Certified Therapy Dog Program
What is a Therapy Dog?
Therapy Dogs (TDs) are dogs who are loved on by many. They visit hospitals, living centers, schools, disaster sites, work places and more! They bring joy and comfort to everyone who engages with them.
The American Kennel Club's defines Therapy Dogs as:
"Dogs who go with their owners to volunteer in settings such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people."
Therapy Dog Program
A Certified Therapy Dog Team is more than sharing your furry best friend with others. These special volunteer teams are Certified together, must maintain a professional image, and have successfully completed extensive training to master the skills needed for this unique job.
The Duncan School Therapy Dog Program is structured to teach TDiT (Therapy Dog in Training) strong skill sets in:
- Obedience. From foundation building to TD Certification-ready*: Completing STAR Puppy (if applicable), Canine Good Citizen, Canine Good Citizen Advanced, Canine Good Citizen Urban.
- Mastering the art of reading your dog's body language
- Becoming environmentally neutral
- Learn acceptable training tools, gear, and working image
- Advocating for your dog
- Mastering proper dog-people introduction skills
- Requirements for working in public, ethic standards
- Becoming a Certified Therapy Dog Team through nationally recognized Pet Partners.
Puppy's Minimum Starting Age: 3 Months, Certifying Age: 12 Months
Handler Minimum Age: 18 years old
Course Length: 12 Months
Full Tuition: $3,480 (monthly payments accepted)
*The is an additional portion of training required online to be completed through Pet Partners. Please read about it here: https://petpartners.org/volunteer/requirements
Additional fees are required to be paid to Pet Partners for registration and background checks, they are not paid by The Duncan School or it's staff.