How Can My Dog Become a Therapy Dog

You and your dog will need to step through the three components of our program:

Skills and Temperament Evaluation

This is a requirement for admittance into our class. We are always looking for dogs with two characteristics for our class:

• A temperament that is calm, mellow, confident, sociable and largely unflappable.
• A solid set of basic obedience skills.

To schedule a temperament and skills evaluation, contact CHAMP

Please note: We do not accept dogs who are/have:

• Aggressive with people or other dogs
• Highly reactive (barking or growling)
• History of seizures
• Storm-shy
• Aggression or protection training
• Uncomfortable meeting new people

Class in Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) for Therapy Dogs

Our Therapy Dog class prepares you and your dog for social visits to health care venues, to reading programs at schools, libraries, to colleges during exam week, and visits to other public settings, including education presentations to schools and community groups. It’s a 12-week course and you and your dog will graduate as a certified therapy team.

A Therapy Dog Assignment

After graduating from the therapy dog class, we work to match your interests and your dog’s skills with our facility openings.