wish us good luck!!!!
- Thread starter Senna
- Start date
me and rascal are also in a 4-H club and starting in august or a couple months after that he be starting obedience,showmanship,and agility...the only thing im worried about is the part of the test where he has to walk good on a leash
if anyone has in the past or has a therapy dog now i would greatly appreciate the help
if anyone has in the past or has a therapy dog now i would greatly appreciate the help
Farley passed the testing thru TDI. While there are obedience components to the testing it is not as stringent as an obed. competition is. They need to walk nicely on lead but a sharp heel position isn't necessary. No pulling, bouncing & the like. They need to be able to walk up to people & other dogs & sit while you chat. They have to allow someone else to pet them, brush them, and basically touch their feet, etc. and remain calm. Another part of the test was a sit/stay as well as a recall. There is also a part where you have to leave your dog while on lead with someone else while you leave their sight. They don't necessarily have to be in a sit/stay or down/stay but they have to remain calm, no pulling to try to go & find you & they have to remain reasonably quiet. There is also a "leave it" part which where the evaluator puts a treat on the floor with the dog looking and then you have to heel around the treat and your dog cannot take it. You can give verbal commands during this. They also must remain calm around wheelchairs, walkers, canes. At one portion of the testing the evaluator put on a big hat and started talking & acting in a very animated way. The dog can't shy away or get real bouncy. She also dropped a pot lid on the floor and watched to see how my dog reacted. A slight startle is OK but they need to recover quickly. We also had to mingle through a crowd of people with the dog staying calm even if someone reached out to touch him. TDI has recently added an element where the dog is also tested on how he reacts around a child.
What is great is if one doesn't pass the evaluators are more than willing to talk with you to let you know the areas that need work on. Then with some brushing up on those areas the test can be retaken. Many dogs aren't successful the 1st time.
It is a great feeling when you see the joy on the faces of those a therapy dog visits. We have gone to a local nursing home. While some may not be real enthusiastic to visit with a dog I have found the majority really look forward to the visits. So many of them shared their homes with a furpal and miss the interaction with them.
You can go on-line and check out Therapy Dogs International (TDI). They have a section on their site where they list the upcoming tests that people can sign up for.
Best of luck!
What is great is if one doesn't pass the evaluators are more than willing to talk with you to let you know the areas that need work on. Then with some brushing up on those areas the test can be retaken. Many dogs aren't successful the 1st time.
It is a great feeling when you see the joy on the faces of those a therapy dog visits. We have gone to a local nursing home. While some may not be real enthusiastic to visit with a dog I have found the majority really look forward to the visits. So many of them shared their homes with a furpal and miss the interaction with them.
You can go on-line and check out Therapy Dogs International (TDI). They have a section on their site where they list the upcoming tests that people can sign up for.
Best of luck!
