Therapy Dog
A therapy dog is a specially trained dog in animal-assisted therapy and in therapeutic or educational intervention techniques to assist people in therapy or training units or at an individual level. A therapy dog is always under the guidance of his/her guardian who is also the handler of the dog and can work in hospitals, nursing homes, special education centres, speech therapy centres, occupational therapy centres, psychiatric/psychotherapeutic units, rehabilitation centres and schools. Therapy dogs may be trained in different techniques. For example, if the dog works in early intervention, the exercises he/she will learn, will be different from those needed for a nursing home or a school. We may meet various names for dogs that take part in visitation programs, for example “reading” dogs, or “visiting” dogs. These dogs do not necessarily participate in intervention programs as they offer emotional support through simple interactions with the individuals. Therefore, they should only be assessed for their personality through PADA Test and trained in basic obedience. On the other hand, the term “therapy” dog is used for dogs that participate in any sort of intervention (therapy, education), even if their training is different depending on the field of work.
Benefits of Therapy Dogs in Treatment
Therapy dogs function as a very important complementary unit in therapy and education, as they create greater motivation for the participant or patient, encourages the individual’s participation in the therapy-activity, helps to further improve the relationship between the therapist-educator or nurse with the patient or participant, improve focus of attention on specific tasks during treatment or education and promotes the will for positive change.
Therapy Dogs Certification
Therapy Dogs must be trained appropriately and pass an International Certification, that allows participation in therapy interventions in the public field of most countries. Thus, dogs are selected based on their personality, then they are assessed for their personality characteristics through the Personality Assessment Test PADA Test that shows if their suitable to be trained in Animal Assisted Intervention. Afterwords they are trained by our team together with their handlers for about 2 years. Once the training is complete, dogs must successfully pass a second Test with their guardian/handler by an international organization for the final certification as a therapy dog.
Are you interested in Therapy Dog & Handler training?
If you are interested in Therapy Dog & Handler training, please call +30 6983067428 or fill out the form.
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