I bought my dog a vest that says "therapy dog in training" and I took her into the mall, movie theaters (good "leave it" training center with all that popcorn) church, in elevators (which really trips dogs out at first) even grocery stores. The vest clearly states that the dog is in training so if anyone would have asked me to leave I would have politely left, but no one ever did.

I was told by Delta Society that you will not pass the test if you have to give ANY kind of correction at all. So a small pop on the leash would disqualify you... maybe that's not true but that's what I was told... I have not taken the test yet...

Thank you all for your responses. They're very helpful!

Hey, Vanessa-

I love your idea of the training vest. My question is: Did you ask the stores/etc for permission before you went there w/your dog, or did you just waltz in and hope they didn't kick you out? LOL! I'm kind of nervous about just taking my dog in the stores without knowing what they say, but I guess I may give it a shot. The vest sounds like a great idea!

Thanks, All!

P.S. Where did you buy your vest from?

Edited by Kori Bigge (11/06/2007 07:26 AM)
Edit reason: P.S. Added

my lab pup was exposed to everyone and everything,a very layed back dog,trained basic,intermediate,advanced,took cgc,passed,then with tdi,test is basically the same as cgc but they had kids running across room and tester came up with walker and shook it in front of dog,he passed.now we will be going to nursing home and also phych unit with trobled teens.this thursday our 1st visits.i am also concerned about the spred of staph from humanes -dogs,was told it would not cross over to different species but was told wrong ,it does spred to dogs

Definitely check out the rules for your organization; they seem to vary significantly from one group to the next. Our group, Therapy Dogs of Vermont, allows (covered) prong collars, while some groups only allow a buckle collar. Our group penalizes you on the test if your dog needs a (reasonable) correction and doesn't get one, or for treating/correcting too much; some groups allow NO corrections. It helps to know as much as you can about what the expectations are ahead of time, since the rules vary so widely from group to group. Fortunately for TDV, the VP of the organization is a Leerburg fan who's therapy dog partner is a GSD! Years ago, before Vermont had it's own organization, we used to work with TD Inc. so we had to get used to new rules. It's definitely worth checking out.

As far as the vest goes, maybe I shouldn't have...but I did just waltz right in. I suppose I could have asked permission, but most of the time, I think that's more of a hassle, you create a scene, then they start asking you all kinds of questions, if I would have been asked to leave then I would have without a fuss, but most people like dogs and ask to pet them. I ordered the vest a long time ago, so I don't remember where I ordered it from, but you can just google something like, "service dog vest order" or something like that. They sewed the patches on for me and it was about $50.00.

I would visit each store manager or owner and talk with them about what you are training for with your dog and get permission. Most stores are going to be fine with it anyway.

i was so freaked out last night about my dog or myself visiting nursing homes and hospital and the chance of mrsa i cancelled my visits after reading many articles.
i guess i am like monk on t.v.

I've thought of it too, though if you don't touch patients and wash your hands frequently you aren't likely to get it. I also carry around a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer.

I sent a reply diectly to Kori but thought I would post for everyone. The CARES INc. group in Concordia Ks. both trains and places professional therapy dogs and med assist dogs etc. Additionally, they have people come and test that have puppy raised and trained their own dogs, then take the test which meets the stansards of Assistance Dogs International. My GS and I went through the course last summer after I worked with him and had CARES do some training with him. I take my dog to work with me at a school for conduct disordered kids and emotionally disturbed. he does good. Just some intermittent barking. One thing I can say is that GS are alot different than the usual therapy dogs they use goldens and labs. So I constantly have to work hard and dilegently on certain behaviors. The lady who is the VP of the organization someone mentioned that uses a GS as a therapy dog would be a good source as well as those videos from Leerburgs. I still need some help some days. This morning I walked out to my living room only to find my big boy lapping up my cappicinno. Wagging his tail while drinking and splashing it evrywhere. So we had a little corretion time . And called the vet! Thanks

Oh! the phone number for CARES Inc. is 785-243-1077. And there is alot of info they will send you on the test requirements etc. You get the harness with the therapy dog id after you graduate.