Therapy, agility and show dogs

[Coyote_Bandit]

Has anybody here trained and qualified their dog to do this kind of work?

[Zoigal]

1. Three of my dogs were qualified therapy dogs...

Didn't take any real training. They just need to like people
and be friendly. Skye does rally which is a combo of obedience and agility, but
i didn't train her. Other two borzois (that i just lost) both did the regular show bit.
I worked with them,but didn't do the actual showing. If there is a dog club in your
area they normally have classes for folks who want to learn how to train their dogs.
Might check that out.....z

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Thanks

I'm wanting to make a therapy dog out of my young pup.

We are taking a beginner class at our local dog training club and they have a therapy dog program.

However, their requirements go far beyond liking people and being friendly. He has to complete considerable training through the club (minimum of 30 weeks of class), pass the Canine Good Citizen test, pass a club test (which seems to be stricter than that required by either Therapy Dogs Inc or Therapy Dogs International), and complete several supervised visits.

My little guy is a rescue dog and appears to be some sort of dachshund terrier mix. He's smart and independent. And willfull and stubborn. He's got the disposition to do the work - but he's going to have to perfect his obedience skills.

[Zoigal]

3. That type of requirement (classes, club tests, supervised visits) etc isn't

too unusual for therapy dogs. Fortunately i was in groups that
only required the supervised visit part (three of them). However, i
don't think the groups had any type of insurance covering either. They
always gave an evasive answer when i asked. Your little guy just may need
a bit more work in the obedience department. Not unusual for hounds.
If you go to dog shows and check out the obedience trials you normally
won't see a preponderance of hound types. I took one of my borzois to
obedience school and the instructor immediately announced to the class that
"we don't expect much out of this one" much to my chagrin. (He had a dobie.)
Fortunately she learned as easily as most of the other dogs.:) Keep up the
good work. I found that visiting care homes, etc was most rewarding. Perhaps
more so to me than to the patients......z

[Coyote_Bandit]

4. The club

does have insurance - considerable insurance - for its therapy dog visits.

I don't mind completing the classes or doing the multiple supervised visits. I don't even mind the testing. But I have a hard time understanding why their requirements (with respect to beoth testing and supervised visits) are so much stricter than either of the national and international therapy dog groups (Therapy Dogs Inc and Therapy Ddogs International).

He is a dachshund terrier mix - probably just over a year old. A teenager. I'm fortunate that somebody worked with him before he came to me. He really does have a good disposition to work with people and is quite friendly.

Aside from a bit of a willful, independent, stubborn streak he really is doing fairly well with his obedience training. But getting to the appropriate level of training may well take us a bit longer than most.

[undeterred]

5. One of the things about a therapy dog who is going to a hosipital

or nursing home is that they have to be kept clean- tolerate frequent groomings. This may not be a big deal for some people but its a show stopper for me.

My dog is smart, friendly, and trainable but he can't stand taking a bath or getting his nails clipped... so he's not going anywhere around sick or elderly people or children in a hospital any time soon.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. My little guy

rather enjoys being handled and groomed. He'll even let me put my fingers in his mouth to rub and brush his teeth and gums without too much objection. He doesn't shed heavily but his wiry coat is a bit resistant to the shampoo and water. One has to pay attention to be sure his coat gets well washed.

[undeterred]

9. Thats great.

[Walk away]

6. My Cairn Terrier Henry is a Therapy dog. We met a list of requirements provided...

by the group that certified us. Then he was tested for temperament as well as personality and obedience. It was also required that he dog friendly. He had already passed his Good Citizen test and second level obedience training. He is a fantastic nursing home dog!

He is eleven yrs old now but when I first adopted him we did K-9 agility for a few years as well as Earth Dog trials. He really loved it and excelled under ground. He also had a side gig as the passenger in cart dog competition. His girlfriend, Gooffa the Rottie, pulled a little cart while Henry sat inside like Ben Hur. They just love to have a job!

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. My little guy seems to be some sort

of wirehair dachshund/terrier mix. He's about 15 pounds and looks like he's mostly wirehair dachshund except that his nose seems to be a little short and his ears don't sit quite right for a dachshund. I suspect he may well have a bit of cairn terrier in him. Or maybe some norfolk terrier.

We are completing our thrid obedience class in a few weeks. Basic commands. Beginner obedience. Novice I level obedience. He will have to pass his Novice I exam to move on, of course. He's really not supposed to take his CGC exam until he completes Novice II obedience but I think I'm going to go ahead and have him take it after he finishes Novice I anyway. For me as much as him.

He's still a young dog - only about a year and a half old. I've had him about 8 months. Before that he lived about 3 months in a veterinary rescue where he was mostly kennelled. I have no idea of his history before that. Supposedly he was found wandering a busy city street - but his behavior doesn't reflect that. He's not the least bit scared of cars or bothered by walking the busiest of my neighborhood streets. And before he came to me he didn't know any kind of people food. Somebody obviously worked with him a lot before I got him. They taught him basic manners and skills and did a great job socializing him.

He likes people. He doesn't seem to be afraid of other people or animals - though he loves to chase the bunnies and the squirrels and to bark at the birds. He loves to be held and to snuggle. And to have his belly rubbed, of course. He's not an obnoxious dog that has to lick and slobber all over people. And he isn't bad about jumping up. He knows his basic manners, does well with his stays and he heels well.

It may take us some time but I think that by the time he turns into a full fledged adult dog and mellows out a bit more that he will be a good therapy dog. His Novice I instructor has been encouraging me to show him in obedience competition. So perhaps he is progressing better than I realize.

Wish us luck.

[Walk away]

10. He sounds so much like Henry when I first adopted him.

Our first 5 yrs together were all about classes and competition. I was a dog walker at the time and I took him on 12 walks a day rain or shine. Every day we would meet up at the park with a local dog trainer and her newly adopted pup. We practiced every day for free!

The best thing we did together was Earth Dog Trials. If your dog is a shorty and you can find a group in your area check it out. It's even cooler than agility and a Cairn/Dachshund mix would be perfect for it. Nothing made Henry happier than chasing pretend weasels down holes.

Now he's my business partner and does a damn good job managing my Doggy Day Care!

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. I'm not aware of any Earth Dog Trials here

None are advertized through our local club and I can't identify any through a Google search. Sounds like something my boy would enjoy though.

12 walks a day and free daily practice with a dog trainer? Your Henry is a lucky boy.

I've decided that we are going to repeat Novice I to work on consistency and improved performance even though we've been recommended to go on to Novice II. The class doesn't start until after the first of the year. Given the fact that I was snowed in for two weeks last year I figure that this is a good time to repeat a class.

[Walk away]

12. I think if you have the time and the $ you can't do better than to go to training...

as often as possible. They just love it so much and it makes them so proud when they know what to do. People go crazy for him when we are out and about. He is totally tuned into what I want and his manners are better than most people.

Somewhere a few post down is a short little video of Henry (he's the Cairn) running my yard at my Doggie Day Care. He is so tolerant of the annoying little yorkie Rosie and he takes his job so seriously! I just love and admire him so much. Years of training and working together made a real friendship between us.

[Coyote_Bandit]

13. UPDATE

I think my little guy is about to meet all the requirements (other than supervised visits) to become a therapy dog through our local club.

He's now passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and our local club test which evaluates exposure to both children and lots of medical devices, ambulatory issues and loud sounds. Next week we will finish his required 30 weeks of class. I expect he will pass this latest class - but he is only required to complete it not to pass it to enter the therapy program. I've decided that we are going to repeat the class to work on consistency issues - and then I will decide if I want to continue on and put him in obedience competition.

In any event, I expect my boy will be a working therapy dog sometime just after the first of the year.

[Walk away]

14. He will love it. Every dog loves to work and this is one of their favorite jobs.

It's great to be doing this for people in need. It's a win, win, win for you, your dog and the people you help.

[Coyote_Bandit]

18. My boy did in fact pass his latest class

He scored a 96% on the heeling portion of his exam and a 94% overall. His only major deduction was on his finish. His was the high score on the exam.

I was very surprised given the fact that just a week before I had specifically been told that he was not yet ready to go on to the next class. And yet two of the dogs he outscored had previously successfully completed the class and then opted to repeat the class.

So I've decided that we are not going to repeat the class after all and I have enrolled him in the next class which begins in mid-January. In the meantime, I will keep working with him and try to maintain his performance - and improve it in the couple of areas where he is weakest. Those would be stand for exam, finishes and the plain old simple down command. If we need to retake this class or any other in the future then so be it.

I'll see how we do in the next class and then decide whether or not to continue on into obedience competition or agility - or whether to just do the therapy work which was my original intent. My boy seems to enjoy the obedience work and I really try to change up practice routines and times and to mix in a good bit of play and I can often work with him for 45 minutes to an hour at a time.

I have to admit that my motives for doing therapy work are not entirely altruistic. Since my brother's death I am an only child with aging parents. I watched my parents care for my grandparents and I am well aware of the therapeutic effects of canine visits and companionship. While I am more than willing to share that with others I want my own parents to benefit from the skills of their grand-dog.

[get the red out]

15. Layla and I are in agility class - but we stink

Layla is in agility class now but she's afraid of walking across the beam or getting on anything that moves. She loves jumping over stuff. We suck. We have class tonight.

I have been working with her on obtaining her Canine Good Citizenship, but she's afraid of sudden noises, still working though. I used to think I wanted to train her for therapy work, but that herding dog shyness started kicking in with adulthood.

[Walk away]

16. You are doing the right thing...

nothing builds confidence like Agility training.

[Coyote_Bandit]

17. We had a couple

of shy herding dogs in our last class. I could see a real change in their level of confidence by the end of class. I'm not sure their owners saw the same level of change that those of us who only saw the dogs once a week did.

Keep working with her. I think she'll surprise you.

[get the red out]

19. She's doing a little better!

She finally got on a board and climbed to a platform last week, YEA! We have worked on the board all week at home, we will see how she does tonight.

She is getting on surfaces she wouldn't touch before, something good is going on, and as I told a friend at least SHE didn't hike her leg and pee on another dog during class like the Flat Coat Retriever in line in front of us, LOL!