Therapy Dogs Inc vs Delta Society vs Therapy Dogs International

[Jeremy]

Hi everyone,

Kaiya and I are registered with both Delta Society and Therapy Dogs Inc.  Depending on which facility or which group we visit, we use our Delta registration or our TDInc registration.

There are a few differences between the groups, and I have a tough time keeping them straight.  So I created a quick reference chart so I could quickly remember to rules for each organization.

It's not 100% complete, so I'm hoping that we could all add to it and use it as a reference in the future.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Therapy Dogs International.  Could someone post some info and I'll update the chart?

Also, if you have any other ideas of what should be included in the chart, let me know and I'll add it.

Thanks!

Jeremy

	Therapy Dogs, Inc	Delta Society
Training Course	None	Class or Self-Study required
Membership requirement	Practical Test and 3 Observations	Written and Practical Test
Leash Length	4 ft	6 ft
Costumes OK?	Yes	No
Visit with more than one animal at a time?	Possible, with exemption	No
Acceptable Equipment	Head halters and collars -- slip, buckle-types, martingale, quick release, limited slip or any other smooth collars made of chain, nylon or leather. Body Harness (by exemption only)	● Premier Gentle Leader Easy-Walk Harness  ● Halti Harness ● Freedom Harness  ● Sense-ation Harness  ● Sense-ible Harness  ● Body Harnesses (leash clips to a ring on the back of the animal)  ● Buckle, snap, quick-release collars (leather or fabric)  ● Limited slip collars (Martingales), if they do not include metal links  ● Halters/head collars  ● Leashes, no more than 6 feet in length, that are all-leather or all-fabric  ● Metal hardware, such as buckles, slip rings, and D-rings
Non-acceptable Equipment	● Clickers ● retractable and chain leads ● pinch, prong spiked, or electric collars	If it's not on the "Acceptable Equipment" list above, then it is NOT Acceptable
Annual Fecal Test	Yes	Yes
Insurance Coverage	$5,000,000 per occurrence	$1,000,000 per occurrence
Towel Required?	Not required by TDInc, but use facilities guidelines	Yes (provided by facility)
Treats on Visits	Yes	Yes
Bathed	Clean and well groomed	Within 24 hours prior of the visit.  For frequent visits, must be clean and groomed
Re-test	No	Every 2 years
Raw Food diet allowed?	Yes	No
Minimum visits required per year	4	No
Bring your own hand sanitizer	No	Yes
Minimum Handler Age	16, 12-16 by exemption	10 - 17 with parent
Fees	$25 each year	$75 every two years
Patients allowed to feed treats	No	Yes
Minimum Dog Age	1 yr or older	1 yr or older
Dog Tag	Provided (red heart).  Must be worn during visits	Provided (round Delta Society logo). Must be worn during visits
Handler Badge	Provided.  Carry in wallet	Photo ID provided.  Should be worn during visit

Updates:  

10/11 - Added Minimum Dog Age

10/18 - Added Dog Tag, Handler Badge and Standard and non-Standard Equipment.

10/18 - Removed Gentle Leader (Replaced by Standard Equipment)

[Lynda Kamrath]

I am still trying to decide which way we want to go when Harpo gets a little older. What is the minimum age? Is that the age of the handler or the age of the puppy? My pup is just turning 16 weeks tomorrow. Is that too young for puppy classes? I think my other doodles started classes about that age.

[Jeremy]

Hi Lynda, Good question! The minimum handler age is generally 16 years, while the minimum age for the dog is 12 months.

I updated the chart with separate rows for handler and dog age.

Thanks!

Jeremy

[Lynda Kamrath]

So these therapy dog classes are not for puppies? Should I register him in a regular puppy obedience class for now? Then we can start the most sophisticated stuff when he is through the puppy stage and basic obedience.

[Jeremy]

Lynda,

These aren't classes. They're just organizations that register therapy dog teams and provide the teams insurance and other benefits. Both organizations require the handler and the dog to pass a test to make sure they are suitable for therapy dog work.

Most of the test is just basic obedience, so starting out in a puppy obedience is a great first step. The Therapy Dogs Inc test is very similar to the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. They add in a few other elements, such as medical equipment and clumsy movement. Here are the tests:
CGC test: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm
TDInc test: http://www.therapydogs.com/PDF/Test.pdf

The Delta Society test is also similar, but they have particular scenarios, including rough petting, walking by a toy or treat, crowds, etc. Here are the Delta Society tests:
Skills Test: http://www.deltasociety.org/Document.Doc?id=2
Aptitude Test: http://www.deltasociety.org/Document.Doc?id=1

In addition, Delta Society requires the hander to either attend a specific Delta Society training class, or purchase the Delta Society Self-Study manual. There's an open-book exam at the end, which is required when you do the practical examination.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Thanks, I am just starting out with all this, so the information is very helpful for me. We will start with a basic class and see how it goes.

[Adina P]

I believe Delta requires wearing badges too.

[Jeremy]

Nancy, you're right. I updated to differentiate between handler ID and dog ID. Thanks!

[Adina P]

This is excellent...thanks for putting this together.  I'm not clear by the Gentle Leader section and 'standard'... Flat collars, martingales and harnesses are also permitted by Delta. 

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the info! With the Gentle Leader section, I was trying to indicate that it was OK to use the Gentle Leader. I don't think it was very clear, so I removed it and replaced it with a "acceptable equipment" section. I also added the collars you mentioned.

[Jaime]

I believe that you can only use something other than a regular collar with Delta if you test with it and then you must always wear it. But I'm not 100 percent sure.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

that is correct! We tested with Gentle leader and our certification/ID shows that we have to wear special collar. (just like your drivers license would say you have to wear glasses.