The Dood DID IT!!

Ivan successfully passed his evaluation to become a part of a local therapy animal organization.  This is not a national organization but perfect for what we need and we are covered by the organizations insurance when on visits. They evaluated him even though he isn't a year old yet.  The vets that evaluated Ivan thought he did a great job and had no concerns about his ability to work with people.  The test was not as in depth as what we anticipate it will be for Pet Partners or another national therapy dog organization.  It covered basic obedience commands, interacting with other dogs, interacting with crowds, being approached by unsteady people using walkers/wheelchairs and receiving lots of attention (group hug/clumsy petting etc) from strangers.

We plan to start going on visits very soon but first we want to take care of getting Ivan neutered.  I wish the timing would have been different but it looks like we won't get any visits in before the surgery.  He has an appointment early next week to see if he is ready and if he is we will schedule the surgery ASAP.  But once he is completely healed from this we will be out making the community a happier place one dog kiss at a time!

We are still working with our in-home trainer and Ivan is working towards the AKC Canine Good Citizen award.  He will hopefully accomplish that by early next year.  After that, we will see where he is at but I think we will work with the local therapy dog organization for maybe a year before looking into being evaluated by Pet Partners.  I want to make sure he is good and ready.

Give us about a month and then start checking back for updates on Ivan's visits in the community.  I am sure, as with everything so far, it will be a learning experience.  Stay tuned!!

Training the Dood

Obviously, one of the most important areas in preparing your dog to be a therapy dog, is training.  Based on what we read on the Internet and books, we knew from the beginning we needed to get our dog socialized.  So, even before he started actual training, we had him out in public meeting other people and experiencing the public.  We took him on car rides, to outdoor concerts, short car trips and anywhere he was allowed in public.  I think Ivan has a great personality but I think this helped improve his disposition.

We have an outdoor shopping area not far from us and we have walked Ivan in that area numerous times.  The sidewalks are wide so when we encounter people we have room to let them pass.  Also, on one visit, I noticed that some of the stores have a dog paw sticker on their door that says that dogs are welcome in their store.  We started going into those stores when we visited.  It teaches him to go around objects and encounter people. 

As far as formal training, we did a combo of group training and one on one training.  The group training was great because he was able to interact with other dogs and people.  The one on one training has been good for the obvious reason- he gets the trainers full attention.  We also spend time between training, working with Ivan. I purchased a 15 ft leash from Amazon and we practice in a large green space or on a dead end section of road in our neighborhood.  We work on sit, stay, come during those sessions.  I also consider the (almost) daily brushing as training. He has to accept being touched and brushed as part of acceptance to be a therapy dog.  I also have a list of the things Ivan will be tested on for Canine Good Citizenship and we try to go over those regularly. 

The first big test to see how he is doing will be next week.  Ivan is trying out for a local therapy dog organization.  The standards are similar to what most require but Ivan does not have to be a year old to participate.  I think he has a pretty good chance but all depends on which Ivan shows up-crazy puppy or mature puppy.  My hope is that this will help get him used to therapy work and I can see if he really enjoys it.  I have a pretty strong feeling that he will love it but I look forward to finding out with him. 

We may not go beyond this organization.  This organization in not national but we are covered by insurance on visits and they have a small number of facilities participating.  Through them, he can visit the students in my husbands kindergarten class as long as the school signs the consent form.  They are currently considering the idea so hopefully that will work out.  In the meantime, we have been doing Zoom meetings with the students so they can become familiar with Ivan.  We still have some kinks to work out- he slept through the last meeting- but we are hopeful.

What's What- Service, Emotional Support & Therapy

It is very important that you, as the dogs handler and everyone else involved, understands the difference between service, emotional support and therapy dogs.  They are very different and all have different uses.  Here is a really good article from AKC about the three types of dogs.  I summarized the article below but it is still worth the read.

Service Dogs 

These dogs are trained to work with someone with a disability.  A disability can be physical, mental, sensory, educational or psychiatric according to the ADA-Americans with Disabilities Act.  These dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures, guide someone that is blind, help someone in a wheelchair and many other tasks.  Service dogs are not limited to where they can go in public-they are allowed anywhere and must be permitted in housing regardless of the pet policy.  They are exempt from airline fees but they do have to follow the rules of the airlines regarding service animals.

Emotional Support ESA

In order for an animal to be considered ESA, it must be prescribed by a mental health professional because the person has a mental condition.  The animal is trained to aid person with a mental disability.  They are not service animals but rather companion animals that help ease the stress of a person with a mental/psychological disability.  ESAs do not have unlimited access to public places or on airplanes but the person needs to carry a letter from their doctor to prove the need for the animal.  These animals do have rights under the Fair Housing Act to have accommodations made for them in housing that wouldn't normally allow pets.

Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs are different than service or emotional support animals.  They are part of a team rather than serving their handler.  The team volunteers in places like hospitals, schools, libraries, hospice and other places to bring comfort and love to the people in those environments.  A therapy dog should be calm and not easily upset by new environments, loud noises or unsteady people.  Therapy dogs have very few rights for entering public places.  It is the job of the handler to know where the dog is welcome or check with the establishment before bringing the dog.  The team should also be insured which is usually part of the therapy registration with an AKC recognized therapy dog organization.  

Something to keep in mind when bringing your dog into public places- always ask or look for a sticker on the establishment that says they are dog friendly. We have an outdoor shopping area close to us and I just recently noticed that many of the stores have stickers on their doors saying they welcome dogs.  This is an area where we are practicing "greeting a friendly stranger" because we know we are welcome in many of the stores.  

Another aspect not really discussed in the article is for the handler to be ready to explain the difference between the three types of animals.  People often mistakenly identify a therapy dog as a service dog and it is important to politely correct/educate them.  Ivan is a big fluffy Goldendoodle so I often say he is a "big fluffy stress ball" that brings happiness and love wherever he goes.  His job is to be a pal and bring love.

The article also talks about the AKC Canine Good Citizen program which is something Ivan is working towards.  He can't test for it until he is a year old but we are already working on all the different parts required for him.  Many of the things he needs to pass for the CGC are the same things required to pass to become registered as a therapy dog.  His current trainer is an AKC CGC evaluator so he is helping us work towards it.

Sources

Reisen, Jan. “Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, Therapy Dogs: What's the Difference?”                     American Kennel Club, 31 July 2019, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/service-                  emotional-support-ptsd-therapy-difference/?                                                                                            utm_medium=email&utm_source=shop&utm_campaign=20190901_shp_service-dog-                        month_article&utm_term=20190901_shp_service-dog-month.

Where to Start...

One of the other big reasons for starting this blog is in hopes that it might help someone else on their path to training their dog to become a therapy dog.  At times, I have felt pretty lost and wondering what I should be doing for him.  I found information about dogs that were already therapy dogs (Zoe, Dixie) but I struggled to find anything on the process of becoming a therapy dog.  I looked for book(Therapy Dogs for Dummies??) but nothing.  I am still searching because I can't believe there isn't something out there that someone else has written.  If I find anything, I will share it on this blog.

In the meantime, I will share as much as I can about our journey.  I am figuring it out as I go so I can't guarantee what I am posting is the perfect path.  I have already mentioned in previous posts that we started obedience training early.  I decided to use a dog training facility in my area called The Dog Spot.  I knew Ivan needed something a little more than a class at a large corporate pet store and this seemed a good fit.  I attended an orientation that explained their philosophy on training and that also allowed me to see the facility.

I found another training facility in the KC area that did have a class geared towards therapy dogs.  Now, I realize, if I had picked this path I might not still have all these questions.  It might have put me in touch with others who are on the same path.  However, it finally came down to cost and not being able to read the future.  We were just starting out with training.  I felt like our 3 month old puppy would do good with training but I had no way of knowing for sure.  We made the decision that we would take a chance on training and see how it went.  Ivan might become a therapy dog or he might just be a "stay at home" dog.  The therapy dog class would have cost over $900 and The Dog Spot training would be about $300 for a puppy class and an adolescent class.  Once Ivan completed the 2nd class with The Dog Spot, we decided we needed a little more one on one work to get him to the next level.  We are now working with a trainer that comes to our house through Canine Dimensions.  In the end, this is going to cost about what the therapy dog class would have cost.  I still think we went the right route.

For the first several months with Ivan, our main focus was basic obedience and socializing him.  During that time I was also trying to figure out what path to take to get him to therapy dog but I was pretty lost.  I hoped he would be able to help in my daughters school but I really had no idea what that meant or how to go about it.  What therapy dog organization should I get him into?  So, we did what we could and spent spring and summer getting him out with people as much as possible. We got him used to riding in the car and walking on a leash.  Even though at this point we didn't know how we were going to get to our end result, we tried to focus on training and hoped the rest would eventually fall into place.

Back to School with One Cool Dood

Like many of you, our house is going back to school this week.  My daughter actually started last week and my husband, a kindergarten teacher, started today.  We are getting back into our school routine but this year is a little different with the addition of a very active doodle.  He loves to be right in the middle of all the excitement which means under my feet as I simultaneously unload the dishwasher, make lunch and get breakfast started.  Or his other favorite activity is slowing down my already slow moving daughter.

I have started using a snuffle mat to keep him occupied for at least part of the busiest time.  You can find instructions for making a snuffle mat on his Pinterest page.  I used this mat I found on Amazon for the base and leftover fleece material from a blanket I made for him.   I used a lighter weight one I found at a dollar type store but it didn't work well.  In order for the pieces to stay, you have to tie them pretty tight and this caused the mat to curl up.  We also use a lick mat at times but I don't like it as much.  It can be difficult to clean if you use peanut butter because it really gets down in the groves. I add about a 1/4 cup of dog food or his favorite treats and getting his snuffle mat ready has just become part of the pre-walk routine.

Speaking of walks...Ivan and I really enjoy our morning walk.  We work on sit, high five and other training and we get to enjoy some quiet time in the morning.  As Ivan has gotten bigger (he is 6.5 months and 40lbs) he has started pulling a bit.  Both of our trainers suggested a front clip harness.  I purchased this one which has been a game changer! I now feel like I am walking Ivan rather than him walking me.

His favorite part of back to school is the car rider line for school.  He loves seeing all the kids, teachers and saying good-bye/greeting his favorite girl.  The new harness also has a back clip that works perfectly with his seat belt.  I never used a seat belt for a dog before but now I can't imagine ever not using one.  Our others dogs weren't big for riding in the car but I got Ivan used to it right away.  The seat belt not only keeps him safe but it also keeps him from roaming around in the car. 

And now...he is ready for his second favorite thing about back to school...

Oh My Doodle!

I am starting this blog to document the adventures with our Goldendoodle, Ivan.  He was born 2/15/2019 and before he even came home to live with us, we knew we wanted to train him to be a therapy dog.  About a month after he came to live with us, we started working on training him for obedience.  He has completed 2 obedience classes at The Dog Spot and is now working with Grant from Canine Dimensions.  Grant comes to the house to help us work with Ivan.  He is doing great and Grant has no doubt he will be an awesome therapy dog.

A little bit about being a therapy dog. (for more check out this from Ivan's website)  This is different than a service dog or emotion support dog.  Ivan will work with people in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, libraries etc and will be there to cheer them up and be a "fluffy stress ball" as my daughter likes to say.  He can't go anywhere he wants like a service dog but we have found several places around town that he is welcome.  In order to be considered a therapy dog, a dog has to be certified.  There are several organizations that can certify a dog and we are still determining which would be the best one for Ivan.  Once he is certified with an organization, he will be insured and can start working with people.  Until then, we are just working to train him on obedience and socialization.

Currently, we are focusing on training for the AKC Good Citizen Advanced Certification and he can test for that in February.  Once he gets this certification, becoming a therapy dog should be relatively simple. He will also be taking the evaluation to work with an organization called Platte County Pet Power and they do many things similar to therapy dog organizations.  However, he can join this organization (if he passed evaluation) before he turns a year old.  We hope this will help him gain some experience with working as a therapy dog and get more practice using obedience skills.

Come back soon for updates on how Ivan is progressing and some of the crazy adventures he has along the way.  I will share what is working for us in training and what isn't working so well.  I will share our successes and our setbacks.  My hope is that this can be used for future dog owners who want to go down this same path with their dogs.