(4 wks 1 ½ hours each class) There will be two sessions of this opened in order to allow more dog teams to participate. The same material is covered in each session, so choose ONLY ONE TIME SESSION for your dog team. This 4-week class is designed to prepare handlers and their dogs for therapy dog certification for visits to institutions, facilities, and other places where Therapy Dogs are invited. The primary objective of the Therapy Dog is to provide comfort and companionship in a way that promotes and improves the quality of life for the people being visited and the staff who care for these people. Therapy Dogs are dogs that are calm, trained in basic skills, and friendly with people.
Prerequisites: Dog has Passed the CGC test OR has equivalent skills–sit, down, stay, come, leave it, can heel or loose leash walk, must be at least 1 year-old before testing, and have good manners with an outstanding temperament–friendly with people, tolerant of other animals, non aggressive. Handler must be physically able to control the dog. If you are unsure, call Sue Revord 843-209-0943 and tell me about your dog.
**Bring small treats, a 4-ft. leash, Martingale or flat collar, potty bags, water for your dog. Classes meet on 4 Saturdays 10:30-12 Noon. The 1st class will meet off site at Hanahan Amphitheater (3100 Amphitheater Ave. Hanahan), classes 2-4 will be off site– Summerville, North Charleston, and Mt. Pleasant.
Therapy Dogs can help multiple people, often at the same time! Therapy dogs are different from emotional support dogs (pretty much EVERY dog is an ESA) and Service Dogs (trained to do a task for one individual and legally allowed in everywhere). Therapy dogs are only allowed into facilities where they are invited.
The CDTC utilizes the highly respected Alliance of Therapy Dogs organization for our Therapy Team evaluators. Once you feel you and your dog are ready to become a therapy team, we will provide you with the contact information of certified ATD evaluators to begin your pathway to certification. ATD requires a background check and Health Verification form from your vet before the testing process (you’ll receive info in class about how to do this). You don’t have to go through ATD for testing–you are welcome to test with another organization. Taking this class does not guarantee your team will pass the test, but we will help guide you to be the best team you can be and prepare you for our ATD Observers/testers. Once you have certified, we will be glad to provide you with numerous contacts to begin your volunteer service.
If your dog has these qualities and skills and you are interested in getting started, please register for this class. Our ultimate goal is to create teams to visit facilities together. It’s a great way to build a strong relationship with your dog and help address a real need in our community.