Therapy Sheepie-Just Curious
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| there are LOTS of therapy dogs here on the forum, and I'm sure their partners in crime will chime in. I had wanted to do this with my 2 girls, but as they matured they showed a few behavioral issues that left me less than 100% comfortable that they were right for the job. It makes me sad- I really wanted to follow the route you are taking! Good luck, and I look forward to reading about your successes with Bentley!!! |
| Hi, Lisa~ I have been involved in pet therapy for the last 20 or so years. Heart is my third therapy dog. Actually, I got Heart because Pearl who was 12 at the time, was slowing down and I needed another dog. Heart is doing a great job making Pearl very proud of her. In the program I am involved in, there are only 4 OES's out of about 300 teams. I have two of them...Sheepiemommy and Harry...and OES Lover X2 and Jake. Got sheep and Chewie are very involved in TDI (Therapy Dog International) so they can advise you on becoming a TDI team. If you have any questions I can help you with, feel free to PM me..and GOOD LUCK!!! Here is Pearl with some children with the PAWS program at our library::::  |
| It is something I am interested in doing as well with Dahlia.... however, I am going to wait until she is older....since she is only 6 months as well. I am going to see how her personality develops and decide later on---maybe next year if she and I could work together to do it. Dahlia's school is very active with the program and they know I have expressed interest so they will help me in determining the best time. |
| Shari, keep your girl socialized, training her to be calm in public and new situations......a lot of that should come naturally, but you can spot early problems and nip them. Puppy training, puppy games, etc so she learns to "learn." A lot has to do with the upright, how you react and behave in social situations rubs off on the dog. I wish you many years doing this important work. |
Thanks. We start out basic class tonight. Bentley is the most relaxed Sheepie I have ever met. We should have called him "Chill" because he is always chillin. I was walking him the other day and ran across a group of ladies I knew that were also walking. When we stopped to chat Bentley sat down to let everyone pet him then he laid down and started chillin!!  |
I will recommend it! It's my #1 favorite way to volunteer  I got started back in 1985 when a friend started a therapy dog group in our area as part of her Master's program for school - 26 years now! I've also been an evaluator with TDI (Therapy Dogs International) for 15 years. I'm not sure what you have for options in your area, as there are many national and local groups available out there to choose from. I've got a guy in my obedience classes right now who is taking class just so he can have his dog be a therapy dog. They have a great teamwork, dog is super sweet, but would have failed the test's obedience portions. They are doing great, and I have no doubt he will pass after they learn a bit more. The owner also has seen some new behaviors in his dog that he never would have seen if he wasn't in class - like barking at a couple of the strange dogs - a big no-no when out visiting. He got out w/ his dog, but hadn't seen and been exposed to enough new stuff yet. The dog needs a basic steady temperament, but if they aren't properly prepared, they won't be able to function properly as a therapy dog. They give of themselves, and that involves some stress to the dog. They need to really have a sound basis and good coping skills. New things are always going to come up that have potential to upset them - so the best scenario is to have your dog so experienced and trusting that they cope w/ the new and unusual with ease. And that takes work on the human's part to see that they get the trust and solid foundation needed.  |
| Great advice thank you. The dogs I saw at the exceptional family member program were Red Cross Therapy Dogs. The Golden was so great with the children. He worked with the autistic kids fabulously and really got them to communicate with him. It was great to see. Of course I was doing my best to stay in Character as I was so taken with the dog. After the event was over I got to sit down with the owner who works for the Red Cross and she gave me some good leads. I'm really excited about the whole thing. Next month is the beginning of Marching Band and my daughter is drum major and I am 1st VP of the Band Boosters which means I will pretty much be at band camp for 3 weeks. I plan to take Bentley up there and see how he does with the noise. Right now my daughter plays the flute piccolo, harp and is learning the sax and clarinet this summer. He isn't too crazy about the later two sounds, but he is getting used to it!! I figure it can't hurt him to adjust to different noises. Tonight is puppy orientation at the school. Level 1 begins on Wednesday but I will be out of town so we are going to have to start next week. I think he should breeze through Level 1 although he isn't great about sitting when he is distracted. Still working on that....... a long way to go I am sure but I should be fun!! |
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