[nagdu] how much is too much?

[L Gwizdak]

Hi Julie J,
Therapy dogs don't have much in task training than a well behaved pet - 
which they really are.  The dog needs to be one who likes to interact with 
strangers and not jump on people.  Most programs for therapy dogs want the 
dog to have taken and passed the CGC Test to make sure the dog won't freak 
out by souonds, smells and sights that are in a typical nursing home, psyche 
ward, or school.  The dog has to be able to handle strange ways of touch 
that may come from a person who can't use their hands well.  I also think 
many programs wants the dog to be at least 6 months old, but prefer older 
than that so they know the dog is able to be house trained.  They need to be 
up to date on all shots and vaccines, be clean, free of fleas, and healthy.

Also preferred are dogs who aren't totally rambunctious and are able to self 
control at some level - thus a little older than 6 months if possible.  This 
gives time for a pup to gain socialization and some training.  Yes, they do 
NOT have the same access rights as a service dog that is trained to perform 
a task to mitigate a person's disability.

HTH,

Lyn and Landon


"Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 2:30 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] how much is too much?


> Tami,
>
> The owner of the dog said herself that it was a therapy dog in training 
> and went on to state that it would be going into hospitals and nursing 
> homes and such.  To me that clearly is a therapy dog, not a service dog. 
> She seems to get the difference between therapy and service dogs, but I 
> think the legal bits she didn't know  or chose to ignore.
>
> Yes, the part about 12 months to start training was odd, but maybe she 
> meant for the specific task part?  I'm not even sure if there are any 
> specific behaviors therapy dogs need to learn?
>
> Julie
>
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