[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by DBlain

can I ask what you plan to do with your dogs once they have the therapy certification.

I take Lola to a nearby nursing home on a regular basis and no one every mentioned she needed to have any type of certification. Besides the command of sit and stay and come, what do they specifically teach that is related to providing therapy and besides comfort and cheer what type of therapy can a little dog give.

In Pet Partners testing, other than basic obedience, therapy dog testing involves making sure the dog is calm in an unpredictable environment. They make loud noises and see how the dog reacts. They have people arguing. Walkers and/or wheelchairs are pushed by the dog. Paws and ears are physically examined. The dog has to walk past another dog and not investigate. They're not teaching the dog to provide comfort -- they already know how to do that. They're just making sure the dog enjoys it and behaves in a predictable way. No aggressive barking allowed. Jillie failed one time for excessive licking.