Pet Therapy visits

So we covered M&G’s for our first activity. Next I want to feature Pet Therapy. It comes in different forms. The most basic version is simply taking our well behaved, well mannered, well groomed, people loving hounds to visit with people in nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, etc. This is often termed pet therapy but the Delta Society calls this an Animal Assisted Activity to distinguish it from Animal Assisted Therapy which is much more specialized. Whatever you call it, it is a wonderful and worthwhile activity. The benefits of visits from animals have been scientifically proven. Though there is more required from our dogs in way of behavior and to some degree training, it is most definitely worth it for both team members.

There are also more specialized programs targeted to specific needs. An example are some children’s reading programs where kids read out loud to dogs to improve the child’s reading ability. Sounds fairly simple but it really works and also can require a little more training. Most of these programs do require certain certification/registration with specific organizations.

There are groups who sponsor pet therapy programs that do not require any specific training or any sort of certification. Many others do have some form of these requirements. The point is not to get people to attend a lot of classes or testing but to make sure the dogs are ready and their human handlers can both control and help the dogs so visits are safe, fun and indeed therapeutic. Dogs do not need any specialized training or necessarily any certification for this, but they absolutely must be well mannered, well behaved, of good temperament and should truly enjoy visiting and interacting with people. They should also get along with other dogs. Though our dogs are there to visit with people not dogs, remember that most visits will include other dogs though perhaps only Greyhounds. Some locations may even have other dogs in residence so if your hound is a Greyhound snob or not small dog tolerant, you should check in advance.

So how do you know if your dog is ready for pet therapy? I will now go on record as saying that I personally believe training up to at least the CGC level is a very good start even if you skip the Sit part. Many of us doing pet therapy voluntarily train to that level & some go beyond including a certification/registration test administered by Delta Society, Therapy Dogs International or similar organizations. Even if you do not do this, I think it is helpful to learn those requirements and consider why they have them. Before you take your dog for that first visit I think it good to ask and honestly answer this. Can your dog do the following:

• Really enjoy visiting and interacting with people
• Walk politely on a loose leash
• Keep all four paws on the floor and off the people you are visiting
• Maintain calm even if someone else, human or canine, gets excited including flailing arms or sometimes yelling
• Allow strangers to stroke, pat, & sometimes even unintentionally hit almost anywhere on his/her body without feeling threatened or unduly stressed
• Remain quiet, no barking or whining
• Walk with confidence on a variety of surfaces including shiny floors (for most locations)
• Feel comfortable working around medical equipment including wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, IV poles and beeping machinery
• Not be severely startled or panic at loud, sudden noises
• Tolerate regular nail trimming (even short nails can damage skin as fragile as that of some nursing home patients; imagine what some of those long Greyhound nails could do)

If the answer is yes to all then you probably have a good dog for pet therapy. If the answer was yes to some then you may have a good candidate who just needs a little more training and/or socialization work with exposure to a greater variety of sights, sounds, experiences, etc.

As this is an activity that can sometimes ask a lot of the human portion of the team as well as the canine, I wanted find some way of addressing this. Pet therapy can at times leave some of us feeling at least a bit awkward as we look for something to say or same may even feel quite emotional. Having never been comfortable visiting even my own family and friends in hospitals or nursing homes, I was initially worried that even though my dog may be ready perhaps I wasn’t. That was partially true I guess but it was fairly easy to get into the swing of things with the dog as the real center of attention. Whatever I lacked in people skills was, I hope, compensated by my dog’s ability to offer love, companionship & compassion of the furry, four footed variety. I have always left visits feeling glad I had been there. It is always worth the time.
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There is a lot of info about pet therapy on the internet. Here are a few places you may want to check out.

DogPlay.com has a section on the basics of pet therapy. There is an Overview section on the main page with links to a series of pages in the that I think are helpful.

AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen) test requirements are almost all skills we have routinely used.

There is a reason the national organizations have their requirements. Even if you do not plan on joining them or even getting your dog tested for certification/registration, there is a lot to be learned by reading their requirements and information. Here are some links to various program info and test requirements:

READing Paws  http://www.readingpaws.org/

Delta Society Pet Partner Program - has team evaluation requirements divided into two documents as Part 1 and Part 2.

Therapy Dogs International has a testing requirements brochure. 

Therapy Dogs Inc. has a general info document which includes “Helpful Hints & Tips” and a test document.