What Is Involved With Therapy Dog Training

Many people are familiar with seeing-eye dogs or assistance dogs, those that directly help persons with disabilities. Seeing-eye dogs are assigned to those that are blind whereas assistance dogs may help those that are deaf, in wheelchairs, or who have any number of other disabilities. Beyond a seeing-eye or assistance dog, healthcare professionals are now appreciating the assistance of therapy dog training, which is something different than assistance dogs. Therapy dogs do not necessarily provide any specific help the way seeing-eye dogs or assistance dogs do, but rather are meant to provide comfort and companionship to those in wheelchairs, assisted living facilities, hospice care, and so on. Therapy dog training doesnt include the training of dogs to guide their owner through traffic and crowds or to respond to doorbells and other sounds the way it would be for assistance dogs. However, therapy dogs are not just any old dog and there is some specialized classes needed for therapy dog training.

Many dogs are very uncomfortable around strangers, children, and those who are in wheelchairs or who have canes, crutches, and the like. Part of therapy dog training involves socializing the dogs with those who need such assistance or who have such medical equipment. They also need to be comfortable with those that pet them rather clumsily and must be able to hold their composure when this happens, as those that are disabled or the elderly do not always have the best mobility.

Another part of therapy dog training is teaching the dog to crawl up on laps or onto beds so that they can be in close contact with their owners who may be bedridden or unable to sit on the floor with them. This is something new to most dogs, which are often taught to get off their owners and to stay off the furniture! Having a dog unlearn some things its learned before can be a difficult part of therapy dog training but it can be done.

Not every breed of dog is a candidate for being a therapy dog. Only those that are very friendly, calm, gentle, and open to strangers can even begin to approach therapy dog training. Typically golden retrievers are very good candidates as they have great temperaments that make them perfect for being companions to some.

Dogs arent the only animals that are good for therapy companions. Some have also found that rabbits, cats, ponies, and animals such as this work well also. Of course its important to realize that not everyone can have a therapy pony! But if theyre gentle and open to human companionship then these animals too can go through the same type of socialization that therapy dog training includes.

If youre looking for a way to really make a difference in someones life you may want to consider if you have a dog that would be successful at therapy dog training. They can be very comforting to those who need them most.

If you want to transform your dog into an obedient and composed "poised pooch" that will follow your every command and behave under ANY circumstances, visit the link below to learn how.

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