Anyone have a therapy pet?

[undeterred]

I am going through a training class right now for my dog to be a therapy dog. He is a two year old aussie and still pretty rambunctious so I'm not sure what else I'll need to do to get him ready to be a therapy dog- the class is only 7 weeks and I have to find an organization to get hooked up with.

I'd be interested to hear what kind of training you did with your pet and how they are used in therapy.

[MiniMe]

1. The Delta Society and TDI (Therapy Dogs International) are 2 that I've heard about

I think they need to pass a Canine Good Citizen course. I would google Therapy Dog groups in your area and find out what each one's requirements are, I would think it depends on what kind of therapy you are doing. I know somebody who did Delta Society, and really enjoyed it.

[Zoigal]

2. In my experience it depends on the organization that is sponsoring the

local group. I have been in two groups, neither of which had any formal requirements except that the dog be well behaved. Neither group was covered by insurance which
bothered me quite a bit, although to my knowledge there were no incidents.
We only visited retirement, nursing, rehab homes, not hospitals. Good luck....z

[cheri010353]

3. We took our 2-1/2 yo yellow lab

through Delta Society training. She had already passed the Canine Good Citizen test and did fine as far as all the requirements went (stay, leave it, meeting a friendly stranger & dog,etc.) but she doesn't like to sit still and let someone pet her. She wants to play. So we decided to wait and see if she ever gets to the point where she settles down enough. We want her to have fun doing it, too. One of the team members had a dog that she said wasn't ready until he was 4 years old, but then he was awesome at it. Let your pup tell when (if) he's ready.

[get the red out]

4. Hopefully someday

I hope this thread keeps gathering info and updates because I would like to do this with our dog someday. I know it will be quite a while since she is only 5 1/2 months old but her love of all people she meets is just overwhelming and if she EVER settles down (and completely stops the mouthing, LOL) she would probably be good. Of course she's just our crazy, loving baby right now.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Places to start looking...

http://www.dogplay.com/Activities/Therapy/join.html
Has 4 listing for your state

http://www.dmoz.org/Recreation/Pets/Animal_Assisted_Therapy/

These places might be able to point you to training resources
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/service.html

http://www.1stopfordogs.com/wisconsin-dog-trainers.htm

http://wolfpacks.com/products/servicedog/trainers.html

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http://www.petfinder.com/blog/2010/03/24/want-to-train-your-dog-to-be-a/
Want to train your dog to be a therapy dog? Start here

[undeterred]

6. Wow, thanks everyone!

We are Canine Good Citizen certified but it still seems like there is a long way to go. I heard one organization doesn't like dogs on raw diets- and Ollie is on a 50% raw diet. Another one makes them be bathed in some strong shampoo- and he hates baths to begin with. I do think insurance is very important. So I'm determined to find the right group, whatever it takes.

[jtuck004]

7. We had a couple dogs in TDI for several years

I found Maggie in a crate at Petsmart - so scared she pee'd as I took her out.

About 90 lbs, black lab, dane (?) mix. Adopted her, took me three weeks to get her to come to me for food. 2 Years in obedience to get her used to going out, and then put her in agility. That was where she really opened up, so after a few months of that we went through the TDI training.

Mostly ortho rehab units or areas where people were at for a long time, seniors, etc. I will never forget the time the guy, in his bed, reached over and just laid his hand on the top of her head, and the tears just started flowing. They said he was more responsive after that than he had ever been, and that was all to Maggie's credit.

Linus was about 40 lbs, cockapoo, abandoned on a street. Went through obedience at the same time, but he thought the world existed to pet him, so he was pretty much a born therapy dog.

Mostly visits consisted of a little obedience work, heeling, sit, maybe some group heeling in a circle. Then we would break up so they could meet the patients that came out to sit and watch. Then a recreational therapist or someone would take us to the rooms where people didn't come out, ask them if they wanted a visit, and the dogs would stand nearby. Smaller dogs would get up on their beds sometimes.

They are both gone now, too soon of course. We have moved, and there was no TDI chapter here, else we might have tried to get one or two of our current dogs into it, but now work has dried up so I have to do other things.

A very important thing is that your dog needs to be more or less disinterested in other dogs, and they need to have their basic obedience down pretty well (you don't want to struggle with them if there is an emergency and you have to get out of the way, and you darn sure don't want them growling or playing with other dogs).

If you get a chance, do it. You likely won't regret it, the people you serve will appreciate it, and it will give your dogs some really useful work.

[badgerpup]

8. Anything for cats?

I used to take Esme to the hospital to visit ex-sig other Jason. She travels well, doesn't get too upset about unusual sights, smells and sounds, and is an absolute SPONGE when it comes to getting attention. I've seen her with FIVE old ladies petting her and she just blinks and seems to ask "Is that all you've got?"

She was visiting Jason one time when there was a fire alarm. Esme looked at all the running around going on past the door of the room, decided it wasn't her problem, and remained snuggled and purring with Jason.

Think she might enjoy getting out and meeting (read: getting petted and adored by) new people...