Therapy Dog Take One

Last Wednesday was our first session of therapy dog class. It consisted of a 45-minute slide show presentation that detailed what to expect on test day, what to expect at the nursing home, all the benefits that therapy dogs provide, and all the different volunteer opportunities that are available to therapy dogs. The next two Wednesdays we will be visiting a local nursing home with our dogs. Then we will have a final certification test consisting of nine of the items that were part of the Canine Good Citizen test plus a few more items that are specific to therapy dogs. Things like a restraining hug, rough petting, many people crowding around you and your dog, and the command to "leave it".

I'm a little conflicted about this whole process. Partly because I'm not sure how much I would enjoy visiting a nursing home or hospital on a regular basis. I think it would make me feel sad. But partly because I'm not sure Finn is the right dog for this type of activity. He can be nervous around certain people. He occasionally growls at strangers. And he seems to be frightened pretty easily. I'm worried that we're trying to force Finn into being a dog that he's not. And I regret not going through this process with our last lab, Kayla, who would have been a natural therapy dog. She loved everyone and I trusted her to be friendly and tolerant in every situation and with every type of person.

The test itself sounds like a pretty serious undertaking. We will be tested at a neutral location that we've never been to before and the handler is not allowed to wear jeans! The handler will be evaluated as well as the dog and I must role play as though I am in an actual therapy setting. We will be tested the moment we walk in the door of the test facility and no pulling on the leash is allowed. Yikes!