Have you ever wondered if your dog could be therapy dog?
If someone decides their dog is ready to be a therapy dog, they should honestly assess if their dog truly enjoys meeting new people and is at ease when being handled by them. Ask yourself: How comfortable is your dog in new environments, around noises, groups of people (including kids)? Does your dog have a good basic training foundation using positive reinforcement? Can you pup be excited about meeting new people but also remain calm enough to put others at ease?
Remember, it’s important to never force a dog into a role that they don’t truly enjoy, as engaging in therapy work is a choice that needs to be made by both handler AND the dog.
Calm behaviors can be taught just like any other behavior. You can always train behaviors, but you can’t train the desire to interact – that’s up to the pup!
You can read more about what it takes to be a therapy dog in this Pet Pals TV article by P&T here: Would your pup make a good therapy dog? (petpalstv.com)
