Where To Get A Therapy Dog

In the united states your dog must get akc s canine good citizen.

Where to get a therapy dog.

Others will adopt a pet and obtain a letter to recognize the pet as an esa emotional support animal. This form must be. This depends what country you re in. Breed alone doesn t determine if a dog has a good temperament for therapy work.

Therapy dog is an akc program which recognizes the necessary therapy work performed by dogs through accepted organizations based on the number of visits. A special canine partners therapy dog enrollment form is available for mixed breed therapy dogs needing to obtain a dog number in order to receive their therapy dog title. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted cuddled and handled sometimes clumsily by unfamiliar people and to enjoy that contact. Don t just go by what you read online call and get details.

For example therapy dogs can lift morale in a disaster offer companionship to those in nursing homes and hospitals or help mental health patients deal with grief and stress. Therapy work involves volunteers who. A certified therapy dog must be friendly patient confident gentle and at ease in all situations. Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds.

Others will purchase an animal from a reputable breeder or trainer and use that animal for emotional support. Don t assume your dog needs to be a certain breed. When a therapy dog is in the room you can pet it play with it let it sit in your lap simply look at it whatever makes you feel comfortable and less stressed. There are a variety of possibilities says eklöf.

The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. Just the presence of a therapy dog will help take a person s mind off of all their worries physical or emotional pains and anxieties. To get a dog certified as therapy dog your canine will need to pass a certification. Therapy dogs typically work in animal assisted programs and therapy.

Therapy dogs should always be clean and well groomed too. Once your dog achieves therapy dog certification you can put your dog s training and special skills to work in different settings. Most people are more than happy to certify a pet they already own as a therapy animal. The value of therapy dogs.

A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide love and comfort to people in long term care hospitals retirement homes schools mental health institutions or stressful situations like natural disaster areas. Before you get a therapy dog determine if you are an appropriate candidate.