|
|
Therapy Dogs
So You Want To
Be a Therapy Dog Team…
An Introduction
to Skills and Talent Requirements
Working or
volunteering with a therapy dog is enormously rewarding. You need to be
aware, though, that the complex relationship among you, your animal
companion, and those whom you visit will require some special skills.
First,
evaluate the health and temperament of the potential therapy dog,
starting with a thorough veterinary examination.
Then, you
will need to know some of the basic requirements and ways to prepare
yourself and your dog. Therapy Dog organizations that register
visiting teams will have some form of evaluation to determine if each
team possesses the temperament, aptitude and skills for visiting—but
before you reach the formal evaluation stage, it will be helpful to know
some of the foundation skills that all organizations and facilities
expect.
|
|
|
|
Handler Skills
The
handler must enjoy being around people, be friendly and polite, and have
good visiting manners. He or she should be able to:
- Demonstrate active listening skills
- Communicate with different populations
- Understand and follows current rules of
confidentiality
- Demonstrate disability etiquette, wheelchair
etiquette, and proper terminology regarding people with disabilities
- Understand infection control issues
- Remain aware of the dog at all times and remain
in control
- Help the dog carry out the tasks needed for the
job
- Praise the dog’s good behavior, and redirect
inappropriate behavior
- Recognize stress in the dog, be aware of ways to
relieve it promptly
|
|
|
|
|
Canine Talent and Skills
The
dog must be willing to initiate contact with unfamiliar people and have
good social skills and manners. Most organizations require that dogs be at
least a year old for full registration. He or she should be able to:
- Offer documentation of good health and freedom from
parasites as required by the national registry or the facility being
visited.
- Reflect cleanliness and appropriate grooming
including teeth and nails
- Function well around equipment such as wheelchairs,
walkers, and respiratory devices
- Demonstrate basic obedience commands in the midst
of distractions:
- Sits, lies down. stays on command
- Walks on leash without pulling
- Greets people politely (without jumping or
mouthing), and calmly accepts petting from strangers
- Remains well controlled around other dogs
Preparation
Building
and maintaining confidence and trust is the most important preparation for
a team. Strong socialization is also very important, followed by
acclimatization to unusual sounds, sights, and odors. Among your
preparatory activities, you might:
- Enroll in a basic obedience class and/or therapy
dog course
- When selecting a trainer to help prepare you for
becoming a visiting team, look for one who will help you recognize
canine body language and signs of stress in your dog.
- Find a class that is designed to help introduce
your dog to the unusual sights, sounds and smells encountered during
therapy dog visits.
- Consider obtaining a Canine Good Citizenship
Certificate (though not mandatory, the CGC can be a starting point
for minimal skills).
- Obtain permission to take your dog to places where
there are a lot of people, such as commercial areas and parks -
socialize, socialize, socialize
- Find out if there is a visiting group in your area
that you can join and “shadow” a team as they visit
- Ask to visit, without your dog, one or more of the
facilities where you are interested in volunteering with your dog. Try
to sense the environment from your dog’s perspective.
- Network with established teams – locally, and
through IACP.
- Read IACP authors’ Therapy Dogs Today, Their
Gifts, Our Obligation by Kris Butler and Volunteers Wanted
by Mary Burch. These books are available through the usual internet
sources, including IACP sponsor www.4mDogBooks.com.
|
|
Certified
Professional Member