Therapy Dog Prep School

Our therapy dogs are personal pets, who accompany their owners to a variety of facilities such as skilled nursing homes or hospitals. Many therapy dog visits require very simple skills from the dog. The dog doesn't have to know a lot of commands or perform tricks. A dog that lies quietly on a bed beside a patient can lower that person's blood pressure and reduce the sensation of pain. In some settings, soft warm eyes gazing up at a person are all it takes to work magic. Volunteering with your dog can be a family project too!

Our fun but serious 5-week course includes activities which will prepare both you and your dog for involvement with animal-assisted therapy programs. This class is designed as  preparatory to certify your team as a Therapy Dog.

Our goal is to give both handler and dog the tools to become effective therapy teams and to be better prepared for test conducted at the end of the course.

Therapy dogs are personal pets, who accompany their owners to a variety of facilities such as skilled nursing homes, schools, libraries or hospitals.  Many therapy dog visits require very simple skills from the dog. The dog doesn't have to know a lot of commands or perform tricks. A dog that lies quietly on a bed beside a patient can lower that person's blood pressure and reduce the sensation of pain. In some settings, soft warm eyes gazing up at a person are all it takes to work magic. Volunteering with your dog can be a family project too! 

Our fun but serious 5-week course includes activities which will prepare both you and your dog for involvement with animal-assisted therapy programs. This class is designed as a preparatory to certify your team as a Therapy Dog.  Our goal is to give both handler and dog the tools to become effective therapy teams and to be better prepared for test conducted at the end of the course.

This cours includes:

All CGC commands/criteria
Working with medical equipment
Appropriate behavior and interacting with patients (for dog and handler)
Fun Tricks to entertain those you visit

This course includes the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test

Price: $350.00 for 5, one hour classes

Cost to join Paws Of Love

First year Membership fee, vest & shirts are $100, each subsequent year Membership fee is $65

Some teams may qualify for training discounts based on evaluation outcome.

If you and your dog would like to join us in this very rewarding project the first step is to complete the on-line application (below) and meet with us for an evaluation of your "team". During the evaluation we will determine if your dog needs additional training and if it is suited for Therapy work. To set up an evaluation, please complete the online application and we will contact you shortly.