# well, after all that, we passed - Faith is a therapy dog



## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

we have to wait for the testing paperwork and fill out our application and all that, but we passed.

the only part of the test that posed a problem was the leave it. the person doing the testing approached with a stuffed animal and waved it at her like she was going to throw it for her.

Faith opened her mouth like she was going to take it, but backed off when i gave a correction.... i was quite worried that the temptation of a new stuffie was going to be too much for her.

we even got to do a mini meet and greet while we waited for our test time. the area they had us waiting in had some patients and Faith was allowed to say hi. there was one woman with a walker and Faith just hunched under it to get to her hand for petting. the woman thought that was very funny.


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## timberwolf (Apr 1, 2009)

Congratulations to both you and Faith.
What an accomplishment!!!!! You both should be very proud


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## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

Yeah! Good Job Faith!!! You should be so proud!


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

Congratulations, something to be very proud of. Good girl Faith.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Congrats, Faith!


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Great job you guys. Hope you get Faith a new stuffie as a reward for not stealing the testers stuffie.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Congratulations to you both. That's a great achievement. It's something I've had an interest in for a long time.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

Congrats!!! Can't wait to hear how her therapy visits go


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Congratulations to you and Faith. She sounds like she really enjoys it and will go a great job.


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

Well done Faith and well done to you too - you must be so proud


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Great job, both of you!


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## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

thanks guys!

i'm starting to rethink whether i should ever volunteer with kids. last night at dave's softball game there was a 2 1/2 year old who kept wanting to give Faith hugs and she did great. it helped that said child had potato chips that she wanted to share with the dog....


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

Excelent! Congratulations Faith and Mommy!


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

Congrats Faith. I would love to do this with my 2. Delilah is too rambunctious, but I think as I work with Samson and get him over his shyness, he would be great. He's so quiet and gentle and mellow.


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## Patsy's Parents (Aug 8, 2007)

Faith's mommy said:


> the only part of the test that posed a problem was the leave it.


We had a little problem with that whole "Leave It" business too. For Patsy, the tester put a piece of sausage on the floor, and Patsy was supposed to walk past it on a loose leash. Neither she nor I had eaten lunch, and the sausage looked pretty good to both of us. She had a weaker will, and made for it. :doh: I was faster, and stopped her. But I was a little worried about passing!

Congrats on the cert. It is a very rewarding past time and you will make a lot of dear friends. Did you do the Good Citizenship cert too? I would recommend getting it, if you didn't decide to do so. It allows your dog to stay with you in many hotels which do not normally permit dogs. We have used it several times this past year during travels, and it is worth its weight in gold. Plus you get a nice magnetic bumper sticker!!


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## moverking (Feb 26, 2007)

Congratulations! I think I saw a few postings for therapy dogs needed in the OBX.....


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

Congratulations.
Was this the Therapy Dog International test?
Did you find a Facility?


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## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

thanks all! and, once she gets her ID and if we're in the OBX, i'll bring her somewhere... 

yes, we've gotten our CGC. with the leave it, i'm not sure how she would have done it if was a sausage!

and, it's with the Delta Soceity, not TDI. we've got two facilities close by that can't wait for us to come on in.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Congratulations Faith! Proud moment!!
I've always admired therapy animals. I can't wait to hear how she does as she starts her assignments.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

What exciting news! Nice work, Faith, especially with the stuffie temptation . . .


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

What exactly is on the test? Did you practice the "leave it" alot? Did you have to pass all of this?

Socialization to Medical Equipment and Strange Surroundings.
Exposure to Role Played Infirmities.
Sit Politely In A Location That Is Easily Accessible For Petting.
Advanced Food Leave It.
Maintain Training In the Presence of Distractions.
Supervised Separation.
Load Up Calmly Into Vehicle.
Travel In Car Wearing Safety Harness.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Congrats! The test can be pretty tricky for our pups but she did great! YOU GO GIRLS!


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Faith is a wonderful girl! I've been working on re-conditioning Shadow to work up to be comfortable with new dogs. Yesterday we worked on impulse control and it was awesome. It's a great way to teach "Leave it." Shadow already knew "leave it" but I'm working a lot with body language this time around. I was shocked that I could throw a ball over my shoulder, he could see it, and after two tries he NEVER went for it. He sat focused on me.


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## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

our test was - 

1) Accepting a friendly stranger - basically a person walking up to me for a greeting and she has to sit nicely. She can show interest in the person, but can't jump up on them or approach them without my ok.

2) Accepting petting - so the friendly stanger asks if they can pet the dog and the dog can either sit or stand calmly. Again, can show interest (and can do some sniffing) but aren't supposed to jump up on them.

3) Appearance and Grooming - the evaluator reviews how clean / well groomed the dog is - especially how their nails are. This is important b/c many elderly have easily bruised or scratched skin, so they want their nails trimmed up nicely. Plus, the evaluator brushes the dog with a brush you bring. Our trainer / evaluator has people bring *really* soft brushes b/c the motor coordination of some of the people who want to brush them isn't that good and you do't want either the client or the dog to get injured by a brush or comb with teeth.

4) Out for a walk - dog must walk with you in a heel, loose leash, around an obstacle course. at our test, they had us walk around a bunch of equipment and stuff she placed on the floor.

5) Walking through a crowd - again, heel, loose leash, but you are walking through a bunch of people. they are supposed to be able to stay focused on you, even if they are interested in their surroundings and the people you are walking by. not everyone you meet at a nursing home in the hallway wants the dog to come greet them.

6) Reaction to distractions - the evaluator drops something loud behind the dog. they want to make sure that while the dog may be startled, they don't over react to it.

7, 8, 9 & 10) Sit on cue, down on cue, stay in place for 30 seconds, and come when called - just testing basic obedience

11) Reaction to a neutral dog - being able to greet friendly stanger and friendly dog while your dog is in a sit stay next to you. they can't reach for the person or dog.

12) Accepting exuberent and clumsy petting - at the test we did, the evaluator had an assistant who pets the dog roughly and clumsily. it's meant to show how the dog does when a client with impaired motor control pets them in a way they might not be used to.

13) Accepting restraining hug - how relaxed they are if the previous clumsy petter then hugs them and restrains them

14) Reaction to a staggering, gesturing individual - same ideas as above. You may have clients who can not walk properly or who have mental impairment and act in "odd" ways and they want to see how the dog does. for our test, the evaluator's assistant walked around her like a drunk, flapping a sweater at her and spoke in varying levels - normal to whisper to shouting. Faith did really good with this one, she was a bit spooked, but only came to me and sat right next to me calmly.

15) Reaction to angry yelling - the evaluator and assistant suddenly started yelling at each other and gesturing wildly to see how the dog reacts.

16) Reaction to being bumped from behind - the evaluator bumped her butt with a walker

17) Reaction when crowded and petted by several people - this is a really important one. When you enter a room with multiple clients, no one sits still and calmly waits their turn, they do swarm the dog. 

18) Leave it

19) Reaction to being offered a treat - this one is one of the most important imho. You have to have a dog that takes treats nicely, no alligator snaps. Plus, you have to have a *really* solid leave it with treat offering. Many times a client will try to give the dog inappropriate things - anything from chocolates to their medications. You have to be right on top of it to keep your dog from taking any medicine.

And, of course throughout, the handler and dog are handling themselves. They need to be relaxed, confident, and if the dog acted consistently.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Yay Faith!! Congratulations and have a great time visiting


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Wow, that's quite a list of things to pass. Well done!


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## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

thanks all!

it's sort of ironic that after all that the tiing of us passing the test was a bit off. we haven't been able to do any visiting. when we first passed the H1N1 was just getting going and many nursing homes didn't want you to come in, then i got pregnant and couldn't do much but sleep for 3 months, but even now that i'm feeling better my doctors don't want me in nursing homes b/c of the seasonal flu and the H1N1 threat - both of which hit pregnant women harder than the general population.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Keep you and yourself safe. Faith will do fine when she gets rolling. 

My doc wants me to get the Swine Vaccination. He thinks my odds of getting Swine and not surviving are higher than the possiblity of the possible side effects from the vaccine.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

I'm seeing my doctor this week for my annual check-up; I wonder if I should ask about the H1N1 flu shot too? My golden passed the therapy dog test last month and her badge is on its way (I got a call from Therapy Dogs International last week) so I'm eager to start our visits. I'm not in a high risk group, but I guess I should ask my doctor. I think when you're over a certain age, the flu shots are recommended.


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