Therapy Dogs: Born or Made?

Oftentimes during a group dog training class, a dog owner mentions to me they are going to train their dog to be a therapy dog. Just to clarify, therapy dogs bring joy to other people via visits to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc., unlike service dogs who provide assistance to their owner with a disability.  The problem with this statement is that you cannot train a dog to be a therapy dog — it is a personality trait that they are born with. What I mean by that is a dog has to be born with the temperament to both succeed and enjoy this work.

When I assess a dog for therapy work, I am looking for a dog who:

• seeks out attention from people other than their owner(s)

• is not excessively over aroused (jumping, barking) when meeting new people

• can handle most everyday sounds and sights

• is neutral and not afraid, aggressive or overly aroused when around other dogs.

What I sometimes hear from owners is, “but my dog is so friendly”. While it is wonderful that your dog is friendly, it’s important to assess if they are friendly to people other than you, in new situations. If a dog has the temperament for therapy work, then we can do some fun training to refine their skills. For example, we’ll work on things like: walking on a leash without pulling, greeting people without jumping, and leaving forbidden items on the floor alone.

All dogs are emotional support dogs for their owners, but only some dogs have the innate personality to excel at therapy work.