Delta Society

[M.L.]

Hello. I would like to start training my dogs on my own to be therapy dogs with the Delta Society. Does anybody have a Pet Partner Team Training Course Manual that they would like to sell? I really don't want to pay $37.50!

 

Does anybody have any opinions on the Delta Society program? Any other programs that you suggest instead?

 

Thanks!

[MaggieDog]

Maggie and I just celebrated 4 years as Pet Partners on Saturday! I love Delta - their insurance, local support, and testing protocols are the best of all the groups out there in my opinion.

 

Unfortunately I am keeping my manual for future reference, but have you checked Amazon? The library might be worth checking as well as I know my local therapy dog group has a whole section at ours including 4 copies of the manual.

 

You might also want to look up Pet Partners in your area via the Delta Society website as they might be willign to loan you their copy.

[smileyzookie]

I'd check ebay too

[sea4th]

I think that Delta Society is the creme de la creme of animal therapy organizations. It's entire mission is the human/animal bond. I've had five dogs certified by Delta Society. I've seen other therapy animal organizations offer tests and "certify" passing dogs, offer classes, yada yada yada. It was nothing more than a tag and a title, useless if a facility didn't "recognize" them.

 

We worked out of a local hospital. We all carried a million dollars liability insurance, at the hospital's expense. We had to pass the Delta certification and then go through orientation. Occasionally someone with a dog certified by another organization would come around to the hospital assuming that because they were certified by the other organization, that was the key to any facility. Wrong, and they were denied.

 

The difference here is that Delta's Society's research is more scientific and it's ongoing. It's not there to collect money for a tag and a paper. Also, to be an effective therapy dog is something that is not taught in a six week class. There has to be something in the dog to begin with -- an inherent love of people, wher interaction is beyond "tolerance". They are not "trick" dogs. These are dogs on a mission and my dogs knew precisely what their job was when that t-shirt came out and we walked through the hospital doors. It's these sort of dogs who are amazing to watch.

 

Thumbs up for Delta Society.

[M.L.]

Thanks! I looked on eBay, and couldn't find any for sale. I have a friend who is trying to find hers, but no luck so far. She might have thrown it away.

 

Thanks for the insight as to the Delta Society program. I know there are a few others, and I really wasn't sure which one to do. There was an article in the current Bark magazine about the Pet Partners program, so it pretty much swayed me towards it.

 

I think I'll work with Willow first (well, I'll work with all three, but I'd like to get her through the test first) because she has come such a long way since I adopted her. I will be so proud of the two of us! We have worked so hard together since bringing her home. I don't know if anybody else feels this way, but sometimes I watch her playing and interacting with other dogs and other people and I think back to a year ago and I get teary eyed at her progress! She is a completely different dog! She even goes to her crate on her own now! On Saturday we went to a new dogpark that was really busy and pretty small. She was surrounded by tons of dogs and people and didn't snap at the other dogs once! For about the first 8 months or so of having her we couldn't even go in the dog park. She wanted to attack all the dogs! Ok, I know I'm babbling, but I'm so happy that I was able to gain her trust and bond with her!