New Therapy Dog
- Thread starter GeeRome
- Start date
graydawntreader
Forums Enthusiast
Way to go!
Wow! Congrats, GeeRome!
Wow! Congrats, GeeRome!
That's terrific. You've got two great dogs. Congratulations!
Ann
Moderator
What an achievement, Dayna! Bravo!! 
elaine2004
Forums Enthusiast
Great Job Dayna and Romeo !!
You must be so proud. Yeah, Romeo Job well done !! Sheltie hugs to Romeo !!
You must be so proud. Yeah, Romeo Job well done !! Sheltie hugs to Romeo !!
ruckusluvr
Forums Enthusiast
not to be a thread stealer but....
is there a website or something where I can learn the steps to take to get my new puppy to be a therapy dog? Ruckus is hopeless and is more of an attack dog, so forget about him doing therapy work! He would do better at
schutzhund!
is there a website or something where I can learn the steps to take to get my new puppy to be a therapy dog? Ruckus is hopeless and is more of an attack dog, so forget about him doing therapy work! He would do better at
schutzhund!
My personal belief in therapy dog training ... is that there shouldn't be any. I worry that if a dog is trained specifically to be a therapy dog, that their natural temperament may be temporarily masked by the training. You can train any dog to be well behaved in public, accepting of strangers, etc. in practice. But in a real therapy visitation the situation is completely different. There is so much stress put on the dog that they have to be well behaved and stable "beneath the training" in order to cope and do a good job.
Now, that is not to say that a rowdy pup won't ever be a therapy dog. Rather, I would take steps towards balancing the dog on all levels first. If, at the end of it all, you think the pup has matured into a dog capable of therapy work, then go for the test.
I strongly discourage people from getting a pup or a dog with the intention of making it a therapy dog. Instead, provide the training and exposure required to make a stable, confident, and balanced dog. When all that is said and done, if your dog is still not able to be a therapy dog, then it is a situation of individual temperament and maybe it just wasn't "meant to be". That dog can still be a wonderful, balanced, stable, and confident dog, just maybe not a therapy dog.
So I guess if I were to recommend a training process leading up to therapy dog testing, it would be:
- enroll in obedience classes AND take the dog to competition level
- enroll in an "active" sport like agility, herding, flyball, etc. AND take the dog to competition level
- work diligently to expose the dog to normal happenings of every day life over the course of a couple of years ... most therapy dog tests require that the dog be at least 1 year old before testing ... that is TOO young in my opinion, no one year old dog has a brain yet. Wait until they are physically and emotionally mature before testing, that will be at least 2-4 years of age for a Sheltie.
- learn to recognize unbalanced behavior and don't make excuses for it (eg. window barking, lunging at vehicles, chewing on furniture, "stealing" items of clothing or objects around the house, insessant pestering, etc.)
- enroll in classes, work-shops, seminars, etc. that expose your dog to new skills, sports, or training experiences
- compete in multiple areas with your dog ... competition venues and being able to cope with them comfortably provide THE best confidence boost to your dog
I believe that you should test your dog as a therapy dog because he is able to do it naturally, not because he has been trained to do it specifically. The confidence, stability, balance, and owner/dog bond required for therapy dog work will come naturally through exposure and success in OTHER areas. Once those are mastered, then the therapy dog test will be a breeze!
Now, that is not to say that a rowdy pup won't ever be a therapy dog. Rather, I would take steps towards balancing the dog on all levels first. If, at the end of it all, you think the pup has matured into a dog capable of therapy work, then go for the test.
I strongly discourage people from getting a pup or a dog with the intention of making it a therapy dog. Instead, provide the training and exposure required to make a stable, confident, and balanced dog. When all that is said and done, if your dog is still not able to be a therapy dog, then it is a situation of individual temperament and maybe it just wasn't "meant to be". That dog can still be a wonderful, balanced, stable, and confident dog, just maybe not a therapy dog.
So I guess if I were to recommend a training process leading up to therapy dog testing, it would be:
- enroll in obedience classes AND take the dog to competition level
- enroll in an "active" sport like agility, herding, flyball, etc. AND take the dog to competition level
- work diligently to expose the dog to normal happenings of every day life over the course of a couple of years ... most therapy dog tests require that the dog be at least 1 year old before testing ... that is TOO young in my opinion, no one year old dog has a brain yet. Wait until they are physically and emotionally mature before testing, that will be at least 2-4 years of age for a Sheltie.
- learn to recognize unbalanced behavior and don't make excuses for it (eg. window barking, lunging at vehicles, chewing on furniture, "stealing" items of clothing or objects around the house, insessant pestering, etc.)
- enroll in classes, work-shops, seminars, etc. that expose your dog to new skills, sports, or training experiences
- compete in multiple areas with your dog ... competition venues and being able to cope with them comfortably provide THE best confidence boost to your dog
I believe that you should test your dog as a therapy dog because he is able to do it naturally, not because he has been trained to do it specifically. The confidence, stability, balance, and owner/dog bond required for therapy dog work will come naturally through exposure and success in OTHER areas. Once those are mastered, then the therapy dog test will be a breeze!
sheltiemom
Forums Enthusiast
GeeRome I am in total agreement. My Kimmi is a therapy dog. She passed all the tests with flying colors, but in all honesty I have not really used her as a therapy dog because she is very apprehensive around strangers. It took her 4 years t even warm up to my hubby. Since shelties are such smart dogs the learning part was easy for her..the warming up to people is a problem for her. I have had 4 shelties that are the people puppers and love everyone. They would be more suited as a therapy dog. I think many shelties can pass the testing part just fine, but the ability to warm up to others for many seem to be what is difficult
Chris
Premium Member
Now I'm of a different bent. I recommend to people that they focus on socializing their Sheltie from the moment they get him or her. If the dog is reserved, he/she may still be a great therapy dog -- but they'll work better one-on-one. I also recommend Canine Good Citizen as a way to make sure you have cooperation and control. Beyond that, it's a matter of personal choice what other types of activities you want to include. My three are all Therapy Dogs. Layla is CGC and obedience-trained, but Bits and Annie are just sweet, friendly dogs. Our organization focuses on the dog's personality, absence of aggression and handler's ability to manage the dog.