One of the other big reasons for starting this blog is in hopes that it might help someone else on their path to training their dog to become a therapy dog. At times, I have felt pretty lost and wondering what I should be doing for him. I found information about dogs that were already therapy dogs (Zoe, Dixie) but I struggled to find anything on the process of becoming a therapy dog. I looked for book(Therapy Dogs for Dummies??) but nothing. I am still searching because I can't believe there isn't something out there that someone else has written. If I find anything, I will share it on this blog.
In the meantime, I will share as much as I can about our journey. I am figuring it out as I go so I can't guarantee what I am posting is the perfect path. I have already mentioned in previous posts that we started obedience training early. I decided to use a dog training facility in my area called The Dog Spot. I knew Ivan needed something a little more than a class at a large corporate pet store and this seemed a good fit. I attended an orientation that explained their philosophy on training and that also allowed me to see the facility.
I found another training facility in the KC area that did have a class geared towards therapy dogs. Now, I realize, if I had picked this path I might not still have all these questions. It might have put me in touch with others who are on the same path. However, it finally came down to cost and not being able to read the future. We were just starting out with training. I felt like our 3 month old puppy would do good with training but I had no way of knowing for sure. We made the decision that we would take a chance on training and see how it went. Ivan might become a therapy dog or he might just be a "stay at home" dog. The therapy dog class would have cost over $900 and The Dog Spot training would be about $300 for a puppy class and an adolescent class. Once Ivan completed the 2nd class with The Dog Spot, we decided we needed a little more one on one work to get him to the next level. We are now working with a trainer that comes to our house through Canine Dimensions. In the end, this is going to cost about what the therapy dog class would have cost. I still think we went the right route.
For the first several months with Ivan, our main focus was basic obedience and socializing him. During that time I was also trying to figure out what path to take to get him to therapy dog but I was pretty lost. I hoped he would be able to help in my daughters school but I really had no idea what that meant or how to go about it. What therapy dog organization should I get him into? So, we did what we could and spent spring and summer getting him out with people as much as possible. We got him used to riding in the car and walking on a leash. Even though at this point we didn't know how we were going to get to our end result, we tried to focus on training and hoped the rest would eventually fall into place.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Back to School with One Cool Dood
Like many of you, our house is going back to school this week. My daughter actually started last week and my husband, a kindergarten teacher, started today. We are getting back into our school routine but this year is a little different with the addition of a very active doodle. He loves to be right in the middle of all the excitement which means under my feet as I simultaneously unload the dishwasher, make lunch and get breakfast started. Or his other favorite activity is slowing down my already slow moving daughter.
I have started using a snuffle mat to keep him occupied for at least part of the busiest time. You can find instructions for making a snuffle mat on his Pinterest page. I used this mat I found on Amazon for the base and leftover fleece material from a blanket I made for him. I used a lighter weight one I found at a dollar type store but it didn't work well. In order for the pieces to stay, you have to tie them pretty tight and this caused the mat to curl up. We also use a lick mat at times but I don't like it as much. It can be difficult to clean if you use peanut butter because it really gets down in the groves. I add about a 1/4 cup of dog food or his favorite treats and getting his snuffle mat ready has just become part of the pre-walk routine.
Speaking of walks...Ivan and I really enjoy our morning walk. We work on sit, high five and other training and we get to enjoy some quiet time in the morning. As Ivan has gotten bigger (he is 6.5 months and 40lbs) he has started pulling a bit. Both of our trainers suggested a front clip harness. I purchased this one which has been a game changer! I now feel like I am walking Ivan rather than him walking me.
His favorite part of back to school is the car rider line for school. He loves seeing all the kids, teachers and saying good-bye/greeting his favorite girl. The new harness also has a back clip that works perfectly with his seat belt. I never used a seat belt for a dog before but now I can't imagine ever not using one. Our others dogs weren't big for riding in the car but I got Ivan used to it right away. The seat belt not only keeps him safe but it also keeps him from roaming around in the car.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Oh My Doodle!
I am starting this blog to document the adventures with our Goldendoodle, Ivan. He was born 2/15/2019 and before he even came home to live with us, we knew we wanted to train him to be a therapy dog. About a month after he came to live with us, we started working on training him for obedience. He has completed 2 obedience classes at The Dog Spot and is now working with Grant from Canine Dimensions. Grant comes to the house to help us work with Ivan. He is doing great and Grant has no doubt he will be an awesome therapy dog.
A little bit about being a therapy dog. (for more check out this from Ivan's website) This is different than a service dog or emotion support dog. Ivan will work with people in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, libraries etc and will be there to cheer them up and be a "fluffy stress ball" as my daughter likes to say. He can't go anywhere he wants like a service dog but we have found several places around town that he is welcome. In order to be considered a therapy dog, a dog has to be certified. There are several organizations that can certify a dog and we are still determining which would be the best one for Ivan. Once he is certified with an organization, he will be insured and can start working with people. Until then, we are just working to train him on obedience and socialization.
Currently, we are focusing on training for the AKC Good Citizen Advanced Certification and he can test for that in February. Once he gets this certification, becoming a therapy dog should be relatively simple. He will also be taking the evaluation to work with an organization called Platte County Pet Power and they do many things similar to therapy dog organizations. However, he can join this organization (if he passed evaluation) before he turns a year old. We hope this will help him gain some experience with working as a therapy dog and get more practice using obedience skills.
Come back soon for updates on how Ivan is progressing and some of the crazy adventures he has along the way. I will share what is working for us in training and what isn't working so well. I will share our successes and our setbacks. My hope is that this can be used for future dog owners who want to go down this same path with their dogs.
A little bit about being a therapy dog. (for more check out this from Ivan's website) This is different than a service dog or emotion support dog. Ivan will work with people in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, libraries etc and will be there to cheer them up and be a "fluffy stress ball" as my daughter likes to say. He can't go anywhere he wants like a service dog but we have found several places around town that he is welcome. In order to be considered a therapy dog, a dog has to be certified. There are several organizations that can certify a dog and we are still determining which would be the best one for Ivan. Once he is certified with an organization, he will be insured and can start working with people. Until then, we are just working to train him on obedience and socialization.
Currently, we are focusing on training for the AKC Good Citizen Advanced Certification and he can test for that in February. Once he gets this certification, becoming a therapy dog should be relatively simple. He will also be taking the evaluation to work with an organization called Platte County Pet Power and they do many things similar to therapy dog organizations. However, he can join this organization (if he passed evaluation) before he turns a year old. We hope this will help him gain some experience with working as a therapy dog and get more practice using obedience skills.
Come back soon for updates on how Ivan is progressing and some of the crazy adventures he has along the way. I will share what is working for us in training and what isn't working so well. I will share our successes and our setbacks. My hope is that this can be used for future dog owners who want to go down this same path with their dogs.
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