There are many things your dog will need to know prior to entering therapy dog training. Preparing your dog in advance will make both you and your dog successful once enrolled in a therapy training class. Prior to training a dog to be a therapy dog, you will need to work on the following behaviors with your dog:

• Socialize your dog to new people, places and things. 

• Complete obedience training with commands like sit, down, stay, come, watch me, loose leash walking and leave it. In addition, your dog will need to have control in the area of not jumping on people, licking or pawing at those they come in contact with.

So you and your dog have mastered all the prerequisite in Pre-training and you are ready to enroll in a therapy dog training class with the Pet Prescription Team.

Here is what you and your dog will experience through our classes.

Pet Prescription Team Therapy dog training classes are held within an actual healthcare/assisted care facility. We have discovered that nothing prepares a dog more thoroughly than to train and experience the actual environment that they will be serving. Through this type of method we have found it prepares the dog and volunteer with hands on training giving them a lifetime career within this work.

Class structure will teach and cover the following: 

• Meeting and greeting exercises

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• Familiarization with hospital equipment (Walkers, Wheelchairs, Oxogen tanks, IV push carts, Bed visitations.

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• Hospital environment visitation policies & procedures

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• Instruction and coaching on safe dog-handling in health care facilities

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• Confined area workspace techniques

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• Confidence building techniques for both the volunteer & dog for the facilities they will be assigned to once certified

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