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Post by fireworksinjuly on Jun 18, 2004 9:36:32 GMT -5
I thought of this from the guid dogs thread...
How best should one train a dog to be a therapy dog?
My Samoyed is very well behaved and I think with a little training could be a great therapy dog. Ive read Samoyeds can be good for that anways.
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Post by Laura on Jun 18, 2004 13:09:02 GMT -5
FIJ, that'a a very good question . Most of the therapy dog tests such as the Delta Society, have a test very similar to the AKC's Canine Good Citizenship test. www.akc.org/love/cgc/training_testing.cfm?page=1If your dog can pass the CGC, plus be very well socialized (hugely important!) , and has the right temperament, then by all means do it, it's very rewarding and the dogs usually love it. Loki, my big chooch on the right, is a Delta Dog, and works in the childrens oncology ward at St. Joes here in the city twice a month, and he LOVES the attention, big suck that he is ;D.
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Post by fireworksinjuly on Jun 18, 2004 14:00:40 GMT -5
Thank you for the info. I havent gotten to read it all but what ive read so far shows that he may already be on his way to being able to do it. Hes great with people, and other dogs. We have just started obediance and hes progressing well, I have contacted a professional trainer to aid in that step.
Hopefully I can get him so he can do it, I think hed love it.
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Post by sibemom on Jun 19, 2004 5:49:23 GMT -5
It is a wonderful thing to be able to do this with your dog The joy that it brings to others in need warms my heart. I have taken my Sibe to the nursing home, day cares, hospice patients homes , etc... ever since he was 12 weeks old. We are working on getting our Delta Society Certification. I will be doing the same thing with my GSD pup. It's all about socializing them with people at an early age and getting the OB training in place. Delta Society has a very good training plan that you can order and start working on. As silly as my husky can act when he is at home he knows the difference when he is around people in a compromised state. When he goes up to the people in wheel chairs or a special needs child he is as gentle as a lamb, that was the behavior I was looking for.
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Post by Iluvmypup on Jun 25, 2004 12:55:59 GMT -5
Thats awesome! Its such a heartwarming thing to walk into a nursing home or hospital and see people's faces light up at the sight of your dog.
Plus, dogs are great icebreakers. Some people that you'd otherwise never meet or talk to suddenly open up by asking questions about your dog.
The heel is an important command to know, or at least for him to walk slightly by your side, especially if you're going to a nursing home. There will be lots of wheelchairs, so you can practice walking him next to wheelchairs to get him comfortable.
If there aren't any wheelchairs in the house, you could use a regular chair that has wheels and have someone 'wheel' themselves along while you keep pace with your dog.
The Canine Good Citizen test always looks good on your dog's record, and people will that run nursing home and other facilities will be more likely to welcome you in if your dog has that.
Have fun!! ;D
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Post by ripley on Oct 15, 2004 4:55:15 GMT -5
Bumping an old thread here... Price-wise, I'm discovering that SAR training might be a bit too costly for me to handle. (I already know my mom won't pay $2500+ in training) I might try it with my next dog, when I'm not a broke kid with no job. So, this was an alternative that I hoped to do with Ripley (Until he started showing aggression) Dakota has excellent temperament.. He's shown to love everyone (aside from a really strange incident where he barked at some people) and since that, he hasn't met a person he didn't want to visit with. He is just a big, soft, sweet pup. As rambunctious as he can be, he surprises me sometimes. He's very gentle with kids, and either he seems to know not to jump, or he doesn't feel the need to jump because they are already at his level . Either way, his gentle temperament is ideal for therapy work IMO. What I'm curious about is: How do I expose him to environments like that? I know that I could use a wheelchair, or walkers, or oxygen tanks in the house, but it is hardly the same environment and experience as going into a completely different building with these things is. Will a nursing home or day care allow a pup to visit, if he isn't certified by TDI or the Delta Society? I can see this as something I'd like to get into. Like SAR, other people would benefit by it, and it's not just something interesting or fun to do with my dog.. I really like that, and I think it would be as rewarding for him as it would be for me.
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Post by sibemom on Oct 15, 2004 5:04:47 GMT -5
RG are there any nursing homes near you? That is what I did with Blade and am doing with Willow. I know it's funny because Blade is such a jerk lately at home, to consider him a good threapy dog, but he is. He is so very good with these elderly people. Take him to the nursing home and walk around allowing him to explore, and do this alot. Also expose him to everything and anything. Delta Society has a program that you can purchase and once completed you can get your dog certified as a therapy dog. Go to their website and you will get lots of good info. I think Amy was doing that if I am not mistaken
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Post by Iluvmypup on Oct 15, 2004 9:47:29 GMT -5
A lot of nursing homes will allow a dog in after being tested....you may want to have him pass the CGC test, as it looks good on his 'resume', if you know what I mean.
You'll want to socialize him to everything you can possibly think of, depending on what type of therapy work you want to do (people with mental disablities? elderly people? young kids with health problems?). If you want to do a mixture, you can set up 'real-life' situations where you're the kid who may pull his tail (don't forget to do it gently and treat him of course) or maybe the elderly woman who may lean on him for support for a second...or, maybe the mentally disabled person who may walk strangely.
Parking lots are a great place to bring Dakota. There are so many different types of people, wheelchairs, carriages, loud people, shy people...always have him sit before getting petted, unless you release him with an OK.
Do you know of any elderly people in your area? You could say your trying to get your dog as used to as many people as possible, and were wondering if you could bring Dakota over sometime (different environment, different people, but a lot less pressure for the first few trial runs. ;D )
Oh, yeah, and there are also websites that offer vests you can buy...I can try to find it if you would like. Usually they say something like "PLEASE PET ME" or "THERAPY DOG" or something of the sort.
I remember when I got my dog used to a vest, he looked like a bucking bronco...I felt as if I were saddle breaking a horse. ;D
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Post by ripley on Oct 15, 2004 19:29:53 GMT -5
Yes there are nursing homes around here, also a special school for kids with physical and mental disabilities, although I'm not sure with some of the health problems the kids there have, if they would let a dog in. My mom used to work in the Special Ed. field and they didn't like animals to be in or near some of the kids. I'm not sure why. I used to take my grandpa's mini schnauzer, Sam, into the nursing home to visit my grandma when she had a stroke, the people at the home didn't mind a bit and even though sam was horribly behaved compared to Rip and Dakota, she was welcomed.
Luv, if you know where to find those vests, please let me know! I take walks in the park with him (on-leash) and a "please pet me" vest would make the cuddly pup look even more inviting. ;D
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Post by Aussienot on Oct 16, 2004 1:07:39 GMT -5
Taking the liberty of jumping in here, LDS leather has a range of service dog vests and patches, and could make something up for you custom. They also have a nice patch with 'Service Dog' fixed, and 'In Training' or 'On Duty' attached with velcro, so you can simply replace the 'In Training' as your dog progresses. http://www.ldsleather.com./patches.html#trainingLDS is an ace company, I've ordered from them many times before.
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Post by Iluvmypup on Oct 16, 2004 17:44:35 GMT -5
www.sitstay.com/store/clothing/service1.shtml?engine=adwords!195&keyword=%28service+dog%29 Thats not the site I was looking for, but I'll check again later. If you scroll down to the bottom, theres a patch that says "Ask to pet me...I'm friendly". It has to be sewn on though, unlike the other site I'll try to find for you that offers the saying right on the vest.
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Post by ripley on Oct 17, 2004 2:00:05 GMT -5
Thanks for the links! LOL yet another thing to save up for. (Will start saving for that after their neuters and after I get a big chest freezer for their meat) I like the idea of the velcro patches, but I'm worried that my wriggly little pup would scratch them off..
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Post by ashtonluise on Feb 1, 2013 2:38:38 GMT -5
According to me dog therapy is really so important in regular scheduling of dog. There are lots of techniques included in therapy. You should have to be aware of every therapy if you owns a dog and wants to maintain its strength for long time.
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