It is not uncommon for many owners to feel their dogs would be great at therapy work because of how loving and cuddly their dogs are at home with their owners and family. The dog’s home is mostly a reliable environment and a place of comfort, as it should be.
The reality is, however, that not all dogs are able to do therapy work and not every human is cut out for handling a dog for this purpose. You see, once you take a dog out of their reliable and comfortable environment, a dog can behave very differently. Some dogs become stressed, and any training goes out the window.
When a dog is too anxious, they can’t learn and even struggle to be redirected. The reason for this is that dogs are environmental creatures, meaning their environment has a direct impact on their behavior. A dog’s temperament will almost always show its true self once you expose them to a different environment from what they are used to and comfortable with.
Some dogs are confident and able to handle any environment, but some are not and once this starts to play out, a handler can become stressed too. Owners are thinking, “Why is my wonderful, well-behaved dog behaving this way?” The handlers’ stress and anxiety go right down the leash to the dog creating a hot mess. It is important that you, as a handler, have realistic expectations of all that goes into training to become a therapy dog team for both the dog AND the handler.
Therapy work is just that. Work. A dog in the workplace is working hard and the expectations of the animal are high. It is quite mentally taxing for a dog to do visits all while holding still, not jumping, not licking and having lots of impulse control. A therapy dog must have basic obedience skills and be able to settle down and be still. A therapy dog must WANT to be petted and hugged and handled. Many dogs will tolerate handling and will do anything for a cookie, but a huge part of being a therapy dog is that the dog wants to be there, enjoys it, and demonstrates that with their body language.
While many issues can be addressed and resolved in training, a dog’s desire to participate cannot be forced and for this reason alone, not every dog will pass the program regardless of how much training is given.
Being a therapy dog handler is additional work for YOU, the handler. You will have additional work to strengthen the relationship with your dog so that it will be excited to do the work you ask of it. Many therapy dog handlers tell us that after a two hour visit with just their dog as their sole responsibility, they find themselves exhausted. You are a professional, who will also have your job to be responsible for. You’re going to need to discover a balance that will be safe and effective for everyone involved with your dog when visiting in your place of work.
At the final evaluation, the result will be ultimately defined by the relationship you have developed with your animal.
Is my dog a good fit? Reach out to our trainers, Angel Dogs, for an assessment (angeldogsaz@gmail.com)