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Has anyone trained their Cav to be a therapy/hospitality dog?

LucyDog

Well-known member
Hi all,
Today at Lucy's vet appointment I saw a flyer for a seminar on training your dog to be a hospitality/therapy dog. I have heard that Cavs make great therapy dogs because of their generally wonderful nature. Have any of you done this with your dogs? I think it would be such a nice way of giving back and I think Lucy would love the interaction with all the people. My only concern is that Lucy is a little more hyper than your average Cav and I am wondering if she will calm down a bit as she matures. (she will be 1 on Friday). Anyway, just wondering if any of you have experience with this and if so, whether it has been a positive one for you and your dog?
 
Hi:)
My Elja is not trained yet ,but I work with disabled and retarded people and she occasionally joins me for work.She simply loves the attention she gets and its wonderfull to see how much happines she can spread in no time.:)
I have taken her for walks(on a leash) while I was pushing a wheelchair and I was amazed how calm and grown-upp she seemed .She just walked beside the wheelchair as if she´d done a 100 times before.
In the future I would love to have her trained to be an official RED KROSS therapy-dog.
 
My Clumber Hadley was "officially" tested as a therapy dog. Buddy, my Cavalier has not been BUT he comes with us when we go on visits to the assisted living center. For some patients Hadley is better and for some Buddy.

Buddy has always been laid back and could have done therapy work from the time he was six months old. For some dogs I think they need to be about two years old before they are ready.

Best thing is to get them tested. I have not had Buddy tested because there are no certified evaluators close by and the center loves him and lets him come with his sister. I really should do it though.

Visits to assisted living centers, hospitals or schools is a wonderful actitity with your dog. I hope you pursue it.
 
Pets As Therapy

Hi there

Ellie my 61/2 yr old [rescue puppy farm breeding bitch] is a therapy dog. She absolutely loves it and gets very excited when she sees her little P.A.T coat coming out of the drawer.

I visit sheltered housing for older folk. There a 2 ladies mainly who adore Ellie and always have a treat waiting for her.

I thoroughly enjoy the volunteer work. It is so lovely to share your dog with others and see the pleasure she brings.One of my ladies suffers from severe depression but slowly is comimg off her meds and attributes her improvement to Ellie's visits!

I also act as a mentor to newly approved PAT dogs and their owners.Supporting them in their first placements and dealing with any problems.

Go for it it is a great thing to do!
 
Hi:)
My Elja is not trained yet ,but I work with disabled and retarded people and she occasionally joins me for work.She simply loves the attention she gets and its wonderfull to see how much happines she can spread in no time.:)
I have taken her for walks(on a leash) while I was pushing a wheelchair and I was amazed how calm and grown-upp she seemed .She just walked beside the wheelchair as if she´d done a 100 times before.
In the future I would love to have her trained to be an official RED KROSS therapy-dog.


:oops::huh: (we learning disability nurses pick these things up!!):rolleyes:
 
i am thinking about registering Holly....i'm a nurse and she often does agency shifts with me (they let her come with me) and the older patients love her! My main job is with children with behavioural problems and she sometimes comes to school with me and they love her too! Very calming influence! Holly loves everyone she meets as do most cavs and i think she'd be great at it!! :luv:
 
hi
our 2 oldiest dogs guinness (11 half )and tarmac (waiting at the bridge)they where both pets as therapy dogs ,we visted old folks home and 1 old lady in her home and both dogs loved it
guinness has retired from that now

shirl /simon
 
Sunshine is a therapy girl in training. She actually does weekly visits but isn't certified yet. I have had training through Delta Society and dogs must be at least one year old to be certified.

I think most important is how well the dog will like it. My former therapy buddy was my labrador and he HATES it. I had to dragged him through the door and bribe him with treats for a year and then I realized he will never like it. I wanted a therapy dog so when we went looking for our new dog that was the main characteristic I was looking for. The more I learned about cavaliers the more I realized they were perfect for the job! :p
Just remember that all dogs are different and your lucy may not like it.
 
Kosmo is a registered therapy dog and he LOVES it!! Cavaliers seem to be born natural. I would love to make Faith into a T-Dog but she hasn't taken the test yet.
 
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Hi, Aimee!

Wrigley is not "officially" trained to be a therapy dog, but has made several visits to the retirement center here in town. I just simply called and asked if they would like a 4-legged visitor! It was an amazing experience, too. We went and spent time with some of the assisted-living residents and one man, who had a dog of his own a long time ago, was just enchanted by Wrigley. We've gone back a few times since and they let me know when they need a "Wrigley fix" by simply calling. I would definitely put Wrigley in some kind of official training program, if it was available nearby. We live kind of far away from a big city (Chicago is an hour away) and it's hard to travel to go to school for him. I say...go for it! Cavaliers have such great personalities that everyone falls in love.
 
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