Service Dog

[~*Regina*~]

I was at the Hospital yesterday visiting my Dad (thankfully he is being discharged today) but there was a therapy dog there visiting different patients. They went in the room next to my Dad's and you could hear how happy the person was to be able to see and pet the dog. I would love to see if Willow could be one of these dogs and what it would take for her to be a therapy dog. Has anyone had a therapy dog before or do you know of where I can look to get more info? I love helping people in need and since I do not have a lot of $$ I think this would be the perfect way!

Thank you!

 

EDIT: I couldn't edit my topic name but I believe there called Therapy dogs.

[G. Festerling]

Do those guys fall under service or therapy dog?

Not sure but want to say check out Delta Society. Seems to me that I have heard them mentioned a lot around here.

I think it is awesome!

[Sue R]

There are several organizations that provide Therapy Dog (not Service Dog) training/certification. I had two that were trained and certified with Therapy Dogs International (a local person does the training and certification).

 

They have a website where you can find information here.

 

It did cost me the fee for the class (I took it through the local kennel club) but nothing other than that. You will need a bag to take on visits, with paper towels and a clean-up solution (just in case), toys, treats, and any kerchiefs/costumes/seasonal gear you may want.

 

The dogs are amazing in their interaction with those in hospital, rehab, or nursing homes. It is very rewarding.

 

Most places I am aware of have a certain time each month for visits - off-schedule visits may sometimes be arranged but you would need to check with any facility you wish to visit, once you have finished training and passed your "test".

 

Very best wishes!

[~*Regina*~]

Yup, you are both right, it is a therapy dog, my bad

 

Thank you for the web sight and link, I will take a look at them when I get home from work.

[Maralynn]

I had my first dog trained/certified through a local group. I did a read to the dog program with her one summer at a library.

 

The training consisted of good basic manners, getting used to a variety of hospital equipment, being comfortable with a variety of people, getting out and about in public for training under distraction and then some specific training with the read to the dog program. We did 8 classes then a certification test. There was a minimal cost involved for the classes(I think it was $40), then a yearly membership fee (about $25)

 

I would like to get back into it some day with Kenzi, she loves people but right now she is still a tad too excitable.

[Sue R]

A vital piece of manners your dog should know is "leave it". Especially in any hospital/rehab/hospice/nursing facility, it is very important that your dog will not advance to or contact things that may be on the floor and are not his/her own toy. This is a very good thing to teach well in advance.

[alligande]

My late old lady was a therapy dog, we did not take a course just took the test which I think cost about $20. We volunteered for the kids reading program through the local shelter. She loved every minute. Taking the test in the hospital was fun, Jester thought i had arranged a special outing. I would second the leave it as that caught me unaware but we fudged our way through and the examiner was using a very uninteresting corn muffin as bate.

TDI this is who we tested with.

I am looking forward to being able to to it again, maybe when the current residents are older

[Jim Kling]

I do therapy work with my Rodeo at a local nursing home. I first looked into some of the therapy dog organizations but was turned off by the expense and time involved with some of them. Instead I just called around and was put in touch with a volunteer coordinator who set us up.

 

I did have to provide a certificate of health from my vet for their records, but that was it.

 

I am somewhat fortunate in that Rodeo has amazingly good manners, so lack of formal training hasn't been an issue for us. A dog without his natural people skills might well benefit from one of the certification programs.

 

Good luck.

[Sue R]

I am somewhat fortunate in that Rodeo has amazingly good manners, so lack of formal training hasn't been an issue for us. A dog without his natural people skills might well benefit from one of the certification programs.

 

Good luck.

That is excellent that Rodeo is a natural for the job, but certification offers much more than just benefits to dogs without similar natural people skills. My Celt is one dog that did not have Rodeo's talents in dealing with strangers, and benefitted from the training he received, as did I.

 

The certification training program that my dogs and I took (with a TDI instructors) offered training around equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, canes, hospital beds, elevators, and all that medical equipment that makes unusual noises. It offered (to the handler) training on how to deal with different situations, medical needs/equipment/patients. And it provided insurance coverage (TDI - "All current TDI Associate Members and their dogs are covered by our Primary Volunteer Liability Insurance policy and Secondary Volunteer Accident Insurance.").

 

To the OP, please don't think that certification programs are not worthwhile or are just for those who "need" them. They provide training, on-site experience, advice, exposure, practice, and the umbrella of an organization that has connections to local facilities (many of which may require a form of certification before an animal is allowed to do general patient/client visits), and insurance.

 

While some facilities may allow non-certified animal/handler teams to visit in-house, many do not.

[ejano]

Hello - I looked into this because our Brodie is very empathetic and was a real hit at my late mother-in-law's nursing home.

 

The first step is a Canine Good Citizenship certificate. Most nursing homes and assisted living centers will accept that level.

 

If you wish to become more serious about therapy visits, you may want to join Therapy International. Training, certification and insurance (a good idea!) are available.

 

Liz

[~*Regina*~]

Thank you all so much! I think a class would benefit both Willow and myself. Willow loves people but can some times be timid to new things. I feel if she got exposed more to different things that she would be much calmer and be the perfect therapy dog .

[alligande]

That is excellent that Rodeo is a natural for the job, but certification offers much more than just benefits to dogs without similar natural people skills. My Celt is one dog that did not have Rodeo's talents in dealing with strangers, and benefitted from the training he received, as did I.

 

The certification training program that my dogs and I took (with a TDI instructors) offered training around equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, canes, hospital beds, elevators, and all that medical equipment that makes unusual noises. It offered (to the handler) training on how to deal with different situations, medical needs/equipment/patients. And it provided insurance coverage (TDI - "All current TDI Associate Members and their dogs are covered by our Primary Volunteer Liability Insurance policy and Secondary Volunteer Accident Insurance.").

 

To the OP, please don't think that certification programs are not worthwhile or are just for those who "need" them. They provide training, on-site experience, advice, exposure, practice, and the umbrella of an organization that has connections to local facilities (many of which may require a form of certification before an animal is allowed to do general patient/client visits), and insurance.

 

While some facilities may allow non-certified animal/handler teams to visit in-house, many do not.

Sue sounds like you found a great class, the classes round here are really just expanded CGC with the local training facility having a wheelchair or crutches to introduce the dogs. I would choose a class carefully and makesure you are getting your monies worth. TDI is flexible if you can pass their test you still get all the benefits insurance etc and I fully agree it is well worth while.

 

To be clear the test was easy for Jester a people loving, very stable and confident GSDx but neither of my current border collies would pass it easily. Our local shelter also organizes most of the volunteer opportunities for dogs, they require TDI for the kids reading program and visiting in hospital, and CGC for nursing homes. (they do not require you to register your CGC with the AKC they just use the test to see if you can volunteer: I asked when I was thinking about taking Brody to nursing homes as I would have done the full TDI instead)

[Jim Kling]

That is excellent that Rodeo is a natural for the job, but certification offers much more than just benefits to dogs without similar natural people skills. My Celt is one dog that did not have Rodeo's talents in dealing with strangers, and benefitted from the training he received, as did I.

 

The certification training program that my dogs and I took (with a TDI instructors) offered training around equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, canes, hospital beds, elevators, and all that medical equipment that makes unusual noises. It offered (to the handler) training on how to deal with different situations, medical needs/equipment/patients. And it provided insurance coverage (TDI - "All current TDI Associate Members and their dogs are covered by our Primary Volunteer Liability Insurance policy and Secondary Volunteer Accident Insurance.").

 

To the OP, please don't think that certification programs are not worthwhile or are just for those who "need" them. They provide training, on-site experience, advice, exposure, practice, and the umbrella of an organization that has connections to local facilities (many of which may require a form of certification before an animal is allowed to do general patient/client visits), and insurance.

 

While some facilities may allow non-certified animal/handler teams to visit in-house, many do not.

 

I'm sorry if I appeared disparaging of the programs -- didn't mean to be. I have no doubt that they're worthwhile and we will probably go through one eventually. I just wanted to point out that in our case at least it wasn't strictly necessary.

[Sue R]

Thanks, Jim! My one dog, unlike yours, was not a "natural" with people at all (although he has always been very mannerly and polite, just not sociable). The training helped him in a number of ways.

[Sue R]

Sue sounds like you found a great class, the classes round here are really just expanded CGC with the local training facility having a wheelchair or crutches to introduce the dogs. I would choose a class carefully and makesure you are getting your monies worth. TDI is flexible if you can pass their test you still get all the benefits insurance etc and I fully agree it is well worth while.

We did have a great class - six evenings (one per week) with an evening at the training center (yes, this was an AKC-affiliate club with which I was associated as an assistant trainer for family dog and puppy classes) alternating with an evening at a facility (nursing home or rehab). The final night at the facility was the handler/dog team's "test" night.

 

We worked on manners, leave it, association with wheelchair, etc., at the training center. Then we would spend our evening at a facility (always observed by our trainer) interacting with residents, learning the right way to do things (moving about the wards, rooms, etc.), being checked about having the right materials in our bags, and so on.

[ejano]

Thank you all so much! I think a class would benefit both Willow and myself. Willow loves people but can some times be timid to new things. I feel if she got exposed more to different things that she would be much calmer and be the perfect therapy dog .

 

You will also need to think about issues like people wearing latex gloves, the rattle of IV poles, the scrub gowns the nurses sometimes wear, even the "ding" of the call bells if you happen to be standing near the nurse's station; the rattle of the meal tray carts. Also, people with mental issues sometimes don't react to a dog in the same way. A lady at my mother's nursing facility with Altzheimers kept meeting Brodie for the first time, about every fifteen minutes or so. She reached out to him like a child would with no thought for repercussions. Brodie gladly accepted her repeated embraces. He's a sweet-natured dog but Robin was a bit unnerved by her.