Therapy
The sweet, gentle nature of BMDs makes them perfect candidates for visiting hospitals, senior centers, nursing homes and schools. Therapy dogs must have good social skills, be obedient, and have the appropriate temperament for working in the therapy environment.
Therapy Teams must complete classroom training, pass an evaluation, and meet the strict criteria set forth by the registration/certification organization. These organizations usually carry insurance on each therapy team for their fieldwork, and they do not allow teams to have multiple certification affiliations. They also require periodic renewal evaluations.
Therapy Dogs are not service dogs. Service Dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for people who need assistance. Rather, Therapy Dogs are ambassadors of emotional warm fuzzies through their visits to humans in need of well-mannered, cheerful affection. (AAV) Animal-Assisted Visitation is the more familiar category of therapy dog work.
Recently, therapy dogs have been used as tools in rehabilitative, goal-oriented therapy managed by a healthcare professional for individuals undergoing physical or occupational therapy. Another form of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) involves the use of therapy dogs in reading programs with children.
There are also hybrid AAT/AAV programs that involve visitation interaction and behavior modification techniques. These programs may be found at psychiatric hospitals and prisons.
The Canines for Therapy Program is offered through Canines for Service in Wilmington, NC. Volunteer teams must successfully complete a six-week course to become certified to volunteer in the community as a Canine for Therapy Team. For more information, see the links below.
Therapy Dogs International is another registration/certification organization that is recognized by the AKC. A complete list of these organizations can be found at akc.org.
The AKC Therapy Dog Program is designed to acknowledge the contributions made by therapy dogs and their owners. Dogs must be certified by an AKC-recognized therapy dog organization and they must complete the required number of visits to earn AKC Titles.
For Further Information, see
Therapy Teams must complete classroom training, pass an evaluation, and meet the strict criteria set forth by the registration/certification organization. These organizations usually carry insurance on each therapy team for their fieldwork, and they do not allow teams to have multiple certification affiliations. They also require periodic renewal evaluations.
Therapy Dogs are not service dogs. Service Dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for people who need assistance. Rather, Therapy Dogs are ambassadors of emotional warm fuzzies through their visits to humans in need of well-mannered, cheerful affection. (AAV) Animal-Assisted Visitation is the more familiar category of therapy dog work.
Recently, therapy dogs have been used as tools in rehabilitative, goal-oriented therapy managed by a healthcare professional for individuals undergoing physical or occupational therapy. Another form of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) involves the use of therapy dogs in reading programs with children.
There are also hybrid AAT/AAV programs that involve visitation interaction and behavior modification techniques. These programs may be found at psychiatric hospitals and prisons.
The Canines for Therapy Program is offered through Canines for Service in Wilmington, NC. Volunteer teams must successfully complete a six-week course to become certified to volunteer in the community as a Canine for Therapy Team. For more information, see the links below.
Therapy Dogs International is another registration/certification organization that is recognized by the AKC. A complete list of these organizations can be found at akc.org.
The AKC Therapy Dog Program is designed to acknowledge the contributions made by therapy dogs and their owners. Dogs must be certified by an AKC-recognized therapy dog organization and they must complete the required number of visits to earn AKC Titles.
For Further Information, see