commented on my last post about your dogs becoming therapy dogs after being pulled from another activity. How old were they when you started? And what do YOU think is required in a good therapy dog?
FYI, one of my dreams for when I retire is to do animal assisted therapy or animal assisted activities, whether it be working with a medical team in a hospital-like setting, or getting involved in the Reading to a Dog project. But, it’ll have to wait. Until then, I’ll look forward to your comments and write from Florida.
Meanwhile, back on the farm, it’s cold cold cold. Minus 8 F yesterday morning. That’s nothing for Fairbanks, I know, but for us Wisconsinites it’s cold. Highs in the low teens all weekend, so Lassie goes out to pee or poop, and will only do one at a time. She eliminates whatever needs to leave her body first, and then trots purposefully into the garage, and goes back into the house. Her belly is shaved and I worry her feet will frost bite, so I don’t hesitate to put her inside.
But Willie still loves to be out, and so we snow shoe up the hill and play fetch in the deep snow. It is an inexpressible joy to be able to play frisbee or “fetch the thrown stick” with Willie now. We can because the deep snow insulates the impact when he lands or short stops, so it doesn’t seem to bother his shoulder as it does otherwise. What heaven for us both. Here’s a photo Jim took a few days ago when we were playing in the orchard pasture up the hill behind the house.
xx
Pam Coblyn says
Well, to confound and flummox you, here’s another “You Never Know” story.
By two year old border collie is just plain riotously joyful. Translation: he quivers with excitement at meeting new people and dogs and looks like his head will literally explode from his wide smile. He jumps, yips, chortles, circles and dances if left to his own devices. But, I’ve learned to play The Heavy and try, try, try to remind him of his manners when we see new people. I think you get the picture….he’s a normal, exuberant young border collie who is in love with the world.
When we took Fenway to see my mother-in-law in the Alzheimer’s wing at her assisted living facility, I was just plain dumbfounded and gobsmacked by his behavior. Expecting mayhem, I had him on a tight leash. But Fenway clearly understood the dynamics and “read” the situation. He showed me a completely different side of himself. Fenway gently and carefully approached each one of a dozen residents in the dayroom, all parked in their wheelchair. He sat calmly, placed his chin on knees and was just “there”.
I still shake my head in amazement. I underestimated my youngster…that lil’ bark-screaming, dancing nut job. It just makes me wonder…do I really know him at all?
Trust me
Kat says
Ranger and I are heading down the therapy dog trail. It certainly wasn’t on my list of things I planned to do with the dog we were adopting but people are incredibly drawn to this dog and he adores people. I loved the description of a dog’s delight at the endless supply of people to love on him; that’s Ranger. I’ve seen him literally work a crowd going from person to person and telling each one that being petted by them is the best thing that has happened to him all day and each person believes him even though they’ve just watched him tell the person next to them the same thing. People can’t resist him; to the point it isn’t uncommon for someone to stop their car and get out so they can pet him. It was obvious that meeting and greeting people is this dog’s purpose in life so therapy dog training was indicated from the beginning.
We looked around for a program and settled on the Delta Society and have completed their home study course. We haven’t successfully completed the examination yet. The one time we tried I was too stressed out thanks to an incredibly stressful commute to get there.
It was interesting the two areas we failed. The first was meeting a neutral dog. Ranger is always happy to meet a new dog but when I say we can’t for whatever reason he’s fine with that too but in this case I think he saw the other dog and thought “thank heavens, someone that speaks my language maybe he can tell me why Mom is so stressed” and pulled and whined and struggled to make me understand that it was important that he get to meet this dog. The other point was the person acting as someone dependent on a walker who “rushed” across the room shouting that they wanted to meet the dog and pet him and wasn’t he pretty and… Ranger hurried over to meet them and when it became clear the person wasn’t going to bend over to pet him Ranger put his paws on the lower bar of the walker and made himself tall enough to be easily petted. I’ve seen Ranger with people who really are dependent on a walker and he’s never once tried to stand on a necessary walker. He definitely knows who’s able bodied and who isn’t. My 96 year old grandmother lives with my parents. When we visit them he’s always careful around my grandmother in a way that he isn’t with the rest of the family.
Where Ranger really excels is with children. I teach a class called “Dig those Dogs.” The point of the class is to help young children learn about dogs and to encourage them to think of their dog at home as being more than just part of the furniture or landscaping. Ranger comes in at least once and shows off his tricks and meets and greets. There aren’t many dogs I’d subject to 15 kids ages 5-10 petting at once. Ranger loves it, the only accommodation we make is that he’ll sit between my feet so no one can come at him unexpectedly from behind.
Unfortunately, it’s going to be another year before we can take our test again. I foolishly accepted a year long position that is taking more than it’s fair share of time. Oh, well, it gives us another year of training and another year of seasoning.
Pam says
My Kypp was about 2 1/2 when we started visiting seniors. ‘The Black Tornado’ rarely lit down for long and tended to leave a path of destruction in her wake. Like Pam’s Fenway, the moment we walk into the extended care home Kypp’s energy level flattens and there is a total sense of calm about her. Because I actually had worked in the residence at one time Kypp was allowed in without having her formal Therapy Dog training. She had no proofing for scooters, electric wheelchairs, walkers or any of the paraphenalia that is common to such a setting and, amazingly, nothing bothered her. Kypp has gone for rides on the scooters and wheelchairs, laid calmly beside bed bound people…she pretty much makes the rounds in each wing making sure she greets everyone. I really believe that she is able to ‘read’ each individual’s energy level and responds in kind. This dog who can almost pull me off my feet throwing herself into a game of tug will give her rope to a resident, hang onto her end and make all her usual growly noises without pulling at all.
Although I had originally thought Kypp and I would be tearing up our local agility courses I’m glad she let me know she had a higher calling to answer.
Kelly says
I have done therapy work with several of my Cockers now. My first dog was about 5 when I started with him, and he LOVED it. He was a friendly dog, but very laid back and accepting of everything. I took him to work with me one day a week, and he lived for that day. He would be up and alert and wagging his tail the entire 8 hours, and then he’d crash and sleep solidly for the hour long drive home. He was so suited for therapy work.
I have taken dogs to work with me as a physio at the hospital – some of them were puppies at the time, one was around 2, and then my “old” dog. All of the dogs enjoyed it, and none of them had issues with it.
Right now I do therapy work with my 3 year old female – she has her CGN, as well as a Novice Rally title and a Pre-Novice obedience title. She’s very friendly, but patients can do anything to her, and she doesn’t care one bit. She loves it too, and everybody adores her. She shows off a few tricks, but mostly she just cuddles. That’s her forte. We primarily visit Long Term Care residents, but will be making our foray into Mental Health as well.
I have two other dogs at home, neither of which are suited to therapy work. I definitely agree that some dogs are much more suited to it than others are. It sure is fulfilling for the teams that are suited to it though!
Michelle McConnell says
I am soooooo looking forward to your dinner and lecture this week. Myself and a friend are driving down from Sarasota both nights. Of course we are having the coldest weather of the year – but I suppose anything above freezing will be nice from your point of view. I so admire you for what you do and how you do it. You have been the most influential person in my training career and couldn’t believe it when I saw you were coming to Naples. See you for appetizers on Wednesday. (Never thought I would be saying that to you)
Kristin says
Our dog Gordon started therapy work at age 6. He’s a natural… We say he’s that “Once in a lifetime dog” that comes into your life and just totally fits. Not to say that he doesn’t still have his moments, he has this thing for ripping up a good book when left alone with the opportunity. But at age 10 he’s still visiting and can’t get enough. I get his vest out and he is beside himself with excitement. I figure he’ll let me know when he is ready to retire, but until then, as long as he loves it, we’ll keep working.
As far as what is required in a good therapy dog. I believe that a dog who is (1) interested in interacting with people, (2) has good basic obedience and (3) can handle distractions is essential. The program we visit with has dogs from 3 pounds to over 150 pounds, all types of breeds and breed mixes, and all different kinds of personalities. But those three main qualities are imperative.
Khris Erickson says
Mystic doesn’t do therapy work in the traditional sense, but I do consider him to be a therapy dog. As a humane educator at an animal shelter my job takes me into schools, day care centers, places of business, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities — and Mystic frequently accompanies me on these visits as a representative of HAWS, and because he’s much better looking than I am!
Mystic started this work when he was about 8 weeks old. I chose him because he joyously ran around a circle of children licking faces. With every job we went on he was fed a ton of treats – both by me and the people we were visiting.
There’s a big difference in his behavior on and off leash. On leash he’s calm, and relaxed. If I take the leash off without cueing him otherwise, he’s a wild guy.
I truly believe Mystic is a miracle worker. I’ve had kids who were terrified of all dogs ask to pet him after seeing his tricks and watching him interact with the other children. At one nursing home visit one of the residents kept asking for him to come back — the staff told me she didn’t like dogs. Last week at our shelter’s winter camp one of the autistic boys who was sitting cross-legged on the floor wanted Mystic to come over so he could cuddle. I told the boy that Mystic probably wouldn’t do that with someone he didn’t know well. To my surprise Mystic swung around and sat on the boys’ lap — who then threw his arms around him.
I’m very careful with him. I don’t want him to get burned out or to see these visits as a bad experience. Every visit includes a lot of treats (keep that classical conditioning going!) and I try to make sure there aren’t too many people surrounding him at once.
I’m not sure how much of Mystic is genetic, and how much I created through training – but I’m pretty sure that he is a rarity. I feel grateful to have him as my partner.
Catherine Potin says
It is so wonderful to see the effect of dogs on people and how most dogs react.
My dog Timba was 6 years old at the time. We went visiting an older friend of mine in a senior home. She just moved there and was a little depressed. She knew Timba since she was a pup and always had a great uplifting visit together.
I was a little nervous to take Timba in the senior home. She was at the time a little anxious and not always wanting to meet new people. Definilty did not like to be crowded or petted by strangers.
We visited Jean (my friend) in the dining room. People in walkers and cane started to approach us and asking about Timba. Starting petting her without asking.
I was amazed at Timba`s reaction. Very calm she went to each and everyone and let them pet her as much as people wanted. A few put their face right by hers, talking to her, others grabbed her by the tail trying to get her attention. I was a nervous wreck and tried to control the situation. She just gave me that look and I was amazed at her calmness. Something truly special was going on.
Still today she is does not like being petted by strangers but in the senior home, it is like she is a different dog
We went back and visiting Jean many times until she passed away a few years ago. Seeing that connection and moment of peace and serenity between dogs and people is truly the most beautiful gift I ever received
Maggie says
I have two dogs: Emmett (6 yrs) who is a therapy dog, and Lucas (3 yrs) who is not. While they have the exact same training and they both love people and other dogs, Lucas does not love new places. Lucas tends to be apprehensive and cautious in a new environment, hanging back, sniffing, familiarizing himself. Emmett would go absolutely everywhere with me if he could and enjoy himself thoroughly. If I’m doing AAT with my guys, I want them to enjoy the activities because it’s really asking a lot of them. Taking Lucas on therapy visits would be torture for him – new sights and sounds and smells every time would just be too much for his nervous little self.
The only other thing I’d suggest is to consider the patient population. Emmett, for example, adores children. He loves that the kids’ energy and the exuberance matches his. He does great with grabbing hands, full-body hugs, and big kisses on his head. In quiet settings like hospitals and retirement communities, he gets bored and restless. As a result, he’s not on his best behavior and does not enjoy himself. I always try to remember that Emmett needs to have as much fun as I have!
Kate T. says
I was delighted to read your post on AAT/AAA. Harley & I are a Pet Partners therapy team and work with Gabriel’s Angels (www.gabrielsangels.org), an organization that works with abused & at-risk kids to nurture their ability to love and trust, and free them from the cycle of violence. We visit Boys & Girls Clubs, crisis nurseries, women’s shelters, rehab clinics, etc. Harley & I visit the county juvenile detention facility.
I also teach a therapy dog training course that prepares students and their dogs to pass the Delta exam. Delta Society is the gold-standard for registration organizations and I recommend them highly. The exam is challenging — more challenging that most applicants appreciate, which is why some fail on the first try. The first half is similar to the CGC test and the second half tests the team’s aptitude with exercises that include wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, angry yelling, and crowding. By far more teams fail because of the handler rather than the dog. Nervousness, inattention and indecisiveness doom the team. Preparation is important so take the time to do it. If nothing else, you’ll be more relaxed.
Which brings me to my point: Take the time to appreciate the challenge you’re giving your dog. Look at a visit from his perspective, both physical and psychological. Depending on what type of facility you visit, there are a myriad of smells, sights and sounds that you are asking them to absorb, process and react (or not) to. Therapy work is more than taking your dog to a facility to let people pet her. It’s hard work as she reads body language, interprets all of that data, and looks cute!
I love volunteering with Harley and teaching others how to prepare their therapy team. Hands down, it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. If you and your dog have the right personality for it, do it. You’ll be glad you did!
Kathy says
I have a dog who started doing therapy work when she was 3 years old and has been a registered therapy dog for 2 years. She appears to be a border collie mix and I adopted her form the humane society when they estimated her age to be about 1 year old. People assume that I am an amazing dog trainer but I’m not. She does the behaviors on her own and I am more of a chaperone. She is very calm and adores people and being petted. We visited a woman who was unable to use her arms and Willow placed her head on the woman’s shoulder. Another older man was unable to verbalize his thoughts and she got in bed with him and lied down with her head on his chest until I told her to get down after 15 or 20 minutes. He had tears in his eyes and they had a special connection, I believe because he didn’t have to verbally communicate with her. When she gets in bed with coma patients she is so gentle that I hardly hear her feet touch the bed.
People always ask how I trained her to go sit next to them, but she just does it on her own. In one room there were 3 visitors who needed pet therapy more than the patient. As I was talking to them, she made her way around the room to visit each of them without any prompting by me. If no one is petting her, she will go belly up until someone notices and gives her attention. As others have commented about their wonderful dogs, she continues to amaze me with her ability to sense what the patient is capable of and adjust herself so that they can pet her.
When I get her collar out to go to the hospital or hopice she gets very happy and excited. When we are walking down the hallway her tail is constantly wagging and she will immediately sit down if someone approaches to pet her. Pet therapy is the activity that she seems to love to do and I think that desire is what is required to be a fine therapy dog. I don’t know what make her so responsive to the patients, but I think that is a wonerful trait to have too. Of course they should also have good manners, a calm demeanor, and be very social to people and other animals because you can frequently encounter other therapy dogs.
Willow also does the “Reading with Rover” program at an elementary school, which I think is a very worthwhile program. Willow has a very strong eye connection with me and when we are doing therapy work she is always checking in with me. I think that petting a dog has a very calming effect on people in the hospital, because I have had people tell me that they have felt more relaxed after petting her than at any other time during their hospital stay.
Liz M. says
My intent was to leave a comment about the traits of a good therapy dog, but after reading the above comments I want to express the joy and wonder I feel for the dogs mentioned above and the many more dogs out there that make our lives whole.
Dogs humble us, they thrill us, they are our inspiration, we live vicariously through them and they ask so little in return.
Lenore says
I am so excited to be able to attend this event! I think I’m the one who’s jumping, yipping, and dancing in circles! I wish that I could bring my dog to the Wednesday evening event, but I am afraid it wouldn’t be fair to him. He’s still so puppy and get over-excited seeing other dogs, so many people, and add to that the smell of food…
Hopefully one day Sama might make it to become a therapy dog, if not… I’m sure he’ll tell me what he wants to do. Until then, I am just enjoying having a wonderful playful, snuggly, dog.
Lauren Mack says
I just wanted to say I am SO excited to be at the event in Naples, FL tomorrow and Thursday!
I have 4 dogs, I think only one could be a great Therapy dog. She is mellow, very soulful, and calm.
Sharon says
Our experience was not as positive as what has been posted above. My Aussie Liam passed his Therapy Dog International test easily on a second try (the first try failed due to handler error…I allowed him to climb onto the lap of the wheelchair-seated examiner when she invited him up). Our first visits were to an assisted living facility, where he was well-loved and most people who met him were so happy to see a dog. However, he was miserable. He was polite, well-behaved, obedient, and said hello whenever I asked, but he just wanted to get me out of the building. Strangely, when we visit at people’s homes, he will pick different people and just sit with them, often choosing the person who seems to need that the most. In an institutional setting, though, he just wanted out. Now, I don’t know if it’s the building, or the residents in the building that sets him off, but there is no point is stressing him or making the residents feel rejected if he shuts down.
On the other hand, we did a Read to Your Dog program at a local library, and he did really well. He was more relaxed and responsive to the children, he didn’t seem threatened by going in the door the way he did at the assisted living home, and he had fewer people that he was asked to interact with at any one session. We are in the process of looking for another similar program (the last one ended, and has not been restarted), so for now we are just hanging out.
Yes, you have to know your dog, and respect what he can and wants do do. Sometimes it takes a while to learn what that is.
Kait B. Roe says
Sherlock was 5 or so when he was certified by TDI. I had trained him and hoped that he would take me to nursing homes and hospital wards. In no uncertain terms, He HATED every minute of it. You are right, they have to love to do it, and he didn’t. He didn’t like the smells, or the constant petting or any of it, despite passing his Therapy Dog exam. He was bomb proof, nothing distracted or disturbed him; but I have seldom -if ever- seen a more “hangdog” affect than the one he put on after our first visit. It was as if he looked at me and said, “never again, Please.” so we didn’t.
Kerry L. says
I’ve had two therapy dogs (both rescues) who accompany me to work at a crisis agency every day. We also visit a nursing home once a month. Alice was 4 1/2 when she started and was calm, wise and selfless. She was outgoing but quiet and attended to everyone she met. Walter was 2 1/2 when he started, he’s 6 now, and he’s just a ‘guy’. He announces hemself when we go to get clients or walk them out, he can be self-involved with his bones or rawhides while clients are in the room, and he prefers adults to children. Like Alice, however, he is outgoing, fearless in new situations and loves to cuddle with clients on my loveseat (after he’s finished satisfying his own needs). He enjoys new places and new people and is attentive to clients who are emotional or distraught. Both dogs have been wonderful ambassadors for my workplace and have accompanied me to meetings and workshops throughout our community and around our state. I do my best to make sure they get out frequently and are not stressed. Walter has a ‘safe’ zone under my desk, when he is under the desk he is not asked to ‘work’. I knew Alice was ready to retire when she chose to stay home rather than go to the workplace, I hope to be as respectful of Walter’s choices (as long as his workplace behavior is appropriate). I’ve been lucky that both dogs were/are very smart and attentive to my direction, enjoy people and are good around other dogs. Once Alice knew the guidelines, they were written in stone. She was whining one day when a client was asking her to jump up and put her paws on the client’s chest. Alice knew that was against the rules. In that instance, the client had to learn the rules. Alice knew the break room was off limits, out of respect for my co-workers, and NEVER went in. Walter (‘guy’ that he is) will cruise in for crumbs if he thinks I’m not looking. I feel very fortunate that my dogs can accompany me to work. They provide therapy for me and my co-workers as well as our clients.
Sabine says
I’ve been doing pet therapy for more than 14 years now and when the terrorist attacks on 9/11 happened at the Pentagon, I worked with my Delta Society Pet Partner Teams at the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. The tension, exhaustion and despair of the relief workers was tremendous and you can not imagine the look of joy on their faces when my little therapy dog showed up to give them some loving. People started smiling again as my little dachshund was “performing” some tricks and allowed them to pick her up an hug her.
If you can make just ONE person smile during a therapy visit, your visit was worth while !
Doesn’t he look happy ? —-> http://www4.pic-upload.de/05.01.10/7xvjsuj7fl8.jpg
I just know one thing: If I ever come into the situation of being in the hospital or in a nursing home, I would want animals around me every day. The other day I took my shepherd to the oncology ward at the local hospital center and she managed to make people forget their terrible disease for a while. That’s what it’s all about ! Therapy dogs touch lives and yes, there are times when we handlers have to overcome great sadness when a sick or old person, who has become near and dear to us passes away. At least you know, you were given the chance to give them some happy minutes that let them forget about their ailments for a brief moment.
You can’t train a dog to become a therapy dog – therapy dogs are born as such. You just have to shape them and guide them on their way to do good.
One to two hours a week is all it takes……………. 😉
Jenna Bullis says
As a Master Instructor at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, CA I see a lot of dogs with wonderful temperaments come through our program. I love them all for being who they are as individuals but every so often there is that one that catches my heart just a little more for some reason. Years ago I trained one of those special ones, a black lab named Filene. Filene was a successful guide dog for just 2 short years when her partner became too ill to continue working and caring for her. Filene’s partner placed Filene with me knowing how much my mother adored her. Because my mom wanted to share this wonderful dog with the world she and Filene became certified with Delta society and started doing AAT. Filene was 5 years old and had found her true calling. She adored it and was at home in every environment, Alzheimer’s units, convalescent homes, senior centers, special ed classrooms, you name it. Mom and Filene even started a read to the dog program at their local library too (pictured here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbullis/4249877074/).
When Filene passed away this last year she left a huge hole in many hearts. Many people asked my mom why didn’t she bring her other Lab (a Guide Dogs Career Change) so she could continue doing AAT. But while this dog would not have been inappropriate, Mom knew he would have hated it.
It truly does take a special dog to do this special work. Filene obviously began her life with tons of socialization then lots of professional training for a very specific purpose and those things certainly helped her become a good therapy dog, but more importantly it was that she loved all people with her gentle heart and soul.
Thank you to all of you who do AAT, it brings such joy to so many lives. And thanks to Filene… we miss you.
Jenna
Teoti Anderson says
This subject is close to my heart. Pursuing AAA/AAT is how I became a dog trainer. I’ve been a Delta Society Pet Partner for more than 15 years with my dogs and cat, and I’m an Instructor and Evaluator as well.
I think there are many important traits that make a good therapy dog. I think some folks overlook what it takes to be a good therapy dog handler. What I often see are folks who desperately want to do this kind of volunteerism, at the expense of their dogs who just aren’t suited, or aren’t ready. Either they don’t recognize signs of shyness or fearfulness in their pets, or they don’t want to see it because they want this so badly. I also see people who fixate on a particular population, say, kids at the local Children’s Hospital, because that’s who they want to visit … when their dog doesn’t really love children.
For example, my Delta cat, Sebastian, is now retired (he’s 17). He LOVED going to the assisted living facility and nursing homes. He’d curl up in laps for ages. His purr would soothe fragile patients with Alzheimer’s and comfort those in hospice. My current Labrador, Logan, however … well, he finds the sweet residents there to be rather … boring. 🙂 He was always well behaved and social with everyone, but I could tell it just wasn’t his thing. He’d flop on the floor dramatically and sigh. Now Logan and I visit the local hospital ER and he’s in heaven! He loves the action and the variety, and everyone there remarks at how happy he is to be there with them. (Truly, Logan believes patients gather there just to see him.)
It can be hard to see our own animals with an analytical eye, but recognizing who they are is so important. And when you do that, whether you have a therapy animal or recognize you don’t … I think that’s the foundation of a wonderful human-animal bond.
Debra says
My Australian Shepherd became a therapy dog at about 15 months but we had to work really hard to pass the test as he startled at everything. We spent weeks trying to get him to not react at a many different things that they can be exposed to from a falling person, cane, or walker as well as loud weird sounds from oxygen tanks, etc. He surprised me when he enjoyed visiting classrooms but I guess I should have anticipated his personality and energy would match that of 6 to 10 year olds. He loved being the center of attention and put up with way more attention from the kids than I thought he would. He’s not big on the elderly visits – he clearly gets bored. Unlike some dogs, he likes men and some of the most touching visits we’ve been on have been with the disabled vets programs where he just seems to connect. He does get calmer with age but some of that may be how much time we’ve spent working with him!
Kerry L. says
I’d like to add to my earlier comment. I attended a workshop on AAT a few years ago and the presenter was adamant in her belief that there is a difference between Animal Assisted Therapy dogs and ‘regular’ therapy dogs. Alice was featured in a Rally to Rescue magazine article entitled “Comfort Givers” (if I was more computer literate I would include the link) and that is how I think of my dogs at work, as comfort givers. Certainly they’ve learned how to ‘say hello’, to approach wheelchairs, perform “paws up” to get closer to folks in beds or wheelchairs (visits from Alice was once a doctor’s prescription for a friend in the hospital), but in our daily work clients often say that just having a dog sleeping on the floor of the office is relaxing and comforting. I have two other dogs at home who, even though one is definitely a sweeter temperament than Walter, wouldn’t be able to spend an entire day in a busy office environment. Each dog is different and has their unique place in our lives and the lives of others.
On a different note, I’ve often told friends that I believe that having dogs (I got Alice when I was 45) made me a better person. I just finished reading ‘Made for Each Other’, and now it makes so much more sense!
Mary Beth says
What a wonderful segue to see everyone talking about how their dogs are suited or are not suited to therapy dog work right after Trisha’s post on her fabulous herding dog’s less than stellar competition performance!
I’ve had a half dozen dogs certified as therapy dogs and most of them have done some wonderful things in that role, but only a couple have really loved it! I think my coonhound puppy is going to mature into an absolutely fabulous therapy dog. He passed the TDI test with flying colors at a year of age and he’s doing really well in Tail Waggin’ Tutors programs. It’ll probably be another year or more before he truly has the patience and attention span to do longer programs. For now, he’ll settle well for short visits and he adores everyone he meets. For the kids programs, he lays upside down in my lap with his long hound ears hanging staring at everyone with loving eyes. This morning he got to meet the guy filling my propane tank…very exciting..and another great socialization opportunity.
My Weim put on a great show for wards where they’d rather see the dog do something than to pet it and he put on a great show for kids in Safety Town class, but he was less than amused by the attention. He’s been a show dog for years and is bored to tears with attention unless he chooses to work a crowd. He’s my steady eddie and best trained dog, but I rarely choose him because I know he’d rather sit on the couch than be the therapy dog.
I’d like to hear what everyone includes in their repetoire for nursing home visits, library visits and school presentations. I’m always looking for new and better ways of going about this.
Alexandra says
My dog Copper is two and a half now, and we play agility. It has been suggested to me by several people that he could be a therapy dog, however I am not so sure and don’t plan to seriously consider it until he is much older. Yes, he loves everyone he sees, but that also means an enthusiastic butt-wiggling tail-thumping frenzy that would be really dangerous in a hospital. He has only recently learned to control himself enough not to jump up, and when I say jump up I mean completely airborne. He can easily lick a 6 ft tall man in the face with all 4 paws off the ground. I still have to put a hand on his collar during some initial greetings if he looks like he will get too excited. So, maybe by the time he is 5 or 6 he will have more self control and reserve.
That said, I am not really sure he would like to be petted constantly by strangers. Even at family gatherings he spends all his time with me after saying hello to everyone. He does have a bit of “not on a first date!” reserve about having his head petted, and Copper really is a mamma’s boy.
Alexandra says
Oh, and Copper did earn his CGC at 10 months old, so he is not a complete maniac! I just don’t trust his ability to 100% control his excitement when people around him are also excited.
Sue says
My dog has been doing therapy work for almost 4 years. He passed his therapy evaluation with TDInc when he was 14 months old. I have found in therapy work, dogs have preferences to the kinds of visits they make and the people they visit.
I’ve seen dogs do well and enjoy the quiet atmosphere and slow movements of people in a retirement home, but not so well with the chaos in a school classroom.
My dog enjoys the company and energy of children but becomes stressed with the slow pace of the visit with sick or elderly people.
So I would add, that all therapy visits are not equal in the eyes of the dog. A dog that does not do well with one type of visit may be perfect in another setting.
Liz F. says
Thank you to all who are involved in AAT. Also, thank you to all people who regularly visit loved ones in homes and hospitals (with or without dogs). It can be so hard, but it is so important.
It is my hopeful opinion that one day, the value of all therapy personnel, CNAs, nursing directors, and activities directors will be realized by society and that those professions will come to be paid at least as much as professional athletes. Though I am not holding my breath, please, for all people trying to improve a day in a life of someone in need, please know your efforts are appreciated.
Patti says
I love the comments about AAT dogs. Knowing your dog is important. We had a dog many years ago, who at six months was anything but calm. Her nickname was Beealzepup, just to give you an idea. We went to my parents for Christmas and at the family party of around 30 people I had her in a crate in one of the bedrooms for everyone’s benefit. My wheelchair-bound 86 year old Aunt with Alzheimer’s disease was there and to my horror another aunt felt sorry for the puppy and let her out without my knowledge. To my everlasting surprise Yoli went over to my Aunt’s wheelchair and simply sat down and let her pet her for an hour or more. She somehow knew that my Aunt was special, and my loved petting her. Of course, right after that she ate the cheese and crackers off the cocktail table and back into the crate she went.
I haae another resuce dog now, probably a jack russell/pit bull mix, but who knows? All terrier definetly. Very full of energy and around two years old. She *loves* everyone human. We recently took her to visit my father in a dementia unit and she too was wonderful with everyone. I wasn’t sure sure how she would be, but thought she’d be OK and my father absolutely loves dogs. She didn’t flinch at the wheelchairs or the machines in the physical therapy area, didn’t jump up on anyone, and was very calm. She will be going for certification soon. I’m not sure who had more enjoyment from the experience, the residents or Rowley.
This is such a win-win experience, I can’t think of a more wonderful thing to do with an appropriate pet.
Thanks for writing about it Patricia. Enjoy Florida for all of us freezing and expecting more snow in Wisconsin!
Patti
Lenore says
I just got home from the Wednesday evening with Patricia McConnell. I hope anyone who is within traveling distance from any event where Trisha McConnell is speaking will take the opportunity to attend! You will not be disappointed. It was wonderful.
Funder says
I love reading people’s therapy dog stories! Just wanted to say you’re correct about dressage horses, and endurance horses also can’t even compete til they’re 5 years old.
Sarah says
I have six dogs, and five of them are Pet Partners through Delta Society. I work in a nursing home, and every day the three Pekes come in during the morning, and the two pit mixes come in the afternoon after I’ve gone home at lunch. Each one came to me through a rescue or shelter as a stray, of variable ages. They love their jobs, there is NO doubt about that. One is also a READ dog, and we volunteer with our local library’s program. Three of the others would have no interest in hanging around with kids. There again, you have to know your dog to know what kind of setting they would enjoy most doing their therapy work.
For the person who said her therapy dog didn’t like the hospital/nursing home setting: There are TONS of places that your dog might thrive in. Library or school reading programs, battered women’s shelters, even Assisted Living Facilities, which is still dealing with the elderly, but they usually live in their own apartments and are not as ill. Just some ideas, a therapy dog isn’t limited just to hospitals. : )
JJ says
I once read a request from a Alzheimer’s nursing home to have dogs visit. It was something new they were trying (and hadn’t thought out very well in any aspect). They didn’t require any certifications for the dog or anything. I thought my Great Dane might like it, but wasn’t sure. Despite liking people he meets at the dog park, Duke didn’t seem all that interested in meeting people in this setting.
What I’ll never forget about that visit was how it ended. It turns out, they had asked me to attend when they were about to do their afternoon event. I didn’t know this ahead of time and didn’t know what the event was. The event turned out to be an ice cream social – everyone sitting in a giant circle on tile floor and getting ice cream. Right there in front of Duke’s face! Yummy bowls and cones of delicious delights floating right at and below his eye level!! As I mentioned, Duke had not had special training and this was relatively soon after I had gotten him. He is wickedly strong and extremely food oriented.
Here we were in the middle of a large circle, but not THAT large by Dane standards – when Duke starts straining and doing everything he could to get closer to the edge of the circle that was quickly filling up in every direction with balls of edible goodness. With ice cream that people were holding up just for him, right? I had to basically put him in a head lock and start wrestling him toward the door. I barely made it between two chairs with young adult family members who didn’t budge a muscle – either having way more faith in me than they should or who had no idea what danger passed them by. To get out the door, Duke and I had to walk right by the giant containers of ice cream that were being scooped from.
We never went back.
Amy says
I wonder if one of those heavy duty black mats with the half inch holes would help Lassie? They come in all different sizes. It would keep her off the cold ice and snow. You could put it in an area where the snow is already packed down from foot traffic, or maybe you could shovel in her usual potty place and lay it there. Pee would drain and I bet frozen poop would be a cinch to remove with a flip of the mat (you could remove snow that way too I’m guessing). The only trick would be getting her to use it.
Just an idea. Think it would work?
Also, is she the type of girl who would wear a sweater? They have some that I bet would help keep her naked belly warmer.
Shelly says
I have loved reading the comments regarding therapy dogs. I have yet to go down this path as a trainer. However, I see many dogs that are so instictively calm and receptive when I do classes and CGC evals.
Let me say, Patricia, that for the first time in a long time, your photo made me miss Wisconsin. I have been in Nevada for over 5 years now, and I had yet to miss the snow and cold. (I get regular reports from family still in Wisconsin.) This photo of you and Will on the orchard, in addition to the photo of him running with the frisbee, actually remind me how beautiful all that snow can be!
Jennifer Hamilton says
My dog, Isabelle, and I are certified pet partners through the Delta Society. We have chosen to work weekly one-on-0ne with a 11year old boy with cerebral paulsy and mild learning disabilities. It is a highly individualized program designed to keep both the child and my dog engaged for an hour each week. Frequently, one or both of them get bored or aren’t challenged enough, so I can lose them…which keeps me on my toes as well. I set the goals for the semester and design the weekly activities all on my own.
So, I guess what I would add to your list of things for consideration is the “type of therapy work involved”. For example, my dog does amazing things with this boy, but the only way she would sit for an hour and let someone read to her would be if she was dead. She’s 8 years old now, but lying there letting someone pet her for an hour would be her version of torture. Also, she does not like working in the presence of other dogs…so going to a hospital with several other pet partner teams would not be her version of a good day’s work. Also, sometimes highly exhuberent dogs are well suited to working with teens or young adults in group homes who want to run, jump and play. Some of these environments are free of IV tubes or frail individuals and quite well suited to an enthusiastic dog (still under control of course.)
I guess what I’m saying is there are many types of therapy “jobs” and if you think your dog would enjoy working, it’s important to match the skills of your dog with the requirements of the” job”. Some dogs might be perfect in one therapy environment and absolutely incompatible with another.
Jennifer Hamilton says
As an aside, here’s my worst therapy dog experience:
I was asked to do a demonstration with my dog at a luncheon. While waiting to take the stage, I was sitting with my dog who was lying down several feet to my side next to me. I noticed a small boy peak around a chair seemingly interested, but afraid of my dog. I smiled at him to ease his fear and he ducked back out of sight. About five seconds later he came darting out from behind the chair, ran up to my dog, punched her in the head with tremendous force and ran off screaming with his hands in the air. I felt absolutely awful that I wasn’t able to respond quickly enough to protect my dog as I pride myself in anticipating issues to keep her safe. In this particular instance, I just didn’t see it coming and could not respond quickly enough. Fortunately, my dog stayed lying down and just looked at me with that same “I didn’t see that one coming either!”. She did not react in anyway, but stayed perfectly calm.
Speaking from experience, if your dog can’t handle a situation like that calmly and without reacting, I don’t recommend working with children or developmentally disabled youth or adults. While no dog should be exposed to such an event, I can attest that it can happen in therapy work no matter how hard you try to enaure it doesn’t.
Jane J Johnston says
Torie is eight, and is still very high energy. She loves everybody but as you say so well, has trouble keeping her bottom down. In fact, I have a little problem because as a Corgi she is short and some people, would apparently, rather she jump up on her as she is easier to reach. She would never pass the tests, and I think they would stress her out.
OTOH, I did private tutoring in reading with dyslexic kids. I didn’t have the kids read to her, but I used a structured reading program. It’s stressful to the kids,and Torie was an excellent stress reducer. High energy Torie would lay down next to the kid (not a lot prompting from me) and the kids could reach down and pet her. In the last 5 minutes or so I would play a game with the kids and Torie. For instance, I would throw a dog toy and give the kid a letter and tney would have to think of the sound while I was throwing it. Many times Torie would get the toy instead. This was a great activity. I now teach in the public school. Many times I have wished Torie were there to ease the tension and stress.
–Jane J Johnston
Trisha says
I’m interested in the comments of people whose dogs are a bit, uh, exuberant when greeting people, but who become calm and focused when with children or fragile older people. I believe that totally; I remember a horse I used to ride who was a handful, unless you put a young child on him. If you did, he would walk with extra care, and stay calm no matter what was happening around him. I even saw him move to the right or left if the child began to lose their balance. In the case of therapy dogs, the volunteers of the Brody Project and I had an interesting discussion about whether the dogs knew they were ‘working.’ Most of us believed that, in many cases, in some sense they did. I don’t know, of course, that they defined ‘working’ in the same way that we would, but the anecdotes of animals who radically change their behavior around the needy and the fragile are too numerous to dismiss. Of course, thinking critically (as in ‘analytically’, not ‘negatively’), there are many reasons why a dog might change his behavior. Perhaps he is nervous in a particular environment, and responds to it by shutting down or becoming quiet. But, I have to admit, I believe quite strongly that some individual animals are able to sense something about the needs of others, and respond to it. I’ll get crucified by some other scientists for that, but I’d need some solid hard data to suggest otherwise before I’ll give up that belief.
Trisha says
Just a comment about the distinction between Animal Assisted Activities and Animal Assisted Therapy. Both can be extremely valuable, but they are different. AAA involves bring animals to comfort and entertain people in need. Just letting a patient pet a dog can double their oxytocin levels, which can have a profound effect on their immune systems and motivation to socially engage. AAT takes that one step further, and involves teams of animals and volunteers working under the guidance of a health care professional. For example, The Brody Project worked with a man who had had surgery, and was rehabbing before he could go home to live independently. He had a dog at home, and was concerned about being able to take care of him. The volunteers and physical therapist designed a program for him to work with the therapy dog, in the facility, alongside the physical therapist, to allow him to move in safe and constructive ways. My talk in Naples emphasized how crucial companion animals can be to change internal physiology (through my favorite drug, oxytocin!) and to motivate people to engage socially, to exercise and to cognitively engage with the world around them. It’s my hope that the medical community will begin to accept “the power of pets” as good medicine. Yeah for all of you involved in this work, my hat is off to you. I would love to be involved myself someday… and wonder if someday Will might be a prospect. I tend to doubt it, and would never put him in a situation he’d be nervous in, but I do wonder, when he gets older, if he might be a prospect . . .
Wild Dingo says
Hi, First, let me say, love your books. LOVE them!
Second, i have a Therapy dog. She’s a siberian husky. I gave her a job because i live in Nor Cal and have a GSD mix that i want to train in other sports and there was no way i was ever going to do snow sports with her, so i had to do something to satisify her need to be busy. I gave her the job because when she saw me training my GSD mix, she was so depressed when she didn’t have a job, but when i started working with her she lit up. I gave her the job because she was a bit fearful and becoming a Therapy dog actually helped getting over her fears. she wasn’t fear aggressive, just shy. she was 1.5 when i gave her the job (and certified her). When she first went to work, she was still quite shy and only a dog who could sit and be petted. i would have to manipulate her closer to her patients. But over time, i started “trick” training her because she was so very shy that forcing her next to the patients wasn’t fun for her. Soon, i had a whole dog and “pony” show with her and instead of trying to force her to be cuddly, she got to entertain people with a whole host of tricks. a fluffy, silly, playful siberian doing tricks. yes, a SIBE. a Sibe who could heal off leash, sit and down obediently. Yes a SIBE! it’s been said so many times to me these dogs were not meant to be “obedient” but meant to pull. Well, the trick training did so much for her confidence because people would ooo and ahhh and laugh and giggle and she loved the applause. She loved it so much that she started going RIGHT UP to her patients and sticking her nose under their walkers or wheelchair arms and kissing them on the hand. she gained confidence through performing and being applauded! what a What a HAM! during this time, she was doing obedience and agility training as well.
this year, at 2 years old, she got an unexpained fever that landed her in the hospital for several days. to this day we don’t know if it was bacterial or autoimmune. She’s better now but at the same time she was recovering we found out she has hip dysplasia. I stopped all training and visiting for a while because i wasn’t sure how to treat the dyplasia. On consulting with orthos and Physical therapists, we found out that some agility was definitey “out” like high jumps, but most of her trick training would be fabulous for her hips and leg muscles, especially her show-stopping “sit pretty.” We also got her into physical therapy where she is doing all sorts of different agility now to strengthen her hips and she walks on an underwater treadmill. Yes, a HUSKY who gets wet and smiles the entire time. because she makes us smile, she smiles and enjoys it. I will teach her to swim. Maybe that will someday be therapy for someone else who needs to swim. I don’t know. I’m hoping the more i expose her to everything the better therapy dog she will be. In our therapy training, we went through lots of desensitizations, training in odd places like warehouses, stores that allowed dogs and on slippery floors, we trained with wheel chairs moving close to them, loud noises, people grabbing at the dog inpappropriately (to look for stress reactions). Dogs that may startle but recover quickly are excellent candidates. (hey who doesn’t jump at a loud noise behind them, right?)
Your comment about the snow intrigued me because we are moving to Switzerland this year for three years and i wanted to do snow sports there. most are out, but snow shoeing is definitely OK for her. the thought of the deep snow and soft impact makes me happy to try snow adventures with her. I also aim to certify her in therapy in that country if it’s availalbe and continue her tricks. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t because they are more progressive with animal physical therapy there than here, so i’m hoping we can put her vest on again. she wears it so proudly.
as for my other dog, he will be trained in search, tracking and possibly protection. Right now, he finished his level 1 search and is doing great. he’s too high-drive and spaz to make a therapy dog. what makes a good therapy dog? one who LOVES people but is calm. one who LOVES entertaining people. A ham who is humble. My GSD mix is a people lover and loves entertaining but he’s a bit over the top, he even looks intimdating,tho he”a lover. But it’s the calm dog that makes the best therapy dog, one who can “perform” with glee and energy, but not spastic over the top energy.
But as in ANY service that a dog does, the HANDLER is a big part. The handler must be engaged and a part of the team. The handler must be prepared to handle the dog in a strange environment with strangers. The handler must be in-tune with her dog. I’ve done some “bomb” therapy visits where my dog was not as interestng to the patients because I didn’t know what to do and was distracted by other people or dogs visiting. The times where i viewed my dog as the most important part of the visit were the times that it was most succesful.where i showed people how i played with my dog and ignored everything around us except my dog and the patient. even when my dog goofed up. It’s important to handle the goofs and leave “pure obedience” at home (other than good manners of course, no barking, no growling, no pulling,, no jumping, no stealing food, etc)… but if the dog refuses to sit or down for some reason, a therapy visit is no time to correct that. It’s important for the handler to warm the dog up before a visit to make her dog look good, as if going to a dog show or agility show. It’s also important that the handler makes sure the dog has no negative experiences, or if it does, the dog leaves on an up note and the handler recognizes this.
My dog Juno LOVES wearing her vest. She lights up when it goes on and somehow puts an extra prance in her step.And her patients love her too. I’m certain she’s sad that she isn’t visiting right now but we will again. I promise you that.
If I have more thoughts on that, i will send them. I have to say, it is as rewarding to my dog as it is to me and the patient. I love to see my dog so proud. my shy, sullen, depressed siberian of a 1.5 years ago is now a confident, ham, show-stealing therapy dog! I guess one final thought is that therapy dog service be as rewarding to the dog as it is the patient, otherwise, why do it?
Ann W in PA says
Hmm… maybe they are just “self-handicapping” so that they can play this new game of therapy dog.
Kat says
Trisha,
Two more anecdotes about animals recognizing the more fragile humans and changing their behavior in response that I can’t resist sharing.
My grandmother talks about a horse they had when my father was a young toddler. The horse was the best stock horse they had but was as mean as they come. He’d kick you, knock you down and stomp on you given any chance. One day when my grandmother was hanging out clothes and my father playing quietly nearby she got distracted for a few minutes and when she looked around she didn’t see her small son anywhere. When she found him he was sitting underneath the horse happily playing in the dirt. He was directly under the horse’s belly and this mean and frankly rather dangerous horse was standing stock still trembling. He didn’t move until after my grandmother had grabbed her wayward boy and was retreating from the horse pasture.
The other is about my cat Roguespierre who was mean. He never hurt anyone in his immediate family and he never hurt a child but everyone else that tried to pet him went away bleeding. When he had to stay at the veterinarian his kennel would be festooned with warning and danger signs. One day when he was about 9 years old and our daughter was just beginning to walk he was sleeping on a barstool with his tail dangling down. I glanced away from the child and when I looked back she’d crossed the room and her hand was reaching for this enticing dangling tail. My heart stopped and time froze as I watched her little hand curl around this tail and pull. Pierre came up out of a sound sleep whirled around with all claws extended intending to destroy whatever had hold of his tail. As visions of rushing a bleeding child to the emergency room ran riot in my mind I saw Pierre realize it was his little girl and while he couldn’t abort the slash he did manage to pull in his claws and while he hit her hard enough to knock her off balance he only left a faint red line that faded as I watched.
Mary Beth says
I once rode a horse that would change his behavior depending on the rider. He was a wild and crazy calf roping horse. His owner rode him with a big, heavy bit and that horse would rear and dance in the box ready and willing to bolt forward. I rode him after I broke my ankle because I’d lost my confidence in the saddle. That horse would grab the bit and gallop off, but the minute I put some pressure on the reins he’d settle back into a nice lope. I could feel the energy underneath me, but I could also feel the horse’s patience with me. I rode him bareback once, and after owning a horse for years that would snap sideways into a buck at a canter, I was really tenative riding any horse bareback at a canter. This horse could have been a western pleasure horse instead of a wild and crazy roping horse! He wasn’t even the same horse I’d ridden saddled! Then I put my husband on him. I gave him a huge lecture about being very gentle with the bit since it had some long shanks on it. I turned around and they were gently cantering in circles with my hubby not even holding the reins! Then I watched him with a 3 year old on his back. That three year old tried everything to get that horse to go go go, but all he would do was a gentle slow jog trot. These were all on days when that same horse would outrun a calf and rear and slide and give his owner a real ride for his money!
I’ve had similiar experiences with dogs too, including this past summer when my 14 month old great nephew decided to use my CRAZY field lab’s face as a drum set. She actually stuck her nose out farther and gave him this adoring look, but she laid there quietly without moving. If I would do that to her, she’d jump on me and hit me with her paws and bounce around like a wild thing!
My old coonhound taught several children how to deal with their fear of dogs with his calm manner. He would enthusiastically great the kids who were ready to see him, but he would gently settle into a down automatically and even turn his head away and not move for the kids who were scared. He was the best dog ever!
Mary says
I have two malamutes who both do therapy work. But they have very different personalities and talents and so do very different kinds of work. The large, gentle, “please pet me” male who rolls on his back to be petted goes to libraries, a museum, and schools for Read to the Dogs programs. The much more energetic, pick-pick-oh-pick-me girl does demonstrations of all sorts and works with at-risk children in psycho-social AAT. I mention this because AAA and AAT require many different kinds of talents, and a dog who is terrible at petting therapy may be fabulous in something requiring more thought and more energy (and vice-versa). The single common denominator, in my mind, is steadiness in the face of adversity — the incidents of lightening fast abuse are too numerous to count and are only saved if a dog has some measure of self-control.
I teach a class on therapy work (you can’t teach a dog to be good at this but you can, and should, teach people how to be good) and lots of my time is spent teaching people how to read situations, people, and their dogs (Thank you Trish, for your excellent writing in this area). The best therapy teams can read each other and respond intuitively. The easiest entry into the work of pet therapy is the petting programs, but that ain’t all there is and those of us with dogs that aren’t right for situations that require a calm, restrained demeanor don’t have to be left out.
Mary Allen says
I’m keep a list of resources related to yeast cures and remedies – please feel free to link back.
Mary Fiorito says
How old does a dog have to be to become a therapy.
I have a 5 month 3lb male poodle, he is very people social and dog friendly.
My brother is in assisted living and I bring him with me sometime, they are always asking for me to bring him back.
I would appreciate any information you can give me.
Mary
sherry warshauer says
How do we meet other therapy dogs and their handlers in the Naples, Florida area?