How to Train Your Dog to be a Therapy Dog (Step By Step)

Dogs make for delightful companions and fill our lives with endless joy and love. There is nothing quite like those puppy eyes and licks and cuddles to cheer you up, no matter what the situation. Someone somewhere had the brilliant idea to put these qualities to good use and train our four-legged companions to be therapy dogs. Now, what is this special category of dogs and how to train your dog to be a therapy dog?

If you want you and your pet to become an official animal-assisted therapy team to help others in need, this guide on therapy dog training, requirements, and certification process has got you covered. Let’s start with the basics and understand what a therapy dog is and what purpose they serve.

What is a Therapy Dog?

A therapy dog is a canine companion that lends affection and comfort to people with emotional or physical problems. They typically work with a handler in public settings like schools, nursing homes, or hospitals. In certain situations, they may even work with individuals to help them work through certain challenging life situations.

Studies have shown that pet therapy can help improve the anxiety levels in children with special needs as well as the mental health of older individuals dealing with social isolation and boredom. While they contribute immensely to improving the emotional well-being and mental health of the people who need it the most, therapy dogs are not the same as service dogs — even though the two terms are often used interchangeably.

Unlike service dogs who receive full public access as per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), therapy dogs need permission to enter public spaces that are not pet-friendly.

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Traits of a Good Therapy Dog

The distinction between service dogs and therapy dogs notwithstanding, the latter plays a crucial role in offering emotional support to people with mental health as well as physical issues. That’s why one of the primary therapy dog requirements is a gentle demeanor and a loving temperament.

When you train your dog to be a therapy dog, the key focus needs to be that your dog is affectionate, responsive to commands, patient, and non-reactive even in the most unfamiliar setting or with distractions present. This is crucial for the safety of the client/s as well as your dog. To fit into this role, your four-legged companion must possess the following traits of a good therapy dog:

• Open to interacting with strangers
• Not jumping on people
• Not pawing people
• Not reactive to rough petting
• Ability to walk on a lead without pulling
• Doesn’t get anxious in unfamiliar settings
• Doesn’t resort to resource-guarding or exhibit aggression
• Calm, docile disposition, irrespective of the surroundings
• Obedience at all times
• Excellent grooming
• Not spooked by unusual sights, smells, or movements

Assessing Your Dog’s Temperament

Now, no dog may possess all of these traits inherently. That’s where therapy dog training comes in. However, all dogs have temperaments of their own. Before you begin to train your dog to be a therapy dog, it’s important to assess whether they have what it takes to meet the requirements. Therapy dog candidates are assessed for their suitability on the following 10 qualities:

• Supervised separation: One of the key therapy dog requirements is that your canine companion doesn’t struggle with separation anxiety and is comfortable being away from you for short periods
• Immune to distractions: To be able to perform their job well, a therapy dog needs to be immune to any distractions caused by the goings on in their vicinity
• Non-reactive toward other dogs: A good therapy dog doesn’t get aggressive, pull on the lead, or bark incessantly when they see another dog. In fact, the level of non-reactivity needs to be such that they can sit comfortably even when surrounded by fellow canines
• Vocal commands: Your dog must be highly responsive to vocal commands. For instance, they obey the recall command without fail or delay
• Behavioral commands: Any therapy dog candidate must have down basic commands like sit and stay
• Non-reactivity to crowds: A therapy dog must also be able to walk through crowded settings without reacting negatively to anyone
• Petting: They must be patient when being petted by strangers
• Leash behavior: Walking on a loose leash is among the important therapy dog requirements. Off-leash training is a plus
• Non-reactivity to strangers: Your dog should be comfortable with strangers approaching them and must remain calm during any such interactions
• Comfortable with touch: Your dog must be comfortable with someone other than you touching them in sensitive areas like the ears or paws.

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Best breeds for therapy dogs

While any healthy dog can be trained to fit this mold, some breeds are considered to be better predisposed for the task than others. The best breeds for therapy dogs include:

• Golden Retriever—gentle and affable
• German Shepherd—intelligent and highly trainable
• French Bulldog—easygoing and friendly
• Yorkshire Terrier—intuitive and eager to please
• Pomeranian—affectionate and gentle
• Beagle—attention-loving and intelligent
• Labrador Retriever—quick learners and eager to please
• Poodle—Highly trainable and good at picking up on emotional cues
• Maltese—attention-loving and affectionate

Training Your Therapy Dog

Now that we have covered the basics, let’s talk about what goes into making a dog a therapy dog. Once you’ve assessed your dog’s temperament and found them to be a good candidate, the next step is to begin the training process. A dog must be over one year of age to start serving as a therapy dog; however, you can start the training process well in their puppyhood. The sooner you begin, the better.

This is not to say that therapy dog training at an older age is not viable but the process becomes a lot easier and you get optimal results if you start them down this path young. Let’s take a closer look at the essential steps to make your dog a therapy dog:

1. Build therapy dog training on positive reinforcement techniques

Canine behaviorists as well as trainers agree that positive reinforcement is the most effective approach to dog training. Therapy dog training is no exception. Positive reinforcement essentially means rewarding your canine companion for good behavior instead of punishing bad behavior. However, this does not mean that you let undesirable behaviors slide completely.

Rather than mete out harsh punishments, like yelling or causing physical pain, the idea is to disengage, not give in, and express your displeasure assertively, using words like ‘no’, ‘stop’, and ‘bad’. Given that dogs are typically eager to please their human companions, a reward- and praise-based approach can yield much better results when you train your dog to be a therapy dog.

It’s also important to ascertain the right reward for your dog to get them excited about the training process. While most dogs are food-motivated, some may not respond as enthusiastically to edible treats as rewards. In that case, you will have to look for other motivators such as a play session with your pet’s favorite toy or heaping them with lots of praise and affection.

2. Consistency is key in therapy dog training

Consistency in your training routine plays an important role in making a dog a therapy dog. This entails using the same words for the commands you want your dog to perform, discouraging undesirable behavior at every instance, and sticking to a schedule for training. This will go a long way in helping your dog understand what’s expected of them.

On the other hand, any lapses can send your dog mixed signals and end up confusing them. For instance, not jumping on people is among the key therapy dog requirements. If your dog tends to jump on people when excited, you need to correct that behavior every time it happens. If you think you can let it slide if your pet jumps on family and loved ones, you will only confuse them about how they’re supposed to react.

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3. Keep your training sessions short, frequent, and varied  

How to train a dog to be a therapy dog, you ask? Well, it’s all about the right approach. Contrary to popular belief, short but frequent training sessions can yield better results than, say, one hour-long training session a day. The American Kennel Club recommends limiting training time to five minutes per session. Anything longer than that can make your dog restless, distracted, and frustrated, causing them to lose interest in the process.

To effectively train your dog to be a therapy dog, it’s best to repeat the cues and commands you want them to master several times a day for short durations. It also helps to carry out these training sessions in different settings and environments to desensitize your dog to different distractions and teach them to respond to your commands no matter where they are. After all, getting your dog to sit and stay at home is not the same thing as getting them to obey the same commands on a busy street or a park.

4. Use a mix of hand signals and verbal cues

Yes, we love talking to our dogs. But unfortunately, they don’t comprehend language quite the same way as us humans. In fact, a lot of dogs tend to respond better to hand gestures and signals than words. You must incorporate both in your training process. This can come in especially handy when you’re handling your dog in an uncontrolled busy environment, like a hospital, a school, or a public park, making it one of the most crucial steps to make your dog a therapy dog.

5. Make the progression gradual

Making a dog a therapy dog is a slow, effort-intensive process. You cannot expect results overnight. Your best bet is to slowly up the ante, by adding modifications to different cues and commands once your pet has mastered the stage they’re in. For instance, if the end goal is to get your dog to be non-reactive to strangers petting them, you need to start with the basic socialization and ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ cues.

Once they get used to being surrounded by people they don’t know and learn to ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ till they hear the release command like ‘free’, you can start practicing getting them to sit and stay around a stranger. Once they get a hang of that, you can try repeating this training routine in a public setting.

6. Make the training fun for your dog

Think back to the time when you were in school. Did you enjoy the long dreary lessons more or the ones where the teacher went the extra mile to make learning fun and interactive? The latter, right? Well, your dog is no different.

They’re likely to learn faster when the process is fun and engaging. You, too, will enjoy the training process more if you have fun doing it. Try to mix things up by working on different cues and commands, conducting the training sessions in different settings and places, incorporating play sessions between repetitions, and throwing in a lot of rewards and praise for your pooch.

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7. Incorporate training into daily routine

The essence of therapy dog training is that you want your dog to deliver on the expected behavior and requirements all the time. To make that happen, it’s important to incorporate whatever they’ve been trained to do in their daily routine. So that your dog understands that they’re expected to act this way at all times and not just during the training session. One great way to achieve that is to reinforce the commands and cues before meals, taking them out for walks, or playtime. The idea is to use any activity your dog enjoys as an opportunity to reinforce desirable behavior.

Certification and Registration Process

So, you’ve gone the whole nine yards, right from assessing if your dog meets therapy dog requirements to taking on the take to train your dog to be a therapy dog. You now have a loving, gentle, friendly pooch who enjoys human contact and loves to be cuddled, handled, and petted, by strangers, be it children, adults, or older people. Perfect! It’s time to get the therapy dog certification, which you and your pooch have rightfully earned. How do you go about it? Let’s take a look at the therapy dog registration process:

• You will need to contact a tester/observer in your area to test you and your dog
• They will assess your dog on basic manners and demeanor
• In addition to this, the therapy dog registration process also includes a handling test designed to check your ability to control your dog in various settings
• This is followed by three supervised visits where your dog interacts with residents of medical facilities in the presence of an observer/tester
• Upon successful completion of the assessment, you can apply for therapy dog certification

FAQs

1. Do therapy dogs need to be professionally trained

No, therapy dogs needn’t be professionally trained. With the right resources, tools, and experience, you can train your dog to be a therapy dog on your own.

2. Is certification required for a therapy dog

If a home pet is being used as a therapy dog for someone in the family, you don’t necessarily need to get them certified. However, if you and your dog want to be an animal-assisted therapy team to help offer comfort and solace to those in need, a certification is certainly recommended.

3. What tasks can a therapy dog perform

Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs cannot perform specific tasks. They primarily offer emotional support and comfort to people with mental and physical disabilities and have proven to improve the mental health of those they serve

4. How long does it take to train a therapy dog

The timeframe for training a therapy dog varies, depending on factors like the age of the dog, the skill of the trainer/handler, and the effectiveness of the training process. However, if you start the training process when your pet is still is puppy, you can start seeing results in 6 to 8 weeks of effective, consistent training

Takeaway

It can be a rewarding experience to train your dog to be a therapy dog and then team up with your furry companion to bring comfort and joy to those most in need of it. I hope this exhaustive guide on therapy dog training helps you take that plunge and emerge on the side, successful. Good luck!