Therapy Dog Prep School $4000 per year

A Therapy Dog is a specially trained and certified dog who is permitted to visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and other public spaces with the goal of providing emotional support and regulation to large groups of people. A Therapy dog must pass a nationally recognized test to obtain their certification to do these things. Any dog breed can be a Therapy Dog as long as they possess the correct temperament and training.

Our Therapy Dog Prep School is geared to help owners train their dogs to obtain the skills and practice needed to pass these nationally administered tests and obtain their certifications.

Get in Touch

Private Sessions

Come to us or we will come to you! Unlimited private sessions to work through whatever behaviors you would like to advance with.

Public Outings

Join us on pre-planned group outings or reserve time for one-on-one sessions in public spaces.

Unlimited Access

With our Therapy Dog Prep School annual subscription you maintain unlimited access to our trainers during regular business hours.

Therapy Dog, Service Dog, Emotional Support Animal (ESA)? What's the difference?

Each of these important roles are different from one another, require different levels of training and certification, and are specifically geared towards helping different sets of people.

In this program we are specifically providing the training for Therapy Dogs with the goal of them passing their certifications to become registered teams, however much of the training overlaps with service dog public access skills and many owner-handlers who train their own partners find benefit in working with our trainers to keep their skills sharp and troubleshoot as needed!

Therapy Dog Prep School: The Process

FIRST CONTACT: BOOKING YOUR SESSIONS

Contact us to begin! You will be asked to fill out some paperwork that gives us the necessary info about you and your dog. We will discuss your goals for training and what we can offer through our prep school, answer any questions you may have, and then set up a consultation. Not every dog has the correct temperament to become a Therapy Dog, so before embarking

Once we've received your paperwork we will set a start date based on our availability and will send your invoice.

WHAT REWARDS TO BRING?

HIGH VALUE treats for your dog. No milkbones, no kibble, nothing "dry and boring". Coming to a new place and working under new distractions will require We recommend using items that need to be refrigerated like Freshpet, Redbarn, or Biljac Frozen Dog Food (our favorite!), single-ingredient "human" treats like deli turkey or mozzarella cheese sticks, or even bits of chicken, steak, or hot dogs. Our favorite

WHAT EQUIPMENT TO BRING?

A well-fitted collar (we recommend martingales), a 6' leash, and of course your dog!

LET THE TRAINING BEGIN!

Arrive for your session on time and ready to work. Please do not feed your dog prior to arriving - its okay for them to skip one meal because they will eat during training. We want them hungry and ready to work too!

Remember, we are here to instruct you on how to effectively train your dog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best age to start training?

We can work and make improvements with dogs of any age, however the younger they are the less opportunity they will have had to practice bad habits and get away with them. There is less for us to "un-do" before instilling new behaviors.

What vaccinations are required for training?

Please review the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website for the most up-to-date recommended vaccination schedule.

I don't believe in vaccination - can my dog still be a Therapy Dog?

For the safety of our staff, other guest dogs, and the dogs that live here on our property we require standard vaccination procedures. We are willing to accept legitimate titer results from a veterinarian that prove immunization in lieu of annual vaccines. Therapy Dogs are also required to be fully vaccinated in order to attend public outings in schools, hospitals, and other spaces where they will come in contact with other people and animals.

Does my dog need to be spayed/neutered to participate in training?

Nope! TCD does not require sterilization for any of our programs - however the organizations that administer the tests or schedule and organize Therapy Dog team outings may have different rules than we do. We do not require sterilization to train with us, but be sure to check with all other organizations you are participating with as a team.

Can my kids come too?

Absolutely, but they must be supervised, under control, and not disruptive to the lesson.

What methods do you use to train?

We proudly follow the LIMA model of dog training, which stands for "Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive." While 90% of what we do is through positive reinforcement, we recognize that some behaviors that we as humans do not appreciate are self-reinforcing for a dog, so corrections to their behavior may be required. We will work to find the lowest level of correction required for the dog to stop pursuing that unwanted behavior and then immediately reward them for making better choices.

What organizations offer Therapy Dog Testing?

The most common two certifying agencies are Pet Partners and the Alliance of Therapy Dogs.

Are you affiliated with Prairieland Visiting Animal Association?

Not exactly, but some of their dogs train with us! We are a separate business/organization and our goal is to provide training and practice for the dogs that are participating in therapy work in order to keep their skills sharp and their teams ready to provide support to their communities. TCD does not organize or coordinate outings for Therapy Dog teams like PVAA does. We highly recommend that our Therapy Prep School students who pass their tests get involved with PVAA to put their new skills to use!

How is this different from a Service Dog/ESA?

A Service Dog exists to support their disabled handler and ignore attention/affection from outside sources. Therapy Dogs are quite the opposite, and while they require similar training for being calm, relaxed, and comfortable in public settings, a Therapy Dog's goal is to serve others - not just their handler.

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) requires no special training and is designated by a letter from your doctor. ESA's are not permitted to go into public spaces where dog's aren't regularly allowed and are not the same as having a Service Dog or Therapy Dog. The only benefit of having an ESA letter is that it will allow your dog to stay in housing that may otherwise not allow pets.

Why become a Therapy Dog Team?

Its incredibly rewarding to bring joy to people in need, and even moreso when you can involve your furry best friend and share the love that they provide to you on a daily basis.

If we complete this training does this mean my dog is now a service dog?

No - for that to happen you must be a disabled handler and your dog must meet the marks to be a Service Dog, which are different than those needed for Therapy Dog status. In addition to being trained for public access they must also be trained for tasks that directly mitigate whatever their owner's disability is. Many of the things taught in our Therapy Dog Prep School cross over to service dog training, but simply passing a Therapy Dog test does not automatically make your dog a Service Dog. The other boxes must also be checked.

Do you guarantee results?

Nope! You are paying for the time that our trainers put into your dog while they are here, our experience, and our expertise. We document all of the work we do while your dog stays with us and will definitely be able to show you the difference in your dog with training and adjustments to their schedule, however it is 100% up to the client to follow our instructions and maintain the training once the dog returns home. If there is no intentional maintenance to the training once home again and the dog reverts back to their initial behaviors, that is not our responsibility to fix free-of-cost. Even with Lifetime Trainer Access there are specific training landmarks that must be met by the client before our trainers will continue to return to the home. We are here to help, but we can not do all of the work ourselves.