4 questions...

[Oliver]

I will be adopting an 8 week old goldendoodle in a few weeks and I'd love to get into therapy work. I've been reading up on it and a lot of people suggest taking the dogs EVERYWHERE when they're young to get them used to different noises, people, places, etc.

I've been looking into getting a "Therapy Dog/Please Pet Me Vest," but I have 4 questions:

1. When should I purchase a vest since I'm sure he'll be growing out of many if I get one right away (or are they adjustable???)

2. Send me links of where you got your doggy vests/patches! (and other items that you think are helpful)

3. also, were people/stores, etc welcoming to you when you introduce your dog as a therapy dog in training? Or did they ask you to leave? What sort of places did/do you taken your dog/puppy?

4. lastly, I understand you have to own the dog for at least 1 year prior to testing with Delta Society...however, most doodle therapy dogs that I know are 3 years and up. How reasonable is it to "hope" to successfully pass the test at 1 year? 2 years?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

[Cindy]

Dear Meredith and Oliver, congratulations on your new puppy. I know he will bring you tremendous joy. I have had my dog certified for therapy work for about a year and a half through Therapy Dogs International. You can get your dog started early on some of the test requirements like basic commands. If you go to their site, I believe you can download the specific things they will be tested on so you can get an idea. As for vests, I am pretty sure they discourage those since they want to make a distinction between Assistance dogs and Therapy Dogs. My dog has a special tag that we put on before we head out to work. I am not sure but I don't think getting the Therapy Dog certification gives you the ability to bring your dog in anywhere. That is pretty much for Assistance Dogs which are very different from Therapy Dogs. Although Therapy dogs do need to be able to follow a number of commands, the most important thing about them is their temperament. They need to love people all kinds whether they are in a wheelchair, using a cane, or unable to communicate. They need to be relaxed in any situation have no separation anxiety or react to strange smells or loud noises. It really takes a special dog for Therapy work. I have two doodles and although both are absolutely wonderful only 1 is really qualified to do Therapy Work. I would suggest you really go through the material on the Delta site and Therapy Dogs International site. You will finds lots of answers to your questions. In the meantime relax and enjoy your new doodle. It will be at least a year until he is ready for any kind of therapy work. Older more mature dogs generally do best passing the test. Ours was given with over 75 other dogs present so your dog needs to be able to handle lots of distractions. Working towards that goal is wonderful just be patient. Oh and one last thing. You are absolutely right about exposing your dog to as many people and situations as possible. Best regards Cindy

[Adina P]

1.-- I wouldn't worry about it when he's a young pup...people will NATURALLY want to pet him and with the vest they MIGHT think he is a service dog in training and keep their distance as service dogs are NOT supposed to be pet. Since your dog must be 1 yr to take the Delta eval...I'd get the vest 3 months or so before and at that time puppy should be close to full size and most vests are somewhat adjustable.

2. -- I'll have to search for the links for mine...don't recall. I ordered it embroidered with Rosco's name. But patches came from Delta and AKC (for the CGC test).

3. -- stores that allow dogs will be fine. Stores that do not will not be because therapy dogs don't have any more rights than normal dogs. Some Lowes and Home Depot allow dogs... I never asked I just went and was prepared to ask forgiveness later. Nobody ever kicked me out but Rosco was VERY well behaved by then. Farmer's Markets, Downtown, Parks, parades, kennel club events (if your kennel club isn't too snobby about mixed breeds, I'd join!).

4. -- I think somewhere between 1 and 2 years is TOTALLY doable! It would be cool to keep in touch with Carole who is getting Gaston and whose daughter is making his therapy dog training part of her senior exit project--you can compare notes!

[20xlhzzaoccks]

Hey Meredith,
Doesn't it bother you that the whiniest character on Gray's Anatomy has the same name as us? Steve failed his Delta test at a year old. The only part he failed was the part where he has to pass another dog and the evaluator said it was an automatic fail because he showed interest in the other dog. When he took the test again at 2 1/2 the evaluator said that showing positive interest is fine as long as there is no aggressive behavior. So, I think the test somewhat depends on the evaluator. Just remember that even though the CGC is similar to the therapy dog test through TDI and Delta, the therapy dog tests are graded more strictly. I think some people are dissapointed when they pass the CGC easily but then fail the therapy dog test. The evaluators are just trying to make sure the dog is calm and reliable in different situations and they have to be careful because they do offer insurance.
We took Steve a lot of different places from a young age. We have a dog friendly shopping area close to our house that we would take him to a lot. The shops and resturaunt patios allow dogs and it was good practice because there were always lots of other dogs and people that wanted to pet him. The others are right in that therapy dogs do not have full public access like service dogs. That is why you want to be careful with a vest. Steve has a vest that has therapy dog and his name embroidered on it that he wears only when doing visits. I work at a school and since he has permission to be there to do visits, I feel like if he has a vest on then everyone at the school and visitors know that he is allowed to be there. Here is the site.
http://www.ldsleather.com/patches.html
I think you can get a vest or bandana that says therapy dog in training.
Good luck with everything. If you have questions or need support through the process just let me know. I wish I would have had Doodle Kisses when going through the process for support. It is a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end.

[Nanette de la Torre]

Hi there,

You may want to check out www.sitstay.com for vests and therapy badges. This site reminds the reader the distinction between therapy and assistance dogs. Good luck.