Therapy Dog Training: Does Your Dog Have What it Takes?

Learn what traits and characteristics a dog needs to have in order to become a therapy dog, so you can determine if your dog is a good fit for pet therapy work.

Learn about four national therapy dog organizations and how to choose which one to get certified/registered through. There are links to each of these organizations in the Resources Section of this course.

An introduction to the training requirements to acquire therapy dog certification and to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test.

See a live demonstration of four basic commands your dog will need to master in order to become a therapy dog: Come, Sit, Down, Stay

A demonstration of loose leash walking, a skill you and your dog will need to master in order to become certified as a therapy dog team.

A demonstration of a dog accepting physical handling and being brushed: behavior a therapy dog is tested on and needs to tolerate in order to become certified.

A demonstration of a dog greeting a friendly stranger: another therapy dog requirement

A demonstration of a dog sitting politely while being petted: a therapy dog requirement.

Another demonstration of a dog sitting politely while being petted: a therapy dog requirement.

A demonstration of a dog's non-reaction to an approaching person acting erratically: a therapy dog requirement.

A demonstration of a dog's reaction to noise and distractions: a therapy dog requirement.

A demonstration of a dog while in a supervised separation from her handler: an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) requirement. Some certifying/registering therapy dog organizations require the dog to have passed the AKC CGC test. Even if they don't, it's a good indicator if your dog is ready for therapy dog certification because the test is very similar to therapy dog certification/registration tests.

An introduction to this section which includes demonstrations for additional training you'll want to consider for your dog if you plan to do pet therapy.

A demonstration of the Leave It command, a good behavior to master so you dog doesn't pick up dangerous pills, food, or other items off the floor while you're doing pet therapy visits

A demonstration of the Take and Drop commands. Mastering Drop training is a helpful backup to Leave It, in cases where your dog picks up an unwanted item off the floor before you see it.

A demonstration of the Place command. This training is helpful for pet therapy visits where you want your dog to lay down in a specific place. This might include library reading programs, or school visits.

A demonstration of the Touch command. This training is helpful when you want to instruct your dog to move closer to a person you're visiting.

A demonstration of the Wait command. This behavior is useful when entering and existing facilities, and when doing pet therapy work in hospitals, nursing homes, or any venue where you'll be walking through doorways.

A demonstration of the Go-See command. This training is helpful when you want to instruct your dog to move closer to a person you're visiting with, or move to a desired location.

A demonstration of the Paws Up command. This behavior is useful for large dogs doing pet therapy visits in hospitals, nursing homes, or any facility where the residents or patients are in bed.

A demonstration of teaching your dog to ignore other dogs. This behavior is helpful when doing pet therapy visits with other dog teams, and when encountering other dogs while on pet therapy visits, and out in public.

A demonstration of teaching a dog to ignore a passerby while on a walk. This behavior is helpful in monitoring who you dog goes up to and prevents your dog from visiting with people who may not wish to visit with your dog.

A demonstration of the Go Potty command. This behavior is helpful in getting your dog to go potty on command, before entering a facility for a pet therapy visit.

A demonstration of a dog doing the High Five trick. This behavior is a simple trick that is fun and easy to demonstrate on pet therapy visits, and people of all ages get a kick out of it!

A summary of good things to know and what to expect as a new therapy dog team

Behaviors to watch for in your dog when doing pet therapy work.

Answers to common questions about training a therapy dog and becoming a certified therapy dog team.

Answers to more questions about training a therapy dog and becoming a certified therapy dog team.

Links to four major national therapy dog organizations, the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, and more information about the difference between Therapy Dogs, Service Animals, and Emotional Support Animals. There's also a downloadable PDF with this same information and links.

A final wrap up of the course, including some thoughts to motivate and inspire you to pursue volunteer therapy dog work with your dog.