Therapy Dog Training

Therapy Dog Training at Denver Dog Works

Denver Dog Works has been training therapy dogs for the past decade. Our first therapy dog was Ineka. Some of you may have read the blog posts or heard us talk about Ineka. He was a natural at getting the kids we would visit in local schools to open up and ask us questions. Ineka has since retired but it is our hope that his legacy lives on within each and every therapy dog and service dog.
Recently, we have been asked to assist people in training their dog to become a therapy dog. We quickly let people know that the training involves them just as much as it does their dog. When you have therapy dog; you are a team.

At Denver Dog Works we pride ourselves on all of our training and its many benefits to our clients. But in particular we pride ourselves on the work that we devote to our service teams and our therapy teams.

Michele Forto is our lead trainer and program designer for both our service team program and our therapy team program. She is recognized as an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator; a registered service/therapy team trainer with Service Animal Registry of America, and is a Registered Service team evaluator for the Foundation for Service Dog Support.
There is a significant difference between therapy and service. The most recognizable difference is that a service dog goes everywhere with his handler. A therapy dog only goes to a prescribed, volunteered facility/location. A service dog may work for his handler up to 24 hours a day with little or no breaks. A therapy dog is only allowed to work a certain number of hours per week and only at their prescribed location. In other words, if your therapy dog accompanies you once a week to the local library and you participate in a therapy dog reading program, you as a therapy team cannot stop off at the local diner and grab a bite to eat inside at a window table.

While there are many therapy training programs and associations to choose from out there; choosing Denver Dog Works Therapy Training Program is a unique opportunity. We certify teams for psychiatrists; psychologists; therapists, and other medically related professions. In fact, Denver Dog Works is on the cutting edge of a new approach in the use of dogs in therapy sessions, assisting the doctors in the treatment of their patients which is being scientifically tested in several areas of study. But don’t let that stop you if you’re just a regular citizen looking to go into volunteering with your dog, Michele can help prepare you for registering through Denver Dog Works or any other company for that matter. Michele has also prepared teams for re-certification with other companies. Our philosophy here is simple; we believe dogs truly bring joy into people’s lives and we’d rather help that team succeed than sit by and watch it fail.

The therapy team training program at Denver Dog Works is a relatively simple process. We begin by giving your dog a temperament test to ensure that he is capable of what will be required of him. Depending on the type of therapy team you are training to become depends on the depth of obedience training as well as public access training. Denver Dog Works utilizes the AKC Canine Good Citizen test as our preliminary test. Once your dog is certified as an AKC Canine Good Citizen we begin working on public access training as well as work environment training. The entire time the team is training they are developing their work ethic. This means that they are learning how to work together and the dog especially is learning to exhibit the best possible manners in all public settings.

Becoming a Dog Works Therapy Team is hard fulfilling work. It should be noted that this type of volunteering is not for everyone. Our evaluation process is intensive so that we are able to determine that the potential team can build their work ethic and be able to maintain their work ethic at a level that will be required of them at the facility they volunteer.
If you’d like to learn more about Dog Works Therapy or Dog Works Service, please contact Michele directly at mforto@denverdogworks.com

Tags: Robert Forto | Michele Forto | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Duluth Dog Works | Minnesota Dog Works | Therapy Dog Denver
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Michele Forto is a certified canine trainer and the business manager for Denver Dog Works. Michele is also the co-host of the Dog Doctor Radio Show. Michele can be reached through our website at http://www.micheleforto.com

Game On!

Game On!
By Michele Forto

In our private basic obedience classes at Denver Dog Works we address commands such as; sit, come, stay, down, wait, and loose leash walking. These commands are outlined for you on homework sheets and you are shown how to teach your dog these commands. It’s a simple concept. After about eight weeks you are invited to try out your new skills in a group setting. Group is set up to test your new skills, your dogs’ new skills and your ability as a “team” to remain focused. Some of our students are invited to group class after just two private classes because they are already showing focus as a team.

Every once in a while we notice that our teams aren’t having fun, they have reached a plateau in their training and they are no longer having fun. This goes for the dog and their handler. That’s when we remind our handlers why they got a dog in the first place. Dogs are fun! Teaching them to be obedient is supposed to be fun too. Obedience classes can be stressful not only to your dog who is now being asked to sit when you say, but to you as well. There will be times when you ask your dog to sit and they will just flat refuse. Remember our article “Win All Games”; and choose how to win the game.

Part of our job as trainers is to teach you how to identify when your dog is no longer learning. We do this by constantly observing his behavior during play, training, and just by how they are interacting with you. Your dog will tell you when they don’t like something, tell you when they are stressed, and they will tell you when they just want to goof off. No they won’t speak it to you but they will communicate by using their body language.

Say for instance, you notice that your dog is refusing to do commands that you know full and well he is capable of performing the first time you ask. Do not become compulsive in your training style here, instead take a moment and think about the energy you are putting off, change your attitude, uplift your spirits and see if your dog reacts. If he still is refusing to perform the commands you are asking him to do then turn your training session into a game.

A simple game of come, yes come can be a game. We have spoken about fetch being a great way to teach your dog while having fun, but there are times when fetch turns into keep-away because your dog isn’t in the mood to get a ball for you.
Here’s how we do it: while on leash at first to maintain control, sit/stay your dog and then go six feet in front of him, call him to you in the happiest voice you can muster, as he approaches you give him the sit hand signal and then praise. Repeat four or five times and then begin dropping the leash and adding distance. You are in constant motion moving backwards and your dog is in constant motion moving forward. We utilize treats, toys, or just ourselves during this game. If this is not something you do with your dog often it will surprise him and he will become more receptive to doing those commands that he was refusing to do. Sit is easy, what if he is refusing to do down, no problem, when he comes to you ask him to sit and then down and then return him to sit before leaving him again.

After about ten minutes of this you and your dog will have completed a great training session that has worked on sit, down, stay, and come. Viola! It’s that easy! So we challenge you to get up off that coach and challenge your dog to a game. Game On!

Tags: Robert Forto | Michele Forto | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Duluth Dog Works | Minnesota Dog Works
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Michele Forto is a certified canine trainer and the business manager for Denver Dog Works. Michele can be reached through her website at http://www.denverdogworks.com