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Canine Comfort, LLC
Your partner in therapy dog program development
Your partner in therapy dog program development
What Are Therapy Dogs?
Therapy dogs bring comfort, support, love, and animal companionship to
people of all ages in a variety of settings. Therapy dogs can be any breed,
size, shape, and color. No one particular breed is specifically suited to
therapy dog work – the correct temperament is most important. A therapy
dog must love people and be well-socialized, even-tempered, calm, tolerant,
and polite.
True therapy dogs are registered through a professional organization such
as Therapy Dogs, Incorporated. Minimum age for testing is one year old.
The testing process is thorough and dogs and handlers are tested on items
related to environmental challenges, temperament, and team skills.
Dogs being considered for therapy dog work should be able to:
Therapy dogs teams are comprised of a registered therapy dog and theirhandler functioning in a volunteer capacity. Therapy dog teams are
prohibited from receiving compensation for their visits. Therapy dogs are
not service dogs and do not have the same access rights as service dogs
dictated by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Misrepresentation of a
therapy dog as a service dog can result in fines and jail time.
Handlers considering therapy dog work must:
Where Do Therapy Dogs Visit?
Therapy dogs and their handlers are flexible and often visit people in many
different environments, provided it is safe for all parties involved. They may
visit:
Documented benefits of therapy dog visits include:
Therapy dogs bring comfort, support, love, and animal companionship to
people of all ages in a variety of settings. Therapy dogs can be any breed,
size, shape, and color. No one particular breed is specifically suited to
therapy dog work – the correct temperament is most important. A therapy
dog must love people and be well-socialized, even-tempered, calm, tolerant,
and polite.
True therapy dogs are registered through a professional organization such
as Therapy Dogs, Incorporated. Minimum age for testing is one year old.
The testing process is thorough and dogs and handlers are tested on items
related to environmental challenges, temperament, and team skills.
Dogs being considered for therapy dog work should be able to:
 | Willingly initiate contact with unfamiliar people | |
| Demonstrate good social skills and manners | |
| Function comfortably around medical equipment (hospital beds, | |
| wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen concentrators, bed alarms, etc.) | ||
| Demonstrate behaviors on cue in the midst of distractions | |
| Greet people politely with all four paws on the ground | |
| Calmly accept demonstrative affection from unfamiliar people | |
| Remain well-controlled around other dogs |
Therapy dogs teams are comprised of a registered therapy dog and their
prohibited from receiving compensation for their visits. Therapy dogs are
not service dogs and do not have the same access rights as service dogs
dictated by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Misrepresentation of a
therapy dog as a service dog can result in fines and jail time.
Handlers considering therapy dog work must:
| Enjoy being around people of all ages | |
| Be friendly, polite, and easy going | |
| Be an active listener | |
| Have the ability to communicate with different populations | |
| Be aware of his/her dog at all times | |
| Be in control of my dog at all times | |
| Praise his/her dog’s good behavior | |
| Have the ability to positively redirect his/her dog’s inappropriate | |
| behavior | ||
| Know the signs of stress in his/her dog and know how to relieve it | |
| promptly | ||
| Follow strict confidentiality rules | |
| Not make excuses for his/her dog’s shortcomings | |
| Want to his/her dog to become a therapy dog because the dog would | |
| genuinely enjoy working in this capacity |
Where Do Therapy Dogs Visit?
Therapy dogs and their handlers are flexible and often visit people in many
different environments, provided it is safe for all parties involved. They may
visit:
| Hospice patients in a setting the patient calls “home” | |
| Skilled Nursing Facilities | |
| Assisted Living Facilities | |
| Community Based Residential Facilities | |
| Hospitals | |
| Grief Support Groups | |
| Public Libraries | |
| Schools | |
| Anywhere else the handler's imagination takes them! |
Documented benefits of therapy dog visits include:
| Increased levels of serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin (feel-good | |
| hormones!) | ||
| Decreased levels of cortisol | |
| Reduced incidence of depression | |
| Reduced blood pressure | |
| Reduced loneliness | |
| Reduced levels of pain (emotional, physical, spiritual) | |
| Welcome change from routine | |
| Entertainment! | |
| Distraction from infirmity | |
| Opportunity for life review | |
| Fill animal companionship needs | |