Therapy Animal Program
Therapy animals are animals specially trained to provide comfort and aid to the public. Therapy animals do not have public access rights, but can be invited to an establishment to perform their work. Therapy animals and their handlers are known as therapy teams. Therapy teams often work in locations like hospitals, schools, retirement homes, and more.
Different types of therapy animals
Did you know different types of animals can do therapy work. The purpose of therapy animals are to provide comfort and be calming to the public. Lots of different types of animals are capable of understanding and providing this comfort. At Saving Duos we train many different types of animals including but not limited to: miniature horses, dogs, cats, and goats. Deciding on the right type of therapy animal depends on many factors including where you live, what animal you are equip to care for, your personal life and preferences, and more. Reach out today to see what animal would be the best fit for you.
Choosing a therapy animal
Whether it be a brand new baby or a rescue, picking the right animal for the job is important for your success and happiness as a team. Therapy animals must show no reactivity or aggression as well as being super calm, stable, and neutral. While not a guarantee, this is something we can look and test for in animals– especially dogs. We use The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test on dogs to see which puppy would be right for therapy work. For other animals, rescue dogs, and older dogs we use similar tests to see their unique personality and judge if they would be a good fit for therapy work.
Becoming a certified team
Saving Duos certified therapy animals go through extensive training and testing to meet requirements of therapy work. Each therapy teams training plan will be unique to them for success, but graduation requirements include passing our therapy animal test and meeting volunteer hour requirements. All of our graduated therapy dogs must also pass their Canine Good Citizen Test, our therapy animal test, and have 25 hours of in training therapy dog visits. While non-dog therapy animals cannot formally pass a Canine Good Citizen test, they are required to know the same skills and will be tested on them at Saving Duos.
Therapy Animal Training Plan
Socialization
All of our animals go through socialization to make sure they are calm and confident. During our therapy animal socialization, we visit lots of pet-friendly locations, desensitize grooming and vet needs, and work on keeping your animal confident and comfortable in all situations. We also emphasize understanding how to remain calm for pets from the time your animal is young to help them succeed in their work. We encourage everyone to start this training as young as possible. Animals without all their vaccines will begin training from the safety of a stroller or wagon.
Beginners Training
Beginners training helps teach any animal the basics of how to live life. We focus on helping them gain confidence through exploring and form the base of their commands. While customizable, this training typically includes potty training, foundations of recall, confidence building, crate training, walking on a leash, learning to settle, continuation of vet care, continuation of grooming care, and learning how to interact with other animals.
Basics Training
Basics training is where obedience starts to become the center of our attention. We begin developing and practicing our Canine Good Citizen Skills. Including:
- Accept of a friendly stranger
- Sitting politely for petting
- Appearance and grooming
- Loose leash walking
- Walking through a crowd
- Sit, down, and stay
- Recall
- Remaining calm and controlled around other dogs
- Remaining calm and confident around distractions
- Supervised Separation
Advanced therapy dog skills training
After your dog has mastered the above skills and passed their Canine Good Citizen we will begin learning Saving Duos skills to pass their therapy dog test. These include:
- Tandem Team Walking
- Sitting for pets
- Standing for pets
- Laying for pets
- Approaching strangers upon command
- Offering a belly command
- Walking with a stranger
- Friendly of mascots
- Tolerating clothes, toys, and more.
Final Evaluation
Once you have your Canine Good Citizen, have completed 25 hours of in therapy volunteer work, and are confident in your dogs skills you are ready or the Saving Duos Therapy Dog Certification Test. Reach out to us to schedule your certification test!
Saving Duos 