I would like to train my 1 year old lab to go into nursing homes and other venues for people to pet and interact with. I live in Plano, TX (Dallas) and can find no one who can even answer the question as to how to begin. Is there a standard training or certification available for this type of service dog? Can someone point me in the right direction? Thank you.

http://www.tdi-dog.org

http://www.deltasociety.org

These are the two therapy dog organizations that I'm aware of--there may be others. Welcome!

Welcome Rick! There is a couple people with certified Therapy Dogs on here that I hope will see your questions.

Hi Rick,

Both links that Tracy provided should have lists of evaluators listed by state, so that would be the place to start. Contact a few that are close to you and ask if any of them have a training class for Therapy Dog or CGC. That would be the best way to go.

You can do the tests without taking a class, but if you don't have access to equipment found in a nursing home or hospital it's hard to train your dog not to react to it. Most classes will also have a "run through" on the last night to see if your dog needs any work.

My dog is certified with TDI so I am most famililar with that organization. They have the test requirements posted on the website so you know what the evaluators are looking for.

Until you get started with a class, I would recommend that you get your dog out in public and socialize the heck out of him. Get him used to small spaces, lots of noise, loud noises, strange people touching him, elevators, etc. Take him everywhere you can. I even had permission to take Drift into the theater with me while she was training.

Also work on LEAVE IT. The dogs are tested on that, and it's a pretty important piece- you don't want him eating something off the floor in a hospital or nursing home. Therapy dogs are not allowed to take treats from residents either.

Therapy dogs are amazing animals, and Drift has touched many lives since she started... there may be a thread or two about her adventures

--Kelly

Ditto to all that Kelly has mentioned, and will add that I think it is VERY important for the "people" partner of the team to have training, lots can happen on a visit.

Good luck!

Wow - thanks for all the great advice. I really appreciate your help!

Hey Rick, welcome. You've received some great advice.

While I don’t have a "certification" from a recognized organization, two of my pups do quite a bit of therapy work and are "authorized" to be present in an assisted living home in our area.

They went through pretty thorough evaluations with the director of this home though - very much in line with the tests in the link.

But what I wanted to mention is that there are a lot of other places out there that can really benefit from the visit of a well-mannered dog and caring, pleasant owner.

Much like the assisted living home we get invited to on a continual basis. where there are people of all ages with varying degrees of disabilities, there are also senior’s homes, youth and adult group homes, hospice homes, supervised homeless shelters, day program groups and the list goes on.

And what I often find with our outings is that sure, we can make “the rounds” in record time when needed but what tends to have the most meaning is one or two simple encounters where time has no meaning. You are there for that person. The first person you see may end up being the only person you visit that day or your time gets extended because the third person really needed that warm fluffy body and your company for over an hour.

People that can benefit from your presence are everywhere. If you've got one of those special dogs that really enjoys this type of work, sometimes it's as simple as talking to the person in charge and asking if they have anyone in their facility that could benefit from a visit. That person may be sitting out in an easily accessible court yard, all alone or stuck in a bed just around the corner.

They may have rules, they may not.