12 Skills Your Dog Must Master To Become A Therapy Dog (Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizen Test)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- We now have two certified Therapy Dogs, Eggnog and Toffee, and hoomans ask us all the time about what it takes to become a therapy dog.
We thought that we would help answer those questions by showing each stage of the therapy dog test that Eggnog just passed!
This test covers everything you need for both the Therapy Dog Test and the Canine Good Citizen Test. The only difference is the way each test is evaluated!
If you are interested in both certifications, sometimes you can test at the same time! You can also get your Canine Good Citizen certification after successfully completing 10 Therapy Visits!
You can find some of the things you might need to train in our Amazon store AND help support us if you make a purchase!
Check out our Amazon Store to find supplies we use AND help support us if you make a purchase!
www.amazon.com/shop/thestumpy...
Like and Subscribe for more adventures!
Check out our Social Media!
INSTAGRAM: / thestumpybrigade
FACEBOOK: / thestumpybrigade
Watch some of our other videos!
• Talking Husky Corgi as...
#TherapyDogs #CanineGoodCitizen #TherapyDogTraining - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
The leash tug for a down was something that would not be allowed here for the CKC Therapy Dog eval in Canada. Also, there is clear stress after those tugs.
As we have mentioned multiple times in the comments, we were not planning on taking this test when this was filmed specifically because we knew we were not ready for the “down” command. The point of this video is to demonstrate that you don’t necessarily need to be perfect to qualify as a therapy dog. Basic obedience is still important of course, but reaction to and temperament towards people is the most important part of a successful therapy dog team. We are always trying to learn to be better and encroached others to try themselves. Hope that helps clear up our goal for this video! ❤️
Dog is like “I’m already down , can’t you see how short I am?”
Exactly!
My Pomeranian was the same way! I could get her to sit but she didn't want to lay down on command
This is fr a problem my sister has a dog named Mocha and she'll keep telling him to sit or lay down and u can't tell he already is bc his legs r so short there's barely a difference
Yeah he was hurting the dog by tugging like that
I have a corgi for my anxiety and agoraphobia, and that is what he does haha
Kept thinking my dog is already perfect for all this until the part with "staying in focus around food" came along
That is something you can practice! It is an important skill to have depending on where your therapy visits would be. Obviously would not be good to eat medicine from a nursing home or a hospital, but you may never encounter food in a library for example.
Practice makes perfect
The Stumpy Brigade good point!
I had the exact same thought - went through the video thinking oh my dog’s got this, then saw that and was like okay we have a little work to do 😆
1. Gentle waking on leash
2. Approaching a stranger
3. Gentle touching and handling
4. Unknown object/Brush test
5. 5 second hug
6. Sit and Down
7. Long line stay and come commands
8. Leave it
9. Walker and wheel chair
10. Neutral Dog interaction
It’s also important to remember How your dog interacts with people is evaluated at every step including energy levels with individuals and crowds.
My dog is a therapy dog
And he has to be able to walk on. Six inch loose leash that dog was pulling the whole time
You are right that is an important skill. When we tested, we had only had Eggnog for just over six months (the minimum required amount of time) and had not expected to test then. We knew he wasn't perfect at all of the commands, but were encouraged to test anyway because of how friendly he is with people. We still work with him on all of these skills but posted this anyway to showcase that you might not need to be perfect in order to become a therapy team. We hope to encourage as many people as possible to try!
It's also VERY wrong to pull on his head to make him lay down! You could hurt his neck and head
My dog took about a year to get fully trained
@@sammyk6684 Thank you for your concern about this. We actually had to watch it again to see if we had missed something, but we can confirm that we always strive to use corrective training (like pulling down on a collar or leash) with the lowest amount of pressure. It is a technique that is helpful to speed up training but does not injure the dog (when done properly). Training is a lifelong process and we always strive to learn as many techniques as we can so that we know how to deal with many situations. Our trainer has trained both military and police dogs for decades. While he teaches positive training first, he also shows his clients how to use corrective techniques to add to their problem solving and training abilities. Hope that helps!
I brought my husky to see an ALS person. With nothing more than instinct the dog knew how to react like a perfect therapy dog. Took a biscut from hand only after he refused the first one as it was too small ; he carried treat home and hid it until later. Then We were invited back to the nursing homes . ❤ ❤❤
Very sweet but you should join an official therapy dog organization so that you are protected should anything happen to you or your dog and to make sure you are not going anywhere that could put you in danger. This is a good list:
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/therapy-dog-organizations/
I have always wanted to be able to train my dog to be a therapy dog, but because he was rescued from a abusive family he is still scared of strangers, so he will just get all my family's love.
So he can at least help you and your family! 😘
When you were doing the down test the reason eggnog was not going down was because you were yanking his leash and collar witch makes him more tense and stiff when u teach a dog down you hold you'r finger down like you are holding a treat and you can use a treat too till the dog get used to going into a down position with no treat Hope this helps ( No Hate To the owner or trainer Just a common mistake dog owners like myself make )
Yes that is a good way to teach down! It works especially well on slightly bigger dogs. When we took this test we had known we were not prepared enough for down but were encouraged to test anyway. During the test you cannot use treats but you can try to use the leash to guide certain behaviors so that’s what we were attempting to do. You don’t need to be perfect to pass the test so we hope more people might try to get involved with therapy work knowing what is needed to certify! ❤️
Haha, Eggnog said “no thank you” to laying down. What a cutie.
Stumpy legged dogs don’t understand the whole “down” concept sometimes 😂
Everything looks good, besides how you're making him go down, don't pull on the chain instead, attend you're giving him a treat, while he's sitting, bring it the tree to his nose and slowly put it down to the ground
Yes! We know how to teach down and that technique does often work very well! Unless you have a short legged dog that is basically already on the ground and then actually getting them to understand what you are asking can take a little more convincing. But thanks for the tip! Hopefully it can help!
i got my dog to do down on the first time using a stick! maybe find an object that makes training better for the dog. and carry it with you. i’m making my puppy into a ESA.
Bernie looking at your dog me walking dog Bernie walker dog Missy message dog in uhh moving but guy but he h get you I try to I'm the j FB hi bb bb bb hung up s rough night but huh huh I'll.
He should not have pulled that poor dog to lay down like that. A therapy dog should he able to lay down on command. I have one myself and it comes in handy for him to be able to lay down in many situations. That dog was also NOT healing on the leash. He was clearly pulling a lot and that was not ok and he should not have passed.
Thank you for your feedback! You are right that he did not "down" properly, and it is a useful skill to have. He did not pass that portion of the test. Because of his overall demeanor and attitude, Eggnog does still make a good therapy dog. We also hold the leash very tight during visits so that our dogs stay close to us in tight spaces. My handling that day was more out of habit than out of demonstrating technique. We hope to show that your dog does not need to be perfectly obedient to be a good therapy dog, though basic obedience is a requirement. Our organization looks at the dog's temperament first, and then checks obedience skills as a more objective measurement. The test is not a pass fail requirement. It is graded based on overall performance. Obedience skills should always be practiced and we are not perfect, but we always try to be better!
Woah m8 who hurt u?
Who is your therapy dog with?
I agree, I was cringing every time he tugged on the collar like that. Although I don't think it hurt the dog, it's still an unnecessarily aggressive tactic.
@@StaticWolfGirl1 that down signal was so funny wtf was that lol. No wonder dog listens.
Did anyone else think that the dogs owner’s hand signals look a little bit theatrical or maybe like he’s casting spells from Hogwarts?
Our hoomans were trained at Ilvermorney, so who really knows?
I thought the same lmao. I mean just turning your palm to the ground works as well.
So Ive been thinking about training my dog to be a therapy dog. It makes me really excited to see that Eggnog was excitable but able to control it. Gives me hope that I can start to control my wild child(she just loves people and doesnt know how to control it very well yet)
Being happy to see people is actually good! The trick is just making sure they don’t jump up on people so that no one gets scratched or accidentally knocked down 🤗
I have a certified CKC, AKC, TDI and St.John Ambulance Therapy dog. My experience is that this Corgi has tremendous potential to be an excellent Therapy dog. It has a strong base but is lacking on a few basic obedience commands.
I would suggest the owner definitely try a retest in a few months and work on their weaknesses. Most, if not all Therapy dog associations have strict criteria in their testing to ensure the safety of both dogs and all people involved.
Thanks for your support! (We are already a certified team but we still try to work on the basics with him constantly to improve his skills)
I might get a dog and when I do I want it to be the most reliable and most trustworthy dog I can ever wish for
I’ve been training my German Shepard, Elliot, ever since he was eight weeks old. (Of course we did do gentle training so he could adapt to his new home first) now that he’s six months old, he’s gotten almost every requirement needed in this video. How old would he have to be to officially register?
You will need to find a therapy organization that operates in your area. Ours allows you to test with your dog after you have had them in your home for at least six months, but you should check with your local organization. If you are asking about Therapy Dog Titles with the AKC there is no age requirement.
We rescue a german shepherd from Spain his tail was cut off by the owner, he will not allow easily to be touched. My only concern is that. Such a pity because he is an genuine good soul dog. I even mafw a little book to gp with our therapy days.. I feel we will not make it bevause of that tail. Not fair really.
@@rosap7912 It is fair because an elderly person or child may try to touch your dogs tail. It's a skill they need for safety. Sorry that ur dog just isnt fit for therapy work.
@@Qunpowder they meant unfair as in the situation the dog is in
I'm training my corgi Yolo for this thanks for the tips. Im currently on intermediate Training
Thank you so much for making a video! About what you need to train your dog to become a therapy dog
Thank you so much, this video was very help full, my German Shepard Sasha starts her training today. She’s 5 months old now and I think she will be a great candidate :)
Good luck! We love therapy work! Remember you don't need to be perfect so just do your best! Your relationship with your dog and your dog's general temperament and enjoyment of the work is the most important part of a good team!
My wife and I have a German Shepherd named Sasha too!!!
The Stumpy Brigade what place is this my dog could pass the test
Did she pass?
Thank u for puting this on yt bc i was trying to find how to turn my dog into a comfort dog for kids so thank you it really helped alot!!
They are very popular at the moment, I've seen a lot of Corgi's & a lot of Corgi puppies around recently, such happy little dogs!
Pulling: almost under control
Greeting strangers: okay ish
Getting touched/brushed anywhere: great
Hugs: great 🥰
Sits good, down is okay
Stay: not so well still working
Leave it: good
Walker/wheelchair aprouch: idk I've never tried, but he is fine around skateboards and bikes
With other dogs: okay ish still working
Load people/ crowds: good
Taking treats: still working on it
Thats my dogs progress so far!
Sounds like he or she is a good candidate! With a little more practice you could probably be a great team! ❤️
@@TheStumpyBrigade yes!!!!!! And thank you!
My rescue dog 0f three years would pass everything shown here. The one thing that this video didn’t demonstrate that my dog would not had passed and disqualify him not chasing cats, squirrels, birds and other prey.
That’s not really part of the test since there are not usually squirrels inside schools so if you want to be a therapy dog team you probably can!
Thank you for the video! Working with Beau to be a therapy dog!
We always encourage anyone that is interested to try! Good luck!
We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Welsh Corgi - Pippin, he and Eggnog could be brothers. Have to say Stay, Come & the Food Test we are still working on so I'll keep you posted. This damn Covid lockdown was actually a blessing for his training.
Okay that dog should not have to be pulled to lay down. He should NOT pass.
You are correct! He did not get a point for "down." However, the scoring system for our organization works in such a way that you only need to meet a certain thresh hold to pass. That was his only point off during the test and it is something we continue to work on. Eggnog is in fact certified and we are very careful in how we handle him in order to provide the best experience for the people he is there to provide comfort for. Remember that his job in this case is to provide comfort in short intervals, so extremely strict discipline is not as important as overall temperament! Thank you for reaching out! We hoped to demonstrate the skills anyone would need to start training if they wanted to try to be a therapy team even if we aren't 100% perfect at them with all of our dogs!
@@TheStumpyBrigade he should have failed he couldnt heel he cowered and was obviously uncomfortable during havinf his feet picked up and multiple other parts of the test...he didnt stay he's very poorly trained. Was looking for a video to show my client definitely not using this.
@@madisonguyett5332 That is fine. We are not professional trainers. I might suggest The Super Collies if you are looking for professionals. This was Eggnog's actual test to certify, which he did in fact pass. We felt it was important to show the entire test, unedited, so that other prospective teams would have a realistic example of what their test might look like. We are therapy dog volunteers. We do this in our spare time and we make videos about it in our spare time. Eggnog has been doing visits for a year since this video was shot and we constantly work with him to improve these skills. If you have questions or constructive criticism we would be happy to discuss our experience. We hope this helps.
@@madisonguyett5332, wow. Rude much? If you know so much about perfection I'm a bit curious as to why you haven't put your own video up of your "clients" passing the test? Why do you need to use someone else's? You should have dozens of your own perfect examples for us to learn from.
You are a horrible judge of dog behavior. Eggnog wasn't cowering, nor was she uncomfortable having her feet handled. Oh, except where she was surrounded by children and being petted by multiple people at once. Is that what you call "cowering"? Maybe your definition is different from mine? What I saw is a submissive dog who was a bit confused by the handling, unsure if she should show submission (roll over) or not. Therapy dogs are being tested for temperament. We want to know if they are reasonably socialized, how they behave in an unusual situation, if they recover from a startle, if they have basic obedience skills, etc. I probably would have had Eggnog practice a bit more, mainly for the walking on leash portion, and return for another test, but I don't think it was a mistake to pass her, either.
Please remember to link me to your uploaded video so I don't miss out on the perfect test instruction. I eagerly look forward to it.
@@MsDarby64 the dog was poorly trained and shouldn't have passed its that simple. If eggnog is your standard they are really low. To answer why I don't have examples of my own. I train Service dogs and the client with the therapy dog is the first one in my program.
this was very helpful! Been training my oldest adoption to become a therapy dog; she just doesn't like Lye done, prefers sit
We technically failed the down portion of the test (as the comments love to point out :P) so don't worry about being perfect as long as you can do 90% of the things in the test! Good luck!
@@TheStumpyBrigade Well you know love people love to complain! but definitely found this so helpful!
I'm trying to remember a video I saw of dogs being trained to stay chill around wheelchairs. Dog was so excited he yanked the trainer right out of the chair, lol.
found it ua-cam.com/video/1cPKrVKI924/v-deo.html
Yes, he would definitely make a bad service dog and a bad therapy dog 😂
Great vid I luv it
That corgi is so sweet 🥰
This owner should not have been passed. It’s not the dogs fault he was poorly trained. The dog and the owner both pulled each other during walking and my class no one was allowed to use chokers. And we NEVER pull on the dog for a down! It will stress the pet. They all need more training starting with the trainer
Our therapy organization and our trainer feels that the temperament of the dog is the most important part of a good therapy dog team. Many dogs can be very obedient but can't handle greeting people. Despite not being perfectly trained during this impromptu test over a year ago, we hope to show other owners that they don't need to be perfect to consider becoming a therapy dog team. At the time, we had not planned to test but our trainer and therapy dog organization encouraged us to try anyway. We did pass the test despite not being perfect. We constantly try to improve our training methods, and our obedience skills. Hope that helps!
Why are you vexing criticizing this man? He was only working o. What he was taught to do with his dog. He’s at a training facility so he and his dog can work together. But somehow you think the dog and his owner can’t do anything right. While you have some good points you shouldn’t completely put this guy and his dog down.
Adorable. My newest husky is a five month old ( almost six ) puppy. He is extremely well trained, he never had any nipping issues ( mouthing- playing with his teeth ) or chewing on random objects- he always grabbed his toys from day one. He isn’t submissive to the point where eggnog rolled over but more so, he doesn’t notice people all too much, when someone walks by in public he has a terrible problem of jumping up on them which we are getting under control now with socialization and training classes. But basically he just really isn’t huge into strangers- he LOVES people and attention but doesn’t get super hyped up like eggnog or other dogs, my sister had a sleepover with ten kids and he literally just ignored them, but if they came up to him he quietly laid there and let them pet him, which is why I think he would do amazing letting a child do whatever with him. He barks every so often in public if there’s another dog or he is being kept from something exciting/ someone but we are also working on that, of course he’s a husky so it’s his first response but we are confident he will learn. He is also now in doggy day care for socialization with other dogs, our older husky who’s a little brat sometimes haha taught him to play way too rough ( he will be gone in August :(( he was an amazing foster. ) so I was afraid he’d tackle the other dogs and bite their necks etc but everytime I checked the puppy cams wow he never once jumped or got over excited! I really think he has amazing potential once his public stranger manners are fully corrected haha. 🥰
He sounds like he has potential! If it is something that you want to try you can look for a recognized organization here:
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/
Keep working on training! We love doing therapy work and it's a growing activity!
The corgi DID NOT want to be hugged... I discourage anyone hugging my therapy dog. I don't think many dogs want to be hugged by strangers...
That is why they like to check! Then the handler can be aware and prevent children from hugging and holding the dog. It is important to be tolerable of hugging even if its not the dog's favorite thing ever!
My dog would be ok if she was stolen by someone but I would be depressed 😢
Two years ago but it holds! Hopefully I'll be able to help mu husky puppy
❤ Good Eggnog
😘😘
Eggnog?!? What a sweet name for an adorable Corgi!
We generally call him Noggy! ❤️
I plan on becoming a service dog trainer after graduating college. I unknowingly foreshadowed the experience on how good I am at bringing one to a public event when I surprised some cast members of "Invader Zim" with my own Yorkie. She was wearing her GIR hoodie I made as a bigger surprise to them.😇 Jhonen Vasquez was especially lit up when he saw her and asked me nicely if he could hold her. He was smiling non stop when she licked his face.🥰
Good luck! That was a pawsome story! Thanks fur sharing!
My dog does down when she knows we are staying put for awhile she can tell she need work on her stay for when the long line command and leave it could use a little more
Remember the most important part is how she interacts with other new people! The obedience commands are important too but your dog should enjoy the work just as much if not more than you do! Good luck! We encourage anyone that is interested in therapy work to try and get involved!
@@TheStumpyBrigade yep we got permission to take her in public to test her and she was iffy at first but quickly resumed walking on next to my left leg like she was trained at first she wanted to interact with everyone but she is meant to be a service dog to me and she was really good we were able to sit in stores with her unfortunately till covid 19 cools off we can't do a restaurant test
I love this video; its a great overview of what's required/expected.
We have a sweet Yorkie that I'm thinking about training. I think she'll do great except the gentle walk (she likes to pull) and she gets so excited when she sees others dogs b/c she wants to play.
How do I find a place to test her when she's ready? I know it depends on the dog, but what's the average amount of time spent on training? thanks!
Remember that this is for therapy dogs which are meant to help other people (service dogs are different and people confuse them all the time). We did a class with the dogs we certified that took a few weeks but it depends on the dog and how good they are at basic obedience. You also don’t need to be perfect to be a good therapy dog team but some skills are more important than others.
This is the official list for the US of certified organizations.
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/therapy-dog-organizations/
@@TheStumpyBrigade thank you so much!
The dog shouldn't have even been pulled at all, I'm glad I have a parrot as my ESA instead of a dog trained by an unprofessional trainer that would pull them aggressively to get them to lay down for a stupid test.
An ESA is not a therapy dog is not a service dog. Those are three different jobs and we are not trainers. Eggnog is our pet and this is not considered aggressive dog training. It is how you teach short legged dogs to go down at all. Please make sure you know what your dog is trained for and allowed to do. Therapy dogs are not allowed in public places unless invited. They do not get special treatment while service dogs will. ESAs only get the privilege of remaining in the home regardless of renting or leasing policies.
My dogs got them all bassically down she does mess up sometimes tho and that’s okay bc she’s a dog and I can’t always expect perfect behaviour from her but I am working on them with her
If you want to try to certify then you should be able to! Our organization runs on a point scale and you get multiple attempts to demonstrate commands. You don’t need a perfect score to qualify!
Hello! I'm in search of some guidance with my Golden Pyrenees, Macy. We got her a little while ago and realized she'd be absolutely perfect as a Therapy Dog. I am not a certified trainer but I've trained many of my previous dogs. So, I was wondering if I could owner train her and get her tested or if it were mandatory that I hire trainers? I live in Texas if that makes any difference in answer. Thank you!
Hmmmm. We assume you are actually asking about therapy dogs and not Service Animals in which case, yes you can train therapy animals yourself. Our entire organization operates with volunteers and many (including us) are not professional dog trainers. All you need to do is find a local organization that operates in your area. You can find a list of organizations on the AKC website
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/therapy-dog-organizations/
You will likely need to pass a test (which should be very similar to what we cover in this video). As far as we know there is no nationwide mandated test, but we would not recommend trying to operate as an independent therapy animal team because then you will have to negotiate visit opportunities and many other things entirely on your own. Definitely try and find an organization that operates near you in Texas. Good luck!
Hi! I did everything with my dog juste wondering if I have to get papers for it?
To be a therapy dog as shown here means your dog’s job will be to help other people in public settings. Usually that means you need to be affiliated with a therapy animal organization that will test and evaluate your dog and you as the handler. If you are trying to train your dog as a service animal to help you, these skills are really only the foundation and your dog will also need to learn specific skills that help you in your daily life whether that is alerting to a potential anxiety attack, helping to guide you, or any number of other skills. A service dog does not necessarily need paperwork, but a therapy dog will have records on file with their supporting organization usually.
I have a really intelligent, and sweet dog that is super nice to anybody (which makes him a really bad guard dog lol) and I’ve been wanted to maybe get him a certified therapy dog for kids in hospitals and maybe kids in schools ( Such as ACTs and STAAR tests )
This video was shot during our therapy dog test, so everything you see is what most organizations will look for when certifying a therapy dog. All you have to do is find a local therapy dog group, practice the skills you need, and certify your dog by passing your local test!
The Stumpy Brigade Ok thanks!
So my dog is very well mannered and chill and knows quite a few commands and I’m thinking about getting him certified as a therapy dog so he can bring joy to people in hospitals but he’s slightly disabled in his paws and he can’t walk a ton I got him like that he’s still very happy and he can walk just not long distances but to be certified as a therapy dog does he need to be able to walk a lot or would I be able to get him certified even though he needs to be carried a lot?
His ability to walk shouldn’t really make a difference as long as you can carry and lift him as needed. Visits are usually an hour long so keep that in mind. We often lift Eggnog (shown in the video) when we go to nursing homes and other places so that he can better greet people with limited mobility. We have also seen cats and rabbits be great therapy animals and they are not expected to walk around. Good luck! We love therapy work!
The only thing is The dog pulling and pulling the dog to lay down. Even if it doesn’t need to be “perfect” (I have trained Therapy dogs in the past) I make SURE that dog doesn’t pull unless not “working”
We had not planned on testing when this was filmed because we knew he had these issues. However we were encouraged to try anyway because you don't need a perfect score to pass the test and the evaluators liked how Eggnog interacted with people. Training is a constant process and it's important to remember that the most important part of a therapy dog team is the interactions with other people.
What’s the difference between a service dog, ESA, and therapy dog? I’m looking for different animal therapy options and was wondering what the difference is! Thank you!
There are a few major differences. We will start with the dogs shown in this video. This training is for therapy dogs and their job is to help people in general to feel better just by being around. They are generally required to be friendly with people and animals and to have relatively good basic obedience standards. They are allowed in public places ONLY when invited. ESAs are to help the owner specifically. They do not require special training. HOWEVER, their only special access is that they are always allowed to live with their owners even in pet controlled apartments or other living spaces. They do not have special privileges outside of the home. It is still a good idea to practice obedience with them since they are supposed to be reducing stress not causing it. Service animals are trained to do specific tasks for a specific person based on that person’s needs. This includes seeing eye dogs, diabetic alert dogs, PTSD alert dogs, mobility assistance dogs, and many others. They require intensive obedience training and specific skill training. They can also be very expensive (upwards of $10k) but can be trained by the owner for “free”. Keep in mind that in training a service dog you should be holding the dog to very high standards and they should be trained to assist for a specific medical issue. Service animals do get full access to public spaces with their handler/owner. HOWEVER, they are also expected to behave perfectly without attacking other people or animals, using the bathroom in public places, or otherwise not listening to their handler’s needs. Not every dog can be a service dog or a therapy dog. They require certain temperament and obedience levels to do their jobs correctly. Hope that helps!
Good video. :-)
Excuse me but that dog looks exactly like my dog caramel that I put to sleep over 4 years ago. God I miss her!
Sorry for your loss 💔
I think my Great Pyrenees (age 15 month) can ace most of that. Been working with Barney since got him at age 3 months.
The obedience aspects are definitely important but the most important part is how he interacts with other people since his job (as a therapy dog) will be to interact with and cheer up people that need him. He should be interested/excited but not too bouncy or aggressively seeking attention so that for example he doesn’t knock over someone in a wheel chair or pounce on a small child trying to say hello. Not everyone is always excited (at first) to meet a therapy dog so it’s important they are friendly but still controlled/calm. Hope that helps to clarify! He’s certainly old enough now and you have definitely had plenty of time to work on his training (per any requirements we know of for our own testing experience). ***and good luck if you decide to become a therapy dog team! ❤️
Also, my son just rescued a almost a year old leopard catahoula/pit mix and gave me. He is so sweet, almost like the coyote mix I had for 15 years. Will this new little guy make a good support dog for me ? He already has separate anxiety if I leave him with my parents to go to the store. Does this mean he will be willing to be trained for me ?
Therapy dogs (shown in the video), emotional support dogs, and service dogs are three different dog jobs! Therapy dogs are meant to help other people in public settings like reading with children, visiting people in hospitals, or visiting nursing homes. They need basic obedience training and temperament evaluation. Service dogs are trained to help a specific person and need to have stricter obedience standards, full focus on their owner, and more specialized training to physically assist their owner/handler or identify signs that something may be wrong with their owner or handler. An emotional support dog doesn’t need any special training but they are also only “protected” from being separated from their owner or having their owner evicted from a living space because the animal’s presence helps the owner. It is still a good idea to practice basic obedience with emotional support animals but they should not be brought to public spaces without more specialized training. If your dog is anxious, he can certainly help you feel better but he probably isn’t a good candidate to be a service animal. He can also possibly be a therapy dog but that job is not meant to help you specifically. Hope that helps!
Is it ok if you’re tharpy dog will like KISS a stranger it is not like just a boop it is like SHE KISS’S FOR 2 MINUTES or do we need as to work on that. ( sorry for my English I am not from American)
It depends on the person you are visiting. Some people won’t mind. Some people will. It’s probably a good idea to be able to redirect kisses if you need to because not everyone likes getting them for 2 minutes straight 😂
Bruh really yeeted his leash to get him to lay down... have some respec bruh
good
Is there specific way the dog needs to lay? I've been training my dog since he was a puppy. When I tell him the command to lay down. he lays on his side. Is that okay even though he follows the command?
that is a good question. We assume so but it's up to the test giver. Personally we would probably laugh and give him full credit if he laid down like that on command!
I have a mix her name is kona and she is 9 months old she’s a French bulldog mix is that still okay for emotional support dog? She’s really sweet and calm but can get playful when you want her to I’m finding lists of commands a emotional support dog should know and I’m training her by myself she is doing pretty good but I didn’t know if mixed breeds especially a small one would be good for a emotional support animal that helps with depression and emotional attacks
Therapy dogs are not emotional support animals but they do similar jobs. Any dog that is calm, knows basic obedience, and likes to comfort people can be either a therapy dog or an emotional support animal. The important difference is that Therapy dogs (shown in the video) work to help anyone that needs them when invited to a location. Emotional Support dogs only help their owner and only in their own home. They have certain living space protections but that’s the only “special treatment” they get. Service dogs are also different but typical only work for people with debilitating medical or emotional issues. This is because the correct training is very expensive. You can not get a certificate online that proves any certifications for any of these three jobs. Your dog should be fine if he works for you in your home. Hope that helps! If you have more questions message us on Instagram. It is easier to respond there.
The Stumpy Brigade what would my dog be if i trainer her to help out with my moms job she has a high stressful job and has kids in her office and I was thinking having dogs in the office would help would she have to be a therapy dog?
Yes she would have to be a therapy dog in that case. However, since that is a private workplace, the workplace would also have to approve it. Therapy dogs are invited to locations to work and are then expected to behave in a certain way hence the test certification required. Hope that helps clarify! Again we are more than happy to answer questions on Instagram of more specifics since we don’t always see all the comments here. Our handle is the same on all platforms.
Sit works as stay it’s a static command , down also can be static however I find stay used in conjunction with sit creates a misunderstanding that’s why the dog broke the static command , work on just using stay or just using sit, however neither one In My opinion should be used together .
Does anyone know what kind of dog the black dog is?? He’s beautiful
If we remember correctly, she is a Leonberger, a German dog that is somewhat rare and often overshadowed by German Shepherds.
i hope this will help my dog
If you want to become CGC certified or become a therapy dog team then these are the skills you need to train and practice!
My corgi can do all these thing except when large dogs get too close to their face or snifs his butt. I think I need to work with some friends to get him more comfortable.
If you want to be a therapy dog team he will likely have to work with other dogs so definitely try and see if you can work with him to at least be calm. We often worked in tight spaces where the dogs would need to be closer together so it is important to not have him get too upset 🤞
@@TheStumpyBrigade Thank you for the tips!
I have a small dog a jack Russell Corgi mix and she is a Emotional Support Animal and try to get be my service dog for my needs were special needs adult but wish had help but can't afford to get anyone to help her and yet i been training her. God bless
These are the basic skills that she will need but to be considered a service dog she will definitely need to master and perfect them. You also need to try and teach her some skills that help your special needs specifically but you can definitely do it yourself. It just takes a lot of work, patience, and a very special dog. Good luck!
@@TheStumpyBrigade thank you. Will do my best and she did do some things well. God bless you
Hi, i have a 1 and a half year old pup and i was wondering, because somone told me this. Does your dog have to listen to you and you only to be a therapy dog?? Please answer soon thanks this video was very helpful and egg nog sure looked happy
We think your friend may be confused about what a therapy dog is. Therapy dogs are not Service Dogs. Both my wife and I are certified with both of our therapy dogs. They will listen to other people when given commands (usually) but they are basically volunteers just like we are. Service animals are required to be much more obedient to only their handler because their response could make the difference between life and death for the handler in many cases. Hope that helps! We would be happy to answer any other questions on Instagram.
Okay so my dog is really well behaved but will pull hard on my leash when she sees another dog or when a person tries to pet her(but she won’t specially pull hard when she sees a person but gets excited if they pet her). Her pulling hard when seeing a dog/animal is my only struggle with her. How can I teach her to stop this?
Leash corrections are the best way to begin deterring this behavior. I don’t really remember if I do that at all in this video. You can also enforce a sit and stay to help teach a more calm approach and reduce lunging. We cover a lot of the drills you can do for leash walking here:
ua-cam.com/video/SeJl4u-CT2U/v-deo.html
My dog is a nightmare…. Barks at strangers and dogs how can I train her to be a support dog? She helps me so much
Emotional Support, therapy dog, and service dogs are all three different jobs even though they all sound the same. Emotional support dogs require no training just a doctors note but it only lets you keep them in your home without being evicted. Therapy dogs (like shown in this video) are meant to help other people like reading with children etc. Service dogs are trained for specific tasks to help their owners in their daily lives like seeing eye dogs for example. They can’t bark at people or dogs while in public and should be focused on their owner’s needs. To actually train a service dog would require more info than can be written in a comment. This video would be a good starting point of the basic skills you would need to be perfect at in order to successfully train a service dog and be able to take your dog out everywhere with you.
How early should we train them?
You can start training basic obedience early! It’s often easier to train puppies when they are still eager to please and ready to learn!
How to start off the training? What age should they be?
You can start training as soon as your dog starts recognizing their name. Our organization lets your get certified after having the dog for six months. Otherwise its never really too early to start obedience training!
I was thinking of having my dog be a therapy dog. He’s a 1 year old Labrador and checks off everything on this list except staying calm around other dogs. He always wants to play 😭 something I have to keep working on I guess.
Just have to teach him the difference between work time and play time. Using a vest for therapy dog time might help!
@@TheStumpyBrigade that’s such a good idea. I was surely leaning towards just having him play with more dogs but of course that would make it worse. It’ll just reinforce playing every time he sees a dog. Not my brightest moment 🤦🏾♀️ I’ll definitely get a vest. I’m sure he’ll pick up on the difference in attire just like when he sees his collar and leash. Thanks!
That works for us!
“Dog must walk loose leash” dog is on a choke/martingale and constant tension…positive punishment training right there. I personally have corgis as well so the BS dogs with short legs don’t respond drives me nuts…been training for over 8 years and the excuses still baffle me.
During testing treats are not allowed and for therapy dogs they have to wear the same style collar they test in. All training is important and needs to be done constantly to reinforce the behavior that you want to promote. In this case, like we have mentioned many times before, we were not planning on testing when we filmed this, but our trainers and testers encouraged us to try anyway. We hope people see that they don’t need to be perfect dog trainers to work with and train therapy dogs and encourage more people to get involved.
I have puppies that are 5 weeks old. I am planning on keeping one. Any ideas on what I should focus on first for training and at what age should I start trying to train?
Do you mean for therapy dog work or to act as a service animal?
@@TheStumpyBrigadeto be a therapy dog. Are service dogs used for people with PTSD that isn't war related?
@@radientlight9210 A therapy dog's job is to make other people (not the handler) happy and to help them just by being present in an environment. A service dog is specially trained to assist their handler with a specific task or tasks. The basic obedience skills shown here are a good foundation for any dog to have, but a service animal that goes into public spaces must be held to a much higher standard of obedience than most dogs. They should also be able to help their owner with specific tasks like acting as a seeing eye dog, recognizing a potential anxiety attack and helping their owner prepare or leave an environment, or alerting to low blood sugar as a diabetic alert dog among many other different things. Hope that helps! The skills shown in this video can be a great foundation for a service dog, but they would also need much more extensive training that we are not qualified to provide or comment on.
I have a 4 month German Sheperd he knows sit, down, stay, but I have a problem he jumps on people excitement but still looking for training him for therapy dog
You can teach him not to jump but you may need some correction techniques as opposed to all positive training tactics that work well for basics and trick training. You can try keeping a leash on him so you can grab it and give him a few quick pulls (pops) on the leash to deter jumping. You don't need to drag him or anything like that. (We have a leash training video that should show you what we mean if you can't find a trainer to ask.) You can also just try ignoring him but that takes time (and he will also get pretty big if he isn't already). Some people also use spray bottles of water for things like this. If you are consistent and don't allow jumping on anyone he should learn not to jump.
ua-cam.com/video/vzUiQIQQLzI/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/fza5zfV4WHo/v-deo.html
Some of these techniques might work. Maybe if you have some family members or friends to have them come over to practice... Like ALOT. :) hope this helps.
Any tips? Or how to train a therapy dog? I'm getting a puppy tomorrow. He was to be intended to be my little therapy pupper. But I don't know that much about training him. I have depression and PTSD, I haven't got him yet. So I don't know his personality and behavior. He's a chow chow shih tzu mix. But I'm willing to train him 3x a day for 30-60 mins. Or maybe more.
Sounds like you actually mean to make him your service dog which is a little different than a therapy dog. Everything you see here is a good foundation to start with but in his case he needs to be pretty much perfect at it especially if you intend to bring him with you everywhere you go. He will need to learn how to stay close to you when out in public and keep himself out of the way like under your chair or table when at a restaurant or other public location. He will also need to be attached to you specifically and you will need to try and teach him to recognize when you may need assistance. Try looking up PTSD service dog training for more specifics. We are not trainers and service animals need specialized training and the proper temperament to succeed. Hope that helps and good luck!
@@TheStumpyBrigade Thank you. I thought I just needed a therapy dog to ease my depression but I didn't know people with ptsd get service dogs! There are only a few cue's that riles up my ptsd. So I don't know what training I should do... Btw, I got him today! He's an absolute angel. So quiet and behaved. He doesn't know any tricks yet so I'm gonna start training him the basics. Thanks for responding!
good luck channel registration🙇🙇🙇👍👍👍
I want to get my Basset qualified for a Therapy dog. Can you help lead me in the right direction to do this?
You need to find a recognized therapy animal organization in your area. If you are in the US we recommend using
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/
They have a list of qualified organizations all over the country. You can also start training the skills shown in this video. You don’t necessarily need to be perfect (depending on the sponsoring organization) but you need to be able to successfully complete approximately 90% of the skills shown. Hope that helps!
Can we speak to our dog and reinforce the commands during the test? Or do I need to remain silent?
You can speak but no treats are allowed. Some commands do require repeating them in order to perform them “correctly” like stay while you walk away for example.
Edit* you can also do leash corrections on some skills to keep your dog focused if we remember correctly
my dog needs to take Canine the Good Citizen Test to be a hearing alert service dog I also would like to train her to be a Therapy Dog, and emotional support dog too. Do I have to take the test three times for each one? I have never taken her to obedience training I went with other dogs in the past do I need to do that. I have been working with here my self.
The CGC test and therapy tests are a little different although they cover the same skills they are not graded the same so you would have to qualify on both tests separately. You can also qualify as a therapy dog and after completing around 10 therapy visits you can apply for the CGC certification. Emotional support dogs do not require any special training but also do not get any special access to public areas. You do not need special obedience training as long as you can train the skills we show in this video. In general a service animal would not also be a therapy dog because the jobs require a different mentality that is hard for a dog to separate. If you want your dog to help you with a specific task to aid in your daily life we would recommend focusing on that as a service animal.
@@TheStumpyBrigade My dog I think she would surprise you, and most people. I now she can do both be a Hearing alert dog and a therapy dog. I have seen a dog do two different thinks before in a video, and I real life on youtube.
@@lyons1973 It is just a suggestion! We are not professional trainers and we feel it will be difficult but not impossible to separate the two jobs, especially if you are always going to be her handler. Remember a service animal is supposed to be focused on you and your needs and a therapy dog is supposed to be focused on the people around them. We wish you the best of luck!
is there a age cut off for therapy animals? i have a 10 year old and 9 year old pair of dogs who are not slowing down that i would love to turn into therapy dogs
There’s no age restriction! Any dog that is friendly with people and other animals, isn’t too energetic, and can learn some basic obedience skills can be a therapy dog! ❤️
Question: a guy randomly started barking at my dog. It was funny at first, but then she became skittish, and obviously afraid (even her responding barks were shrill) but the guy didn’t back off for a few more seconds. She was hesitant to people after that (not for long, just the rest of the day). How would a therapy dog be expected to handle this situation?
Therapy dogs do get crowd tested with a bunch of people approaching them talking, sometimes doing other things to make noise and they are expected to approach calmly and greet the group. Not sure how any dog might respond to some guy trying to be “alpha” or something that is not part of any test we know of. Sorry you and your dog had to deal with a person like that 😂
@@TheStumpyBrigade thanks for the response! I’m sorry too; people can be jerks sometimes
It’s OK to remove your dog from a weird situation where you feel the dog is stressed. This is the information I received in the training from the organization I am registered with. Organization recognizes that a dog is an animal with emotions and is capable of feeling stressed and “you are your animals best advocate.” Just because it is a therapy animal doesn’t mean it has to put up with stressful situation.
So just seeking advice.... I have a somewhat disabled spouse and we have the sweetest most friendly dog. It's a small mini lab/schnauzer. Only thing is she's still young 1yr very energetic on a leash because she likes to fly lol. But same time extremely submissive and loves getting pets from younger kids and naturally friendly and gentle with younger kids. I was thinking of working on getting her certified so we could visit childrens hospitals my so has nf1 and is also great with relating to kids with disabilities. Just wondering if anyone has advice on maybe doing some therapy work with animals?
The primary requirement for therapy dogs is being friendly to people and other dogs (since you could be working with other teams but dog friendly is more flexible). After that you only need to basics shown in this video to qualify. Your dog should have all these skills at around 80% perfect. Then you need to find a local therapy dog organization.
This is a good list of most of the ones in the US
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/therapy-dog-organizations/
I’m interested in getting my dog Sophie certified as a therapy dog. Is this the type of test she’d need to pass in California? She would pass all of these tests (except laying down) today!
It should be very similar (and you don’t need to be perfect ours was a point system and we obviously failed down during this test). It may vary a little by therapy organization but it should be the same basic test as the Canine Good Citizen Test but scored differently.
Does it matter if they are trained to the word wait or stay because my dog is trained to wait ❤️
Command words don’t matter as long as they use the skill. You can train in other languages, use made up words, or whatever you want as long as they can do the command required.
The Stumpy Brigade oh ok thanks ❤️
Is there a difference between a service dog and a therapy dog because I want to know
Yes! A big difference actually! Therapy dogs, like in this video, are trained with basic obedience in mind, but are more importantly calm and friendly with people and other animals. Their job is to provide comfort and support for people at the locations that they are invited to go to. Other than that they are normal dogs (ours are our personal pets when they are not volunteering as therapy dogs). They do not have any special privileges beyond that. Service Dogs are trained specifically to assist one person with a specific disability like a Seeing Eye Dog or a Diabetic Alert Dog. They need basic obedience skills as well and must be taught to act and respond calmly to their handler's daily life needs. They are permitted anywhere that the handler goes and the handler cannot be denied housing because of their dog. A true service dog will stick to their handler's side at all times and will act almost as if they are not there at all unless the handler needs assistance. That is the major difference between them. You can self train both types of dogs, but it is much more difficult to train your own service dog properly. Hope that helps! Feel free to message us on Instagram if you have any more questions! We can be much more responsive on there!
How can I train my golden retriever to become a therapy dog ? Does anyone has a playlist or a course (not important if it costs ) to train my dog ? He is a month and a half golden retriever. He just arrived yesterday and I’m looking forward to educate him to be gentle and nice towards other people, specially my sister who has been diagnosed with depression since the pandemic started.
This is the actual therapy dog test for the organization we work with! So you can train all of these skills to start. You can also use treats and toys to associate people with positive feelings! Be sure to give treats with a closed hand to start and don’t give the treat until he uses his tongue to try and get it. This will help teach gentle eating habits. You can’t really teach how to interact with people but you can help reduce jumping and things like that with some leash work. You can also check here:
www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/
For a therapy organization near you that might be able to suggest training programs. Hope that helps!
@@TheStumpyBrigade Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the tips 👍
My Great Pyrenees will do all of that with ease and is a great hit with all kinds and ages of people wherever we go. All of that except be dog neutral. Her guard instincts are strong. She tolerates or loves dogs that she gets to know but views strange dogs as a threat. Understandable, since this has been bred into her kind for hundreds of years. Sigh. We are working on it. She has such potential; she is otherwise calm and huggable and is tall enough to reach wheelchair and bed occupants on her own. Kids can climb all over her without provoking a reaction. Hopefully we will be able to desensitize this dog reaction behavior to an acceptable level. I do understand the requirement.
Hold up, My dog can be a good therapy dog? Hmm i'm considering making him one now
If he can pass this test he can! Just keep in mind therapy dog is not service dog. Therapy dogs are meant to help other people 🤗
My chihuahua is a little hyper and jumpy but is still obedient and sweet, can he still be a therapy dog?
It is possible, but you need to get him to understand that he can't just jump up on people. Eggnog (in the video) is much more energetic than our other therapy corgi (Toffee who you can see in some of our other videos). To some extent, being excited and happy to see people is a good trait, but he can't be bouncing into people or accidentally hurting people. Many dogs can be therapy dogs but how they do approach greetings and interactions is just as important as obedience. We would recommend reaching out to a local therapy organization if you are interested and asking to get their evaluation! Hope that helps!
The Stumpy Brigade thanks, it helps a lot. My dog just hops around, he never bumps into people but is really hyper and over-exited.he tends to lick a lot which I’m not sure if it’s a problem but I’m trying to get him to stop (with yelling or being cruel of course) thanks for the advice!
Just to address licking is not usually a problem (but some people don't always like it so its good to be proactive as you go.) Good luck!
The Stumpy Brigade thanks! (Stumpy brigade oh my hearts that’s adorable)
Very cute
Thank you very much
😊😊😊
Is that a corgi?
Yes Eggnog is one of our Corgis!
Can I apply for a trained therapy dog?
You can definitely apply for a service dog depending on the disability you are personally dealing with. Service animals like seeing eye dogs, diabetic alert dogs, and other dogs like that are specifically trained to help people with specific jobs. Many organizations do help to provide service animals for those in financial need. Therapy dogs as shown in this video are not meant for jobs like these or are at least not fully trained to be capable of jobs like these. The handler of a Therapy dog team is also an important part of the team, so you cannot really “apply” for a trained therapy dog because the handler must also learn how to interact with people during visits and is an important part of the team. Hope that helps distinguish the difference between service animals and therapy animals!
I have a 1 year old Golden Retriever pup and I want him to be a therapy dog.Is there a limit of age for a therapy dog to start training?
I was going to ask the same thing!
There is no age limit to start training. All five of our dogs are rescues and we got them at over 1 year old. The important thing to remember is temperament. If your golden is calm and relaxed around people, dogs, and other animals of all shapes and sizes then he is a good candidate! It is also a good idea to see how your dog interacts with new people because you want him to enjoy the work (one of our dogs loves people but she is very skittish so she would not be the best candidate). Then all you need are some basic obedience skills and a good therapy animal organization to test and work with! Good luck and hope our video helped show you what you would need!
@@TheStumpyBrigade It sure did!😁Thank you for the quick reply!
@@TheStumpyBrigade does it need to be a registered breed? Specifically pedigreed I mean, or not? Tysm!
There is no requirement like that for therapy dogs. If you want to get AKC titles you will need to register your dog with them and that process will be influenced slightly by breed, but it will not prohibit you in any way. We know both mixes and purebreeds alike that are all wonderful therapy dogs!
Do you have any recommendations for online therapy dog courses so I can learn to train my pup? Thanks!
The only things you need to "teach" are basic obedience commands. It would also be good to expose your dog to some of the health equipment shown in our video. Any trainer should be able to demonstrate the basics. We also have other videos detailing training techniques.
i don't know online but petsmarts do have a therapy dog program
@@hollykeenan4011 Petsmart does offer training (but no offense we have seen it and we would not recommend it). If that is your only option though just remember to repeat commands once and make things happen. Dogs learn to associate sounds with actions, so if you start repeating your dog may think that "sit sit sit sit sit sit sit" is the command. You really don't need special training as long as you can teach basics like sit, down, stay, leash walking and leave it. Hope that helps!
Some things that I’ve noticed people taking advantage of the registration. Getting dogs registered as therapy dogs that are aggressive and threatening to both people and other animals. They’re doing it just so they can live anywhere and take their dog along. It’s giving truly good dogs a bad name
What people also don’t understand is that therapy dogs are not protected under the same laws as Service Animals. Therapy dogs are not allowed special privileges in public and are only allowed on visits when invited (even though they have gotten a small amount of extra training to be better dog citizens). Unfortunately it is difficult and often unfair to challenge anyone who does have a service animal under the same laws.
he just looks so scared when the lady is touching him
Trust us he is not scared of new people! He loves meeting people of all ages!
My very submissive dog looks like that when she meets someone new, but she is not scared, just a little cautious before she warms up to a stranger. She loves everyone!!
I am getting my beagle registered for a companion dog
While we highly recommend completing the same level of training shown in this video it is not required for him to become an emotional support dog (which is what you are probably referring to). Please keep in mind that being an emotional support dog does not give him special access to public areas. That access is only given to properly trained service animals that are helping their owners with a specific task like seeing eye dogs, diabetic alert dogs, or others. Make sure to invest time in proper training to make your own time with your dog less stressful and more enjoyable!
why would the guy pull the Eggnog's collar like that? uh no a simple treat while leading away from the body and tapping the floor would work.
During the test you can’t use treats of any kind!
is therapy only for at hostipital
No! You can go to hospitals, but we mostly go to Libraries to read with children. You can also go to nursing homes, some airports especially during holiday seasons, halfway houses, veterans support centers, and basically anywhere where a) people are stressed, sad or in need of support b) invited into the facility. Our organization provides lists of places you can go on visits at that have requested a therapy animal during a certain day and time. Here is a list of AKC recognized Therapy animal organizations: www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/therapy-dog-program/therapy-dog-organizations/
thank you
You're welcome!
Sometimes schools too
We have 2 therapy dogs at my school
The pulling the leash for down is not a good strategy, from my experience.
It did kind of bother me, but with dogs as short as that it's a lot harder train by placing the treat low enough that they have to go down. I'd prefer if they placed Mr. Nog on an elevated surface to achieve it, but I can tell they love him and it's not visibly hurting him, so I'm not too worried about it.
Shouldn't laying down on command be in a therapy dogs basic skill set? Pulling to lay down should lead to an automatic fail, no?
In our experience it is 1) not as important as sit, stay, leave it, and even trick training (little kids love being able to do tricks with a dog) and 2) More or less difficult and important depending on the breed of dog. For a corgi (or other small dog) they will usually settle down on their own as soon as they start interacting with people, but for a bigger dog like a Great Dane it would be much more important. That being said we do not think it should ever be the one factor that would fail a team. If we had to choose definite failure criteria we would choose innate personality responses like how they approach people, how they handle being touched (accidental eye pokes are very common) and other things like that. We realize we are not perfect trainers but we also don't think a therapy dog needs to be perfectly obedient to be successful.
Don't understand how eggnog passed. He didn't complete the tasks. More training all round needed!
We like to try and let people know that unlike service animals, therapy animals don’t need to be perfect all the time. The more important aspect of a therapy team is bringing comfort to people. While the obedience aspect is still important, many people lose focus on what the job is supposed to be about. We hope that more people that might be afraid their dog is not “perfect” may be willing to get involved if they see a real test where mistakes can be made without completely failing. We hope people will be encouraged to try! You don’t need to be a professional dog trainer to be a good therapy dog team!
His name is eggnog guys 🥰🥰🥰
We have a bit of a theme going 😉
My dog is so blind( not actually blind ) that she wouldn’t even see a pill also she would be afraid of a walker
It takes a special dog to be a therapy dog!