What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?
Therapy dogs are not service dogs. According to the AKC, service dogs are explicitly trained to aid their owners and be with them 24/7 because of a disability or impairment. Therapy dogs are taught to lift spirits for various charity organizations or facilities to boost mental health! These smart doggos are brought into nursing homes, libraries, classrooms, hospices, or shelters to add valuable reassurance or calmness to those in need.
What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?
- Your pup must love human contact and meeting new people.
- Therapy dogs must be emotionally calm in all situations.
- Dogs are expected to be physically calm, have good manners, and have a good personality.
If your furry friend didn’t get 3/3 of those bullet points, they would likely not be a good therapy dog. Most dogs aren’t suitable because of their temperament levels. Too much affection can scare children, and too much excitement can overwhelm seniors. Therapy dogs need to be able to maintain personal tranquility to be able to adapt to various situations. Overexcited pups could cause havoc with a wagging tail, pulling out IVs or knocking over bookshelves.
Responsibilities of Therapy Dog Owners
Therapy dogs should be able to stay calm in stressful situations, but it’s also up to their owners/handlers to try their best to eliminate those stressors the best they can. Handlers need to control what’s going on, who’s going where, and where Fido needs them to be. Reading your pup’s body language is the best way to self-prevent any incidents; you should know your pet better than anyone else. Therapy dogs can only handle meeting so many people, so owners hopefully can tell when their furry friend needs a break and some alone time.
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