# Therapy dog training



## MowgliNme (Jun 30, 2011)

Hey everybody! I don't usually post much here but I love reading about everyone's fluffs! So, I'm in training right now to be a therapist. I'm really interested in getting my Mowgli certified to be a therapy dog but he has a nervous temperament. Also, he is not food motivated whatsoever which makes training him very difficult. I have trouble withholding praise which makes other methods of training difficult too. But! I'm willing to work if it means he'll be better off in the end! What do you think? Do therapy pups have to start with a calm temperament or can it be learned? And how the heck do you train a dog who doesn't care one sniff about food while still being loving and cuddly? Or is this a dream I need to let go of? I'd love the input whatever it is!


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Sara - I see you're in Wheaton. I have a friend in Bolingbrook who does Canine Good Citizen training and testing and who also does training for the therapy dog program at a local hospital. If you want to know where she works, PM me and I'll give you her contact information.

Good luck!


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## MowgliNme (Jun 30, 2011)

Thanks for the fast response! I recently moved and forgot to update my location! :blush: I'm in Batavia now. I can't even get my fluff to sit and come consistently yet, so we're a long ways away from the testing but the training would definitely be helpful. Even just advice about whether or not this is possible for my fluff would be helpful. Something a bit closer would be nice though..


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

I personally wouldn't do it with a Maltese. DH wanted to train Spookie, I think they are just too little. They could get squished, dropped, stepped on or worse. Something about the size of a min Poodle would be better IMO.

Obedience training is always good


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I think the dog's temperament is often overlooked in therapy dog certification. If the dog does not enjoy going and visiting, you really ought to re-think your goals. I would still teach my dog basic manners, no matter if they never leave the house or not.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

MowgliNme said:


> Thanks for the fast response! I recently moved and forgot to update my location! :blush: I'm in Batavia now. I can't even get my fluff to sit and come consistently yet, so we're a long ways away from the testing but the training would definitely be helpful. Even just advice about whether or not this is possible for my fluff would be helpful. Something a bit closer would be nice though..


I know that Edward in Naperville has several Maltese in their program. You might want to contact Delnor and talk to someone there. If nothing else, you can go for temperament testing and see what they say. At a minimum, they'll likely want a CGC and then some further training specific to the environment. 

I originally wanted to do Edwards program with Tessa but she likes giving kisses way too much for a clinical environment.


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

I did therapy dog work for eight years with my previous Maltese Misty, so I have a few thoughts: 

Are you and Mowgli attending an obedience class? I think therapy dogs need a minimum of Level I obedience, maybe Level II.

How old is Mowgli? If he is a puppy, give him time. If memory serves me correctly, most therapy dog programs don't evaluate the dog until they're one years old.

As for the food reward, I've been in several obedience classes and the instructors were good about finding something the dog was interested in. I think I used boiled chicken for Karli in puppy class. I saw another lady using hot dog pieces, chopped very small. It wasn't something I would do, but it worked for her.

Therapy dog work was one of the most rewarding activities I've done in my life. I terribly miss not participating in a program.

Good luck!


Joy


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

jmm said:


> I think the dog's temperament is often overlooked in therapy dog certification. If the dog does not enjoy going and visiting, you really ought to re-think your goals. I would still teach my dog basic manners, no matter if they never leave the house or not.



I think Maltese would make wonderful therapy dogs!

With that said - I agree 100% with what jmm wrote.

If he has a nervous temperament - that is not going to change most likely. So he may not be the best candidate for therapy work.

Gus would be wonderful for therapy work - he also almost graduated to a full Service Dog (joint issues, GI issues  ) .... he has a fabulous temperament for work and he loves working. He misses working. Gus is mellow - he is my "surfer dog" - "hey.... whatever, man" is his motto 

Grace.... Grace has potential to do either one - but she is still a little too spunky puppy  But she is not a nervous pup. With more work - if she can mellow a bit, I will graduate her to working in public, but for now we are working on obedience, obedience, obedience!

For therapy work you look for dogs who LOVE to be handled. Who don't care about strangers petting them ANYWHERE and who are good with loud noises, fast movements, is not nervous or startled by many different kinds of people (old, young, sick, disabled) and a dog who is CALM or can be calm when they are working.

If you want to try it - find a good trainer and take classes. He will have to go through Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training. Then he will need to pass the Canine Good Citizen exam.

After that - you can get information from the CGC evaluator about where you need to take him for training in therapy dog work... The whole process will take 1-2 years.

Know that not every dog is made for working. It stresses some dogs out way too much.

But I think fluffs would make fabulous therapy dogs. They are little - so they can be held on elderly people's laps or easily rest on a child in bed.... if you are using them in your office, they can easily sit on a couch or chair.

Anyway.... good luck :thumbsup:

blessings,
Tori


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

What does a therapy dog do exactly? Maybe Steve would be good at it. He's very chill, not a licker, he loves nothing more than to just sit on a lap and get petted. I guess we'd have to go back to obedience school for Level 2!


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

I love the idea of therapy dogs, and would love to participate in it, however I don't think my little hoodlums are cut out for it....


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Therapy dogs provide comfort and affection to people in various situations.... some in hospitals, nursing homes, special needs facilities, schools, and even in traumatic events like car accidents or natural disasters.

They have found allowing a dog to come in and be pet or even just sit near someone helps relax them and helps them accomplish whatever it is they need to....

Kids who have learning disabilities are able to read to dogs without the same embarrassment as they do with other people. Kids in hospitals can enjoy petting the dog and telling the dog to do commands or fun tricks.

It's very rewarding.... but it is a "job" and it takes a lot of work.

Before going into an environment you have to bathe and groom your dog. You have to keep up with training. It isn't just 3 classes, 1 CGC test, then you are a therapy dog forever.

Working dogs require "maintenance training"... so you will be taking classes or working with a trainer at least once a year while you are doing your therapy work. And even though the CGC never expires, most volunteer places require you to retest every 2 years.

Therapy dogs have to be really good with anyone and anything. Other animals - this means other dogs, cats, and even small horses (ADA just passed the law that miniature horses can be trained Service Animals).

So if you have a reactive dog or even a dog who gets overly excited around other animals - that is not a good candidate.

They have to be really calm, and able to stay calm in various environments. If a hospital alarm goes off or if you are called to a scene of an accident and there is loud traffic - you need to make sure your dog will tolerate it well.

And yes you can choose where you volunteer - but there will always be unknowns. You never know how a person will move or talk. So a dog needs to be able to react in a calm way to perhaps new and startling things.

For example: When Gus was doing his Public Access training when he was an active SDIT we would go ride the train all the time. Because it is loud and jolty and tons of people. Most people didn't even know Gus was there until he had to do a task for me or we got off. From the first ride he was calm and wasn't phased by the doors crashing open or even standing on the platform really close when the train pulled up or all of the people walking so close to him. He just sat and waited for me to tell him what to do. No flinching or signs of distress at all. He was totally at ease.

So you need a mellow fellow to be a therapy dog  

If you really are interested - Google "Therapy Dogs [your state / location ]" and there are usually groups you can go read their sites.

Places offer training programs for therapy dogs. And I'm sure a trainer there would be happy to evaluate your dogs temperament for work.


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## MowgliNme (Jun 30, 2011)

All of these posts have been so helpful! Thanks everyone for all of your input.  I love this community. I'm going to look more into the obedience training for now. I started one class but was very uncomfortable with the trainer and set-up of the class. I'll look into Edwards in Naperville! Thanks for the suggestion!

Mowgli only enjoys being handled by 3 people. And he licks the three of us constantly. I'm thinking that pushing him to be a therapy dog would not be something he would even enjoy if he ever got to that skill level. However, it would be nice if he was a little better trained and had better social skills. An obedience class might help with this. 

I have seriously tried every treat there is: boiled chicken, hot dogs, cheese, bacon, almost anything you can buy at pet stores, and peanut butter. He'll like eating it sometimes, but the rest of the time he'll just pretend to bury it (pretty hilarious to watch). However, this is where an obedience class might be helpful in teaching me how else to train him. Anybody have any good books that would be helpful? 

Thanks again to all of the suggestions! I'm thinking that for now I'll set my sights lower and try to get him to sit on command first...:HistericalSmiley:


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

Thanks Tori! That sounds awesome, but a lot of work. And Steve is reactive so sounds like maybe not for him. He will just have to be my "therapy" dog! It sounds so rewarding though! Maybe one day when my kids are older I'd have time to work toward something like that.


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