How to Become a Therapy Dog Trainer

Therapy dogs are well-trained animals that are often taken into areas such as hospitals and nursing homes where they interact with the patients there in a calming, affectionate manner. Training these dogs can be a difficult task, but patience and an in-depth understanding of therapy dog training techniques can make the process much easier.

1. Understand what is expected of a therapy dog. Therapy dogs are taken into settings where they will need to remain calm at all times, they should be able to display and return affection very frequently. These settings often include people of all ages, which means that a therapy dog should be comfortable with people ranging from young children to the elderly. It is extremely important that the dog not show aggression or become uncomfortable during activities such as hugging or being picked up.


2. Sign up for a membership with a well-established therapy dog training organization. These organizations can provide you with training advice and even full manuals that cover the techniques used in training a therapy dog. The organization should also be able to evaluate and certify your dog once you have completed the training process.


3. Absorb as much therapy dog training information as is available to you. This means requesting and studying the manuals or guides offered by the dog training organization, as well as purchasing books and other educational material on your own.


4. Begin training your therapy dog. Once you have completed your education in therapy dog training, you are ready to purchase or adopt a dog and begin training it. Do not hesitate to contact members of your therapy dog training organization if you run into any problems.


5. Contact your dog training organization and have them send someone to evaluate your therapy dog when you have finished training it.