Are you interested in teaching your dog obedience skills which would be helpful for visiting people in hospitals and health care facilities?

Becoming a therapy dog team can be a very rewarding experience for all involved, but your dog should have a suitable temperament for this type of volunteer work. Sometimes our personal goals for our own dog are not the best match for the dog.

Therapy Dog 1 and Therapy Dog 2 classes do not provide therapy dog certification; however testing for the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation can be arranged following Therapy Dog 1 class.

Skills learned in these classes will help prepare teams if they wish to test to the Therapy Dogs International (TDI) certification standards.

Therapy Dog 1 7 weeks,1 hour/week

Basic Skills Working Skills
Accepting a friendly stranger without leaving your side .
Sitting quietly for petting and attention
Simple grooming and handling
Walking on a loose lead past and around distractions (people, dogs, wheelchairs)
Understanding simple cues ( sit, down, wait, come when called)
Supervised separation

The class meets at Positive Rewards Training Center,457A State Road (behind Woodland Center) in Vineyard Haven. Class size is limited to 4 teams.

cost: $215.00

Requirements for class:
*dogs must be a minimum of 6 months old
*dogs should naturally show a high affinity towards people,and want to accept handling by strangers
*previous obedience training is helpful, but not required for Therapy Dog 1

What do I need for class?

* a copy of your dog's current vaccination record (required for attendance)
* 4-6 foot flat leash.Leave your Flexi-leash at home
* flat buckle collar or body harness
* interesting small bits of food your dog wants to work for - plan to bring about a cup -
* bait bag or fanny pack for rewards for your dog. No plastic baggies, please!
* 2 clean up bags for your dog