Could Your Dog Be a Therapy Dog? 

Brought to you by the AKC GoodDog! Helpline – the AKC’s 7-day-a-week training support service
By Elizabeth Sandling, professional dog trainer and member of the AKC GoodDog! Helpline team 

What is a Therapy Dog?

Since the 1980’s, there have been significant advances in the field of animal assisted therapy — and the use of friendly, affectionate therapy dogs can help improve human skills like socialization, communication and reading. Around the country, there are organized therapy dog groups that screen both volunteers and their dogs to help humans in need. Once screened and approved, these groups provide liability insurance for when the dog and handler are volunteering in a therapy setting.

The Right Stuff

A therapy dog should be even-tempered and should enjoy being pet and greeted by people. The dog should be able to calmly accept unusual and new circumstances, as well as different sights, sounds and places as they provide comfort, support and friendship to people in retirement homes, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and rehab facilities. Therapy dogs are also helpful in stressful situations, such as disaster scenes.

There is a great demand for therapy dogs. Maybe this is a rewarding way for you and your dog to volunteer and give back to your community?

Getting Started

To become a therapy dog, your pet must be at least one year of age. It is important that the dog responds to basic obedience cues and has the temperament to succeed while visiting therapeutic environments. Basic obedience cues include sit, down, heel on a loose leash, leave it, and stay. A great place to start this training is to take your dog to an AKC Canine Good Citizen class, a prerequisite to therapy dog training and certification.

A Therapy Dog is Not a Service Dog 

Therapy dogs do not have federally granted legal access to public transportation, airplane cabins, or public buildings as is afforded service dogs. Service dogs require extensive training to perform tasks to assist people who have a disability. Because of the nature of their work, service dogs are allowed into buildings where other dogs may not enter – including therapy dogs

For more tips and advice on training your dog, join the AKC GoodDog! Helpline, a seven-day-a-week telephone support service staffed by experienced dog trainers: www.akcgooddoghelpline.org.