Therapy Dog Certification Program

What is a Therapy Dog?

Therapy Dogs are used to help other people (not the handler) feel better in stressful situations. Therapy Dog teams must have their CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certification, as well as a Therapy Dog Evaluation administered by a qualified evaluator from specific Therapy Dog Organizations, such as Therapy Dogs United.

We are Certified Trainers for Therapy Dogs United

These dogs do not have public access rights. They must register for time slots to go into certain places such as hospitals, schools, libraries, etc. Therapy Dogs can be scheduled to comfort college kids during finals, help people mourn during tragedies, give comfort to those in hospitals, and kids can read books to dogs in the library or schools.

Any breed can be a Therapy dog. We have found that labs, golden retrievers, all small breed dogs, and other non protective breeds do best for this role. But it really depends on a dogs temperament, not the breed. One of our personal German Shepherds is a certified Therapy Dog!

Visit Therapy Dogs United’s website for more information.

Therapy Dog Certification Prep Class

Some locations offer a group class specifically designed to prepare your dog to pass the Therapy Dogs United evaluation. The class is 7-weeks long, with the final week being the evaluation.

Don't just take our word for it.

In the canine justice system, the dogs are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: The professional dog trainers, who investigate and solve the dog’s behavior problems; and the dog owners, who uphold the training knowledge taught to them.

These are their stories…