Therapy dog test today

[Zanders' mom]

Ooooh, I should have read on.... He PASSED!! YEEEAAAAA!! YIPPEEEEE!

Congratulations!!

[kdlmon]

Originally Posted by alisonJ

my Edie would flunk test #10

Eddie, congratulations to you and your old man!!! You are going to be a huge hit at the hospitals.

I know what you mean! My Jack Russell could NEVER be a therapy dog!

[nvnvgirl]

CONGRATULATIONS, Eddie!!! We're so proud of you..you ARE a rockstar .

That's a LOT for a little dog to go thru! Max would fail #1,2,11,12, and 16, LOL. And maybe a few more too ; we lead a very quiet, solitary and boring life here, LOL .

[AngieDoogles]

Congrats Eddie!!!

[Izzy Princess]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Woohoo! OMG, he passed! I cannot even believe it.

I was SURE he was going to get scared and quit, but he nailed it. Perfect heel. Perfect sit. Didn't freak out during distractions. The Delta tester called him the best of our class and complimented him on his loose-leash walk.

There are 20 categories, and both dog and instructor are rated, with 2 being the maximum score. We got all 2's except for a single 1 that was my fault. He got a little jumpy when three people crowded us and all wanted to pet him. If I had asked one of them to step away, we would have gotten a 2. My bad.

I did wimp out and tested him as a little dog, so I was able to carry him during some of the encounters. All that means is I have to carry him into and out of the hospital. I can put him down in the hallways and rooms.

Sorry for such a long brag. I've been bragging a lot this weekend, but I'm especially proud of Eddie today. It was much more thorough than the CGC test. All our hard work paid off!

Thanks for the good wishes everybody.

OMG - Eddie Izzy and I are so darn proud of you....Izzy is finished with CGC and now we are practicing to take that test. She is in training for Therapy (Delta Org) and we attended a half-day session to see the dogs being tested. It's a lot tougher passing therapy vs. CGC that's for sure.

Eddie you are pawsome! Izzy is having issues with heeling and staying put when a stranger walks up to us..she is so friendly she wants to go to them and have them pet her.

Pass on any tips - we sure can use them. We may have to pass her as a little dog, too. I didn't want to but now that I see what is all involved and how she is I might have to.

[Izzy Princess]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Yeah, we took the CGC thinking it was a requirement. It's not.

You are correct CGC is not mandatory - but it was good intro into what is required for Therapy dog certification that's for sure.

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Izzy Princess

OMG - Eddie Izzy and I are so darn proud of you....Izzy is finished with CGC and now we are practicing to take that test. She is in training for Therapy (Delta Org) and we attended a half-day session to see the dogs being tested. It's a lot tougher passing therapy vs. CGC that's for sure.

Eddie you are pawsome! Izzy is having issues with heeling and staying put when a stranger walks up to us..she is so friendly she wants to go to them and have them pet her.

Pass on any tips - we sure can use them. We may have to pass her as a little dog, too. I didn't want to but now that I see what is all involved and how she is I might have to.

Tips:
Ours was Delta Society too. In retrospect, I was glad I tested him as a small dog. That allows you to pick them up for several of the tests, including the stranger test. It even allows you to pick them up for the "leave it" test, which is kind of funny. They put a toy on the ground and I walked past it carrying Eddie. He didn't even see it.

You do have to walk them to show they can walk on a loose leash. It's not a formal heel, and they don't have to sit when you stop. Eddie pulled once, but I just stopped, talked to him for a second, and then moved on.

All dogs are different, but I knew Eddie was going to be stressed in the test building. I started with a long morning walk. Then I brought him in 45 minutes before the testing. We went to a back room and worked on heels. Then I brought him to the lobby and got him comfortable with the noise and the people and the other dogs. By the time the test came, he was fairly mellow.

Good luck, Izzy!

And thanks, everybody, for the props!

[bchgirl]

Oh wow! Eddie you never cease to amaze....I'm sure you'll bring alot of smiles to patients.

Congratulations Mike....I'm sure you're on cloud 9!

[Izzy Princess]

Wow - my Delta rep just called me and our testing date is Saturday, March 29th at 9:30am....oh boy....at least we have some time and I told her that I will be testing Izzy as small dog so that will help us out a lot. We'll be practicing a lot..

[RONLYNN]

That is so exciting! Congrats Eddie!!

[Anna Lou]

I am going to investigate this more, being a children's minister this would be great to do with my dogs.

[paulapoo]

I gotta tell you all. If I was in the hospital, it would sure brighten my day if Mr. Eddie came walkin in my room!!!! I would LOVE it. Better than medicine! Congratulations Eddie, now go and heal the world!

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Izzy Princess

Wow - my Delta rep just called me and our testing date is Saturday, March 29th at 9:30am....oh boy....at least we have some time and I told her that I will be testing Izzy as small dog so that will help us out a lot. We'll be practicing a lot..

Awesome. Eddie's going to test with my wife in April. We thought it would be too stressful for him to test with both of us on the same day.

Good luck. And be sure to relax. Our tester told us one team failed because the owner, not the dog, was too nervous!

[Tink's Mom]

Congratulations Eddie! And Mike too. You have earned your bragging rights.