If you’re thinking of doing therapy dog visits with your dog… it’s a good idea to seek training that is specifically geared to this type of activity before you sign your dog up to be evaluated by a registered therapy dog organization such as Bright Spot Therapy Dogs in Western Massachusetts.
That said, therapy dog training can be hard to find – at least, training by folks who have been involved themselves with therapy dog work. This may not be the registered dog trainer who is highly skilled in training your dog in obedience and agility at all levels. The person qualified to teach therapy dog training is someone who has been involved with this work for many years and who has trained and visited with his or her own therapy dogs in a variety of settings.
The benefits of using therapy dogs in both education and healthcare have become widely recognized in the past two decades resulting in an increased number of dog owners interested in becoming involved with this type of work. With this awareness has come a need – and demand – for training specific to therapy dog activities.
About four years ago, I began noticing the rapidly increasing number of people seeking therapy dog training in our area. These were people who wanted to do it right… get trained, then get evaluated and certified. I decided to develop classes employing the knowledge I have gained over my 2o years of visiting with my six therapy dogs in several different types of healthcare settings that would teach people the basic seeks and techniques they need to do beginning therapy dog work These classes proved so successful that I developed advanced training classes. Most people end up taking both the Beginners and Advanced classes before seeking evaluation and certification for their dog. I am very proud that people have traveled as far away as Maine to attend my classes.
If you live in New England and are looking for training, you’re in luck… we’ve just scheduled a Beginners Therapy Dog Training Workshop. A description of the workshop can be found on the Bright Spot website (click on Training Workshops). For registration information, go to the True Blue Dog Training website.
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