Therapy Dog Class

A specialized, advanced class geared toward preparing candidate therapy dogs and improving the performance and utility of current working therapy dogs.

• Skills Taught: Weaning dependency on training collars, improving the reliability and responsiveness of basic obedience commands, accepting grooming from strangers, performing commands for strangers, ignoring dropped food and objects, walking through crowded environments, luring into multiple positions, desensitizing to stimuli present in a therapy environment, and teaching the behaviors Look, Settle, Visit, Chin, Snuggle, Shake, Lap, and Step.
• Human Education: Human training covers human-dog communication; handing mechanics; equipment selection; resources, tools, and toys that may improve dog-patient interaction; and selecting therapy activities most suitable for specific client populations.
• The Therapy Dog class improves obedience, manners, and socialization skills requisite to excelling as a therapy animal and teaches specialized therapy behaviors that optimize each dog’s utility as a working therapy animal.
• Moreover, the Therapy Dog class improves owner general communication and handling ability and educates owners regarding potential therapy applications.
• The ultimate goal is that each participating dog and owner become a terrific therapy team that can proficiently service multiple client populations.
• $210 at all CPT locations. 8 one-hour weekly meetings.
• Prerequisites: Intermediate Obedience, CGC Class, or instructor’s approval. In addition, participating dogs must enjoy interaction and tactile contact with strangers, must be non-aggressive and calm amidst unfamiliar dogs, and must be completely housebroken in both familiar and unfamiliar environments.

* All CPT Courses require pre-registration. Payments to CPT are non-refundable. CPT closes classes to further registration after 12 dogs enroll.