Our 9 1/2 yr old standard size doodle sadly passed in August. Non allergic for our grown kids. Thinking our next dog might be a standard poodle who could also be trained as a therapy dog. We are retired and have the time to train.
Anyone have experiences in the training? How did it go? And did you do anything that was different than hospitals/nursing homes? Like kids reading to dogs, or other unusual options?
I have a dog that needs therapy, does that count?
For real, this dog is on Prozac.
I applaud your interest in therapy dogs, though. There is a group of folks near us that bring friendly dogs to the nearby college campuses so the students can pet dogs and decompress during exams, etc.
Ha, me too (dog that needs therapy - currently on Prozac). I looked briefly into therapy dog with a former dog but while she was incredibly sweet she had been an adult rescue and sometimes got anxious in large groups so I gave it up. There were several groups around me that trained/certified the dogs so I would google and see what you come up with. But it will really depend on the dog’s personality as well as your ability to train the dog thoroughly. My current dog I got as an 8-week old puppy and he’s well-trained but anxiety and associated reactivity were just baked into him presumably from birth and while I can minimize it he’s still unpredictable. So you never know.
Just found an older 2023 thread ‘Colleges with access to therapy dogs’. Very enlightening.
Not just colleges:
My dog was a certified therapy dog. It’s a long process. We went through puppy training classes, the AKC’s Good Citizen certification, and then the therapy dog training. Our therapy dog training had hours of training at a local nursing home facility that focused on brain injuries. They basically want to see how the dogs react to chaotic environments, lots of noise, mechanical pieces of equipment, things being dropped around them, etc….
One of the most difficult parts of the final therapy exam was the dog walking independently across a long room with food on the floor and having to “leave it” all. That took a lot of training on my part! They teach that so a dog doesn’t inadvertently eat a pill that has fallen on the floor that could cause them harm.
We volunteered together at a hospice inpatient unit for a number of years.
It’s very rewarding if your dog has the right temperament and enjoys it!
I know people who have done seeing eye puppies, canine companions for independence, and various types of therapy dogs. The first two require you to surrender the dog (which is very hard, although you will probably be first in line to get the dog if it flunks out for any reason ‘ and there are a zillion!) Some of the therapy dogs were very sweet and friendly, but a tad excitable and never would pass @momofboiler1 ‘s floor of food test! My hunch, based on this, is it depends on what kind of therapy you’re doing, with what population, etc. You might want to check out the local programs to see how they differ and what the requirements are – you new pup may be perfect for one, some, or all. But go for it!
I have a friend who trains therapy dogs, another who fosters pups who are hopefully future service dogs and a third who had a therapy dog, and was a bit (IMO) too proud about who much stuff she wrote off (dog food, vet visits, travel, everything related to the dog) on her taxes 
Oh my.
I was at a local library today and asked about Therapy dogs. Apparently our school district does not have them, but our library system does and it’s called Dog Ears. The dog sits and the children read to the dog in 15 minute sessions. Apparently it is very popular. They mentioned the following organizations that you can become certified:
Loves and Wags
K 9 to 5
Pet partners
Alliance of Therapy Dogs
Therapy Dogs International
I’m going to do some online further investigating of these organizations.
I haven’t, but I’m so happy to hear people are doing this. Our school district has a pack of dogs. I think 12 across 7 buildings. It does wonders for the kids! Such a great thing to offer those who need it. All our events have at least 1 dog attend and the handler has to be there as well. Events like graduation have a few dogs there. They are well loved dogs!
We used Therapy Dogs International!
I haven’t ever trained a therapy dog, but a friend of mine just got paired up with her new seeing eye dog through Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Costs nothing to the person who the trained leader dog is assigned to. Her dog was trained by a prison inmate. She’s had a leader dog before…that dog just recently was retired from working dog life and is now a regular family pet with her family (my friend is blind). It’s totally transformed her life.
The organization’s website is https://www.leaderdog.org/.
Guide dogs and dogs trained to assist people with medical conditions go through a much different training than a therapy dog for visits to medical facilities and working with kids.
I’ve been involved in therapy dog work for years. Training took longer with one of my dogs, mainly to temperament and inconsistent training on my part. He loves people and other dogs too much so it was hard for him to learn to settle enough to focus on me and my directions. Having to do a meet and greet with another therapy dog team during the test as well as walk on a loose leash through a crowd with another dog present took a lot of practice. My other dog breezed through those exercises - but the food challenge almost failed us!
We get requested to visit a variety of places. Health fairs, schools/colleges (especially during midterms and finals), libraries, nursing homes, funeral homes, hospice, various community events. Its been really fun and rewarding.