Answer: Puppies and young dogs let us know if therapy dog work is something that they want to do. As responsible handlers, we can provide opportunities for our puppies and young dogs to communicate to us the things they enjoy.

We recommend - at a minimum - basic obedience training. We also encourage socialization, both through puppy classes and visits with you to places like McGuckin Hardware in Boulder, Ace Hardware in Longmont, PetSmart, PetCo, and other busy places where dogs are welcome and can be exposed to new people, new environments, new sights, sounds and smells.

As handlers, our primary responsibility is the protection of our dogs. Training and socializing our dogs at a young age is a good first step. It also gives you important information about how your dog responds to new people, places and things.

Dogs, at the age of one year, are eligible for registration as therapy dogs through several national programs, two of which are present in our area: the Delta Society and Therapy Dogs Inc. Registered therapy dogs can do volunteer work in our community in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and reading programs in schools and libraries. For more information about these organizations, go to the "Resources page" which is accessible from the main menu of this website. Doing this kind of volunteer work is good practice for hospital work!

Before we address training, letʼs look at what it takes to be a successful therapy dog.

A therapy dog must be calm, obedient and look to you, the handler, for direction. A therapy dog must be able to walk calmly on a loose lead and know and respond quickly to basic commands, such as sit, stay, down and come. Finally, a therapy dog must be “comfortably controlled” by you in a variety of settings - in a classroom, in busy hallways, in a crowded waiting area, in a quiet setting, in both familiar and unfamiliar environments.

Therapy dog work is a team activity: a dog and a handler ... and the relationship between the two. This relationship is not something that can be ʻtrainedʼ. It is developed through shared activities.

While not required for our programs, we strongly recommend successful completion of a formal basic obedience program. While the skills the dog acquires during formal training are essential for success as a therapy dog, even more important are the skills acquired by the handler - and the relationship between dog and handler that is strengthened through this shared learning.

You and your dog will participate in 4 sessions of training/assessment prior to becoming a hospital therapy dog. These sessions will include skills that are necessary in a hospital environment such “leave it” and “letʼs visit” plus familiarization with equipment such as wheel chairs, walkers, IV poles and hospital beds.

A dog who is presently active in one of the hospital programs must pass a general physical exam annually, performed by your personal veterinarian. This includes a fecal exam and proof that the dog is free of internal and external parasites.

If required, the hospital covers the expense of a dogʼs initial laboratory tests (fecal sample, throat culture) when the team joins the program. Thereafter, the annual tests are the responsibility of the handler.

Dogs must receive rabies immunization as prescribed by state law and be in
compliance with other immunization requirements as prescribed by your veterinarian.

All dogs must be bathed and/or groomed either the day of their scheduled visit or the day immediately prior. Dogsʼ nails must be kept appropriately clipped to avoid any accidental scratches.

The total cost can be about $100.00. This includes $50.00 for the required four-session training/assessment class. Therapy dog teams are also hospital volunteers. Additional costs vary by hospital, but may include annual dues as hospital volunteers, the cost of a volunteer uniform for the handler (shirt or vest), the cost of a therapy dog vest for the dog, and annual registration in a therapy dog organization.