# Has anyone here...



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Taken their Golden from Excessive Greeting Disorder to Therapy Dog? 

I never even tried to get my last dog certified because she was always SO excited when she met people, jumped up almost her whole life despite all my best efforts, even though she also had incredible instincts to be calm around older, frail adults, or little kids. 

I am seeing the same with my current girl, Shala. She is always very excited when meeting able bodied adults, though, for the most part, she doesn't jump anymore. She does full body wags, and sits and leans in (she also does that "smile" thing where she shows her teeth, which some people are startled by until I explain it). But when she meets someone more frail, or at all vulnerable, she melts into a big softy, usually flipping over on her back for belly rubs, but almost always lying down. And we had an interesting experience at the splash pad the other day - I always ask before I let Shala get her paws wet and get a drink, and I keep her on leash. She normally just watches the little kids playing around her. But this day, a little girl about 2 years old came toddling up to her and started to pat her (very gently) and was so happy when Shala gave her kisses. Shala was so calm, just stood there and let the little girl pat her all over, only gave kisses when the girl held out her hand or tried to kiss Shala's nose. When the little girl's mother came over, and started to "oooh and aww, she's so sweet!" Shala got all excited and I had to make sure she didn't knock the little girl down! The mother knew immediately it was her causing it and backed off, and Shala went back to being all calm with her daughter. I really appreciated that she realized it was her, and I found it very interesting to see the difference in Shala's behaviour. 

All this leads me to still wonder if Shala could ever pass the therapy dog evaluation with an able bodied adult, while I KNOW she would be great working with the elderly or very young. Any tips or experiences? Would love to hear.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Max pulls me like he's a sled dog and I'm the sled when it's just the two of us, and he still jumps on my best friend when he hasn't seen her in a while. 
But he somehow knows when it's time to work, and when someone is vulnerable and fragile.
We did it, and I'm a total waste at training - he's a good dog in spite of me, not because of me - so I'd say, try it with her.


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## Dee's Gidget (Aug 14, 2016)

My girl has multiple personalities. Our therapy group used bandanas on the dogs so that they could easily be identified at the hospital. When she had that bandana on, she was working.

When my husband is home, she breaks any rule he allows. 

When I do anything with her, she knows the drill.

Proof her for her test. When she passes, I think you will see a dog that knows when they're working. 

Go for it!


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

*Therapy dogs*

It takes a very special dog to do therapy work. They not only have to greet politely but handle all the chaos that comes with special needs children and hospital noises. They cannot eat ANYTHING on the floor, it could be fatal. We had one golden in our group that would sit for hours and let children brush his teeth, such a sweet boy.

Therapy work is very rewarding but also very stressful for the dogs. They know when the kids or people are sick. Be sure and teach your pooch to pee/pooh on command. That needs to happen before you get on the 8th floor with mental patients.

We were required to bathe our pups within 24 hrs prior to EACH visit, nails must be kept extremely short and bullet proof when it comes to sudden loud noises, emergency crews charging down the hallways and dementia patients that tend to pull on both puppy and people hair. You must be able to be in an elevator with 10 other dogs and not touch noses... in fact they were required to ignore every thing but you.

Many of the groups have training courses prior to the testing/screening process. Most require your dog be at least 18 months and have basic obedience certificate prior to being considered. Check with the group near you to see what they offer and good luck!


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

Well I've done it with Shala's cousin Gracie who's pretty high energy and loves people, so I'm guessing you could do it with Shala.

We prematurely lost Zoe who also was a therapy dog, so from the beginning I hoped I'd be able to continue the therapy work with Gracie. We started working on "sit for your greeting" and "gentle" the day we brought her home. She started as soon as possible with family manners type obedience and then some competition obedience training. After passing her CGC, we took a therapy dog class when she was about 18 months old. I thought it was going to take quite awhile for her to settle enough to pass the certification. Somewhat to my surprise the trainer felt that she was going to make a very good therapy dog and she passed her certification before she was 2 years old. We did a lot of socialization out and about, practicing meet and greet and also learning that you don't need to greet everyone, some people don't want to be greeted.

We've done work in a read program for 6-9 year olds at the public library and some informal work but haven't yet started with nursing homes or hospitals. Gracie will be 3 in September and even though she's certified I want to be really comfortable that she's settled enough before working in those environments. I think we're just about there. A few days ago while we were out we greeted an older couple and I was so happy to see Gracie calm herself noticeably when she saw that the man was suffering from some sort of tremors. She sat calmly and let him pet her as long as he wished.

There are many different settings for therapy dog work and IMO it's important to find the right setting for both you and your dog. Besides the nursing homes and hospitals, there are schools, libraries, counseling centers and even prisons and juvenile facilities. Our therapy dog trainer takes a group to a juvenile offender facility where she has the dogs doing agility with the residents.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

I have had at least one therapy dog in my home for about 40 years now. I started doing it with my first heart dog, Shannon, before there were really any programs established. Since then I have trained a great many of my dogs as therapy dogs. I currently only have one, Gracie. She's 11 years old now and will probably "retire" soon. Bailey is my next planned therapy dog but at 18 months he is my Peter Pan puppy who simply refuses to grow up. It is going to be a while before that little devil can pass his CGC and start therapy dog classes (where I am it is required that a dog pass basic obedience and the CGC test before you can enroll in training for therapy dogs). I have taken my dogs to nursing homes, schools, hospice facilities (my favorite as I saw the benefits of the therapy dogs with several family members who were in hospice care), juvenile facilities and the locked psychiatric facility for patients committed by the courts as mentally ill and dangerous where I was employed (I was a psychologist there). I have also taken all of the dogs to colleges, universities and law schools in the area where I live during finals week. We simply walk around campus. I started going to law schools when my daughter was a law student and she mentioned how much it relaxed her to come and visit our dogs while stressed about final exams. You don't have to have a therapy dog to walk thru a college campus during finals week. I have been doing it with Bailey. It teaches him appropriate meet and greet techniques and the students seem to love it. He gets a hefty dose of love from the students on the days he does that. You may want to try it with Shala. It is, as I said, a great way to practice and it is beneficial for the students. A win win situation for everyone. After a while Shala will probably become a pro at the meet and greet with all different types of people and will then, hopefully, be ready for her CGC. Good luck! Having a therapy dog is worth every bit of time spent training your dog.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

laprincessa said:


> Max pulls me like he's a sled dog and I'm the sled when it's just the two of us, and he still jumps on my best friend when he hasn't seen her in a while.
> But he somehow knows when it's time to work, and when someone is vulnerable and fragile.
> *We did it, and I'm a total waste at training - he's a good dog in spite of me, not because of me - so I'd say, try it with her*.





Dee's Gidget said:


> My girl has multiple personalities. Our therapy group used bandanas on the dogs so that they could easily be identified at the hospital. When she had that bandana on, she was working.
> 
> When my husband is home, she breaks any rule he allows.
> 
> ...


I'm definitely not the world's best trainer either! I am very firm on some things (not eating stuff off the ground, for example), but somehow, I have never been able to train a dog to control her excitement when meeting people. So, how did you guys get through the testing? Did you do specific training for it? I haven't found any therapy dog specific classes (yet). 



TheZ's said:


> Well I've done it with Shala's cousin Gracie who's pretty high energy and loves people, so I'm guessing you could do it with Shala.
> 
> We prematurely lost Zoe who also was a therapy dog, so from the beginning I hoped I'd be able to continue the therapy work with Gracie. We started working on "sit for your greeting" and "gentle" the day we brought her home. She started as soon as possible with family manners type obedience and then some competition obedience training. After passing her CGC, we took a therapy dog class when she was about 18 months old. I thought it was going to take quite awhile for her to settle enough to pass the certification. Somewhat to my surprise the trainer felt that she was going to make a very good therapy dog and she passed her certification before she was 2 years old. We did a lot of socialization out and about, practicing meet and greet and also learning that you don't need to greet everyone, some people don't want to be greeted.
> 
> ...


Shala's cousin sounds amazing! I fear I may have waited too long. Shala is 3 years old already, so she has three good years of being excited when she meets people under her belt. She calms down pretty quickly, and will sit if the person asks for a sit, but man, she starts out excited. I probably have not been firm enough about not allowing her to greet until she calms down. I hate to ever tell someone they can't pat her and say hello. We get stopped multiple times every time we're out. She is better than she used to be, and better with strangers than with my neighbours, but still gets very excited. 



G-bear said:


> I have had at least one therapy dog in my home for about 40 years now. I started doing it with my first heart dog, Shannon, before there were really any programs established. Since then I have trained a great many of my dogs as therapy dogs. I currently only have one, Gracie. She's 11 years old now and will probably "retire" soon. Bailey is my next planned therapy dog but at 18 months he is my Peter Pan puppy who simply refuses to grow up. It is going to be a while before that little devil can pass his CGC and start therapy dog classes (where I am it is required that a dog pass basic obedience and the CGC test before you can enroll in training for therapy dogs). I have taken my dogs to nursing homes, schools, hospice facilities (my favorite as I saw the benefits of the therapy dogs with several family members who were in hospice care), juvenile facilities and the locked psychiatric facility for patients committed by the courts as mentally ill and dangerous where I was employed (I was a psychologist there). I have also taken all of the dogs to colleges, universities and law schools in the area where I live during finals week. We simply walk around campus. I started going to law schools when my daughter was a law student and she mentioned how much it relaxed her to come and visit our dogs while stressed about final exams. You don't have to have a therapy dog to walk thru a college campus during finals week. I have been doing it with Bailey. It teaches him appropriate meet and greet techniques and the students seem to love it. He gets a hefty dose of love from the students on the days he does that. You may want to try it with Shala. It is, as I said, a great way to practice and it is beneficial for the students. A win win situation for everyone. After a while Shala will probably become a pro at the meet and greet with all different types of people and will then, hopefully, be ready for her CGC. Good luck! Having a therapy dog is worth every bit of time spent training your dog.


Shala actually passed her CGC (it's a CGN (n=Neighbour) in Canada) when she was 13 months old. She had a very good day that day! I had taken her just to see what we needed to work on, and she wound up passing. She is 3 years old now. I love the idea of walking through a campus - that's a great idea. Kids in their 20s would elicit a LOT of excitement for Shala - so a very good learning environment. I think if we ever got certification, I would lean towards visiting a seniors home or hospice type care facility. I really feel like we need to find some good training classes to work on these specifics.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

The group we're with is a local one - when I decided to try this with Max, we just went to a presentation about what the group does and then one group evaluation with a bunch of dogs in which they had to go around a room and greet people, including people who were in wheelchairs, with walkers, etc. There were toys and treats on the floor that they had to leave alone. Someone dropped things to make noise to see how the dogs would react. 

Then there were two evaluations at an actual facility to see how the dogs and the people did. There were no classes, no need for CGC. We were evaluated by people who have been doing this for years and have been trained to do the evaluations. 

I believe the evaluations are more stringent now, but nothing like some have described here. 

Check for a local group. We may not be TDI, but the people we help don't seem to care.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I graduated in 2013 from a college that didn't allow dogs on campus. I always hated that. But for finals week they usually allowed a group of therapy dogs to visit inside the building. It was the best day of the whole semester! I would sit for an hour and pet all the dogs. There was always at least one golden. I talked with the Goldens handler and they actually hunted with their dog during the season and he came from field lines but he was an absolute gentleman for his visits.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Hang out at little kids' sporting events, too


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

Archersmom- thanks for solving a mystery for me. Back when I lived in a tiny town with a college in I used to walk my dogs through the campus with a friend and her dog. The kids on campus went crazy for the dogs. Every few feet we would be stopped. I always thought it was really weird that they would be so taken by 3 dogs. I just asked my husband about it (he graduated from that college many years ago) and he told me that since everyone had to live in a dorm dogs were not allowed. I had no idea that there were campuses that were dog free since I attended a college with nearly as many dogs as students. And I suspect some of the dogs would have made better students. Lol. So thanks for solving the mystery of why my dogs were so popular on a college campus many years ago, Archersmom


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

It was in a small town too, with a small public college. The craziest part was that no dogs were allowed ever. Even when my family came for graduation, I had Archer at that time and refused to leave him with anyone whom wasn't family so my DH got hassled by security just for sitting in the grass next to the bleachers for 30 minutes.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Pretty much the only dogs on campus around here are service dogs. I take Max on campus when I run in to pick something up, or drop something off - a quick visit - and he gets major loving from the students.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

laprincessa said:


> The group we're with is a local one - when I decided to try this with Max, we just went to a presentation about what the group does and then one group evaluation with a bunch of dogs in which they had to go around a room and greet people, including people who were in wheelchairs, with walkers, etc. There were toys and treats on the floor that they had to leave alone. Someone dropped things to make noise to see how the dogs would react.
> 
> Then there were two evaluations at an actual facility to see how the dogs and the people did. There were no classes, no need for CGC. We were evaluated by people who have been doing this for years and have been trained to do the evaluations.
> 
> ...


That all sounds really reasonable. Yeah, just asking around the people I field train with who've done therapy work, the tests in Ontario sound more like this. No having to go into an elevator with 10 other dogs and not touch noses! Your experience is what I would hope for - an evaluation IN the setting. I know Shala is totally cool with wheel chairs and scooters, and thanks to me, she is fine with someone hobbling around her on crutches! :| The certification here comes through St. John's Ambulance. It's an organization that does first aid training, CPR training, canine first aid, etc. I am going to call them and get some more information. 



ArchersMom said:


> I graduated in 2013 from a college that didn't allow dogs on campus. I always hated that. But for finals week they usually allowed a group of therapy dogs to visit inside the building. It was the best day of the whole semester! I would sit for an hour and pet all the dogs. There was always at least one golden. I talked with the Goldens handler and they actually hunted with their dog during the season and he came from field lines but he was an absolute gentleman for his visits.


It never occurred to me that a campus wouldn't let me walk Shala through, but I suppose it's entirely possible. University of Toronto has gorgeous grounds, but it's also spread out around the city a bit more (as opposed to all contained on its own grounds) so I don't think there could be super strict rules. Guess I won't know til I try! Really, just walking her around my neighbourhood, we get stopped multiple times over the course of a long walk, so she meets so many people. But I think college kids would be really good practice - they would be very bubbly and friendly, and maybe more likely in small groups. 



hotel4dogs said:


> Hang out at little kids' sporting events, too


Also a good idea! It would be an excellent exercise in just sitting and being calm while watching kids play. While I was in the aircast boot and only bringing Shala to the parkette behind my house, a couple times, the daycare centre from a couple of blocks away brought about 16 3-4 year olds to play. Shala managed to not bug them at all, and just stay focused on me and playing ball (the kids would be playing on the playground part where I never allow her to go even when there are no kids because I don't think dogs should be allowed to pee in park sand). The only time she lost her focus was when one of the kids came over to the grassy and called to her. Then all bets were off. And then ALL the kids came over to see her. She just lay in the middle of them getting pats and belly rubs.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Great ideas... we used to sit outside the Starbucks on a Sat/Sun morning. We also walked through the local mall, not sure that was allowed but no one ever said anything or asked us to leave. The local home depot was also great about our walking the isles. All I have around here is Tractor Supply and the Ace hardware but they have been pretty good with our visits. There is a parade planned for Labor Day (small town) curious to see how Sipsy handles the band 

The more exposure the better. Good luck, it's a great thing to do.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

G-bear said:


> Archersmom- thanks for solving a mystery for me. Back when I lived in a tiny town with a college in I used to walk my dogs through the campus with a friend and her dog. The kids on campus went crazy for the dogs. Every few feet we would be stopped. I always thought it was really weird that they would be so taken by 3 dogs. I just asked my husband about it (he graduated from that college many years ago) and he told me that since everyone had to live in a dorm dogs were not allowed. I had no idea that there were campuses that were dog free since I attended a college with nearly as many dogs as students. And I suspect some of the dogs would have made better students. Lol. So thanks for solving the mystery of why my dogs were so popular on a college campus many years ago, Archersmom


At my daughter's college, University of Missouri-Columbia, during exam time there are some Great Pyrenees therapy dogs for the students. She said all the students get all excited because they miss their dogs at home.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Max and I don't like elevators - we call them "alligators" - that's an old family joke for another time - so if he had to be in one with ten other dogs, it would be very difficult. What he does is wrap himself around my legs so it's not dangerous for anyone but me but you can see where this could make us fail. 

I really think you can do this together, and I can't wait to hear of your adventures. It's so rewarding, I love seeing the looks of pure joy on faces when Max does his thing.


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

hotel4dogs said:


> Hang out at little kids' sporting events, too


This. We took Bayleigh(and now Dory) to my sons sporting events and we always take Dory to pick my daughter up at dance. She dances on a competition team and at events so we cannot bring her to those(but outdoor events we will) But I would like to get into therapy work. Quite honestly, Bayleigh would have been perfect. I am not sure why we didn't pursue. 


We also do the dog park. So far she likes the people more than the dogs, but it has been great for her to learn "down" and "stay", etc. . We're blessed that our park requires pretty strict admission guidelines(vaccination proof, temperament testing, etc). She is still quite young, but is learning fairly quickly. Now, if she'd just come every time we call without food in our hand, that'd be great!


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

All three of our goldens are therapy dogs. They're tested and and registered with Therapy Dogs International. My oldest just turned 13 years old and has always been a perfect therapy dog. We're the team that started pet therapy at this particular psychiatric hospital. Have been going there just shy of 10 years. When her bandana and diamond collar come out she knows she is "working". She was never a fan of elevators but would get on it with me, sitting very quietly in the back. Our middle dog is 9 years old and is solid like a rock. Very gently and happily approaches everyone and anyone. She was tested and passed at 13 months. 12 months being the minimum age allowed.

Our youngest, Chloe, is an excessive greeter and an all around active, active dog. I always wanted her to successfully take and pass the test, given that Mandy is getting up there in age and is in semi-retirement. In time, I wanted Chloe to be able to take the helm. As bouncy as she is, she took to pet therapy immediately. The bandana comes out and no more bouncy greeter. She's all business. She is very gentle with all folks, staff and patients, and adores the attention.

So, I guess what I'm getting at is your dog may surprise you. Most times they "get it". They know when they're working. They also seem to know who needs them the most on a particular visit. If you know her weak areas, work on them. You're allowed to speak with your dog during the test (at least with TDI). If the evaluator is approaching you can tell your dog to sit/stay/off or whatever command you use that will ensure no jumping. The other hardest area people find is the "leave it". As mentioned above, dogs are NOT allowed to eat or grab anything form the floor or garbage. It's bad manner and can also be lethal depending on what the dog may ingest.

Have faith in yourself and your dog.......... she will surprise you!!!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

laprincessa said:


> Max and I don't like elevators - we call them "alligators" - that's an old family joke for another time - so if he had to be in one with ten other dogs, it would be very difficult. What he does is wrap himself around my legs so it's not dangerous for anyone but me but you can see where this could make us fail.
> 
> I really think you can do this together, and I can't wait to hear of your adventures. It's so rewarding, *I love seeing the looks of pure joy on faces when Max does his thing.*


This is my main motivator. I see the effect she has on people and I feel like she has such potential to do more. I live in a major city, and like many major cities, there are vulnerable people on the streets. Shala shows them such acceptance and love. She will walk by and not bother someone sitting on the sidewalk... unless they reach out to her. If they do, she goes into totally mush mode - lies down, usually lets them rub her belly, or she just lies there and lets them pat her. I usually try to talk to them - but many don't have any interest in me. They are just so happy that my dog loves them. They will often say, "She loves me. She loves me." Or they will talk about a dog they once had. I feel like Shala would bring a lot of happiness to older people in a seniors home or hospital. 

I'm not at all worried about stuff like her eating stuff off hospital floors - she never eats food on the street, and has a very solid leave it and drop it. Honestly, my only hesitation is her excessive greeting disorder. Obviously, that is more my fault than hers!


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

we have a leash that has two handles, one is the normal end of the leash and the other is about 2 feet from the hook, so I can hold Max pretty close to me when I grab that one. I got it at Petsmart, I think. Maybe you could get one of those and practice with her, have her sit and treat like crazy till she calms down? 

Your story reminds me of the day Max and I were walking at the park, and came upon a young man sitting on the side of the path with his head down. Max approached him and he looked up, I said "he's going to give you kisses because you're at his level." The boy just lit up and said, "you don't know how much I need that right now." 

Yeah, they're awesome in how they know just what to do


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

laprincessa said:


> we have a leash that has two handles, one is the normal end of the leash and the other is about 2 feet from the hook, so I can hold Max pretty close to me when I grab that one. I got it at Petsmart, I think. Maybe you could get one of those and practice with her, have her sit and treat like crazy till she calms down?
> 
> Your story reminds me of the day Max and I were walking at the park, and came upon a young man sitting on the side of the path with his head down. Max approached him and he looked up, I said "he's going to give you kisses because you're at his level." The boy just lit up and said, "you don't know how much I need that right now."
> 
> Yeah, they're awesome in how they know just what to do


That's a great idea. I used to have one of those leashes, long ago, when I was training my first dog to walking nicely. Forgot all about them. I'm going to get one for sure!

And love your story about Max. Yup, that sounds exactly like what Shala would do. I do love that they can bring so much happiness to someone who is otherwise not feeling so good.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

I don't know if this will be of any help as things may be much different in Canada. I have a neighbor whose son has Downs. He was recently placed in a group home setting. Actually it is a regular home with 4 residents and one staff person there 24/7. When the residents wanted "somebody with a dog" to visit my neighbor asked me to do it
I take Bailey to visit "the boys" once a week in the evening. Bailey is not yet certified as a therapy dog. I brought Gracie (my therapy dog) the first night and Charlie (my neighbor's son) asked me if I couldn't please bring my "boy dog" the next time because they have an "all boys house". Lol. Bailey has been going for about 2 months now and loves it. He's a bit more active there than Gracie is in her therapy dog visits (where she mainly sits to be loved on). Bailey plays fetch with the boys. They love it. So you may want to see if there are any small group homes in need of a dog visitor. From what I have seen they don't really want a therapy dog. Just a dog like they probably had at home.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

What a nice experience for both your Bailey and the boys. It sounds like he brings them a lot of joy. I don't know of any home like that in my area, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. Not sure what the rules would be in terms of visitation with a dog.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Sweet Girl said:


> What a nice experience for both your Bailey and the boys. It sounds like he brings them a lot of joy. I don't know of any home like that in my area, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. Not sure what the rules would be in terms of visitation with a dog.


Call and ask. I've found that most places are very good about telling us if we can come in and if so, what we need to do.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

laprincessa said:


> Call and ask. I've found that most places are very good about telling us if we can come in and if so, what we need to do.


I actually found another therapy dog organization here that I am going to get some information from. They do a lot of work in seniors homes, which is where I think Shala would be best suited.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Perfect! Max does well with seniors, too.
And oh, how they love him. 
You're going to be very happy doing this with Shala


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

If you know where you'd like to work, it's a good idea to call their volunteer coordinator and ask if they use therapy dogs and if so what qualifications they require. Each facility sets their own rules and it ranges from "dog appears friendly and under control" to "dog must have CGC" to "dog must be certified by XYZ therapy dog organization" to "dog must be all of the above plus have passed the facility's own testing". IMO there is a lot to be said for working in a facility near you . . . convenience, contributing to your community etc. but I can understand people who want to work in a very specific setting. Either way knowing ahead what their requirements are will help you shape your training and certification and could save a lot of time and effort.

Here in the States some therapy dog organizations won't allow their dogs to be certified and work for other organizations so once you're with one organization switching isn't so easy. Sometimes people find that even though they're certified, it's not the right certification for a program they're interested in. So it pays to check before you get too far along in the process.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

TheZ's makes a REALLY good point. I would definitely check with the facility where you want to volunteer first. I go to a nursing home. Have been going to the same one for 30 years. I've been there longer than most staff. They know me, know my dogs and right now I could bring Bailey in with no CGC or therapy dog certification. Because they have seen my dogs, know how they are trained and know exactly what I expect of them. That having been said I briefly considered going to a local hospital with Gracie (who has passed CGC and is certified). I was told Gracie was not properly certified (they required it from another organization) and that in order to visit there I would need to re-certify with the "proper" organization. Then they gave me a list of requirements in addition to the training. I cannot remember them all but it required a commitment of 4 to 8 hours a week for 1 year and the dog must be professionally groomed within 24 hours before a visit. Here a professional groomer gets between 40 and 75 dollars per groom. Which would mean it would have cost me between $160 and $400 to have Gracie groomed before visits each month. On top of the cost to re-take their certification classes. I decided we would continue with Gracie's ladies at the nursing home. So, it pays to contact the facility BEFORE starting classes. From my experience nursing homes are more lenient in their rules. Gracie has to have been bathed and clean for her visits but I don't have to pay a groomer to do it each time. Also I know that we are appreciated by people and Gracie likes seeing "her" ladies each week and the highlight of my girl's month is the day we pick up flowers and she gets to walk into each of their rooms with a flower in her mouth. She positively struts on those days. Lol.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

Forgot to add...since Gracie sees the same people a lot there is a bond which forms. About 4 months ago I received a call that one of Gracie's ladies was dying and she had asked to see Gracie one last time. Of course Gracie went to see her and I believe Gracie knew why she was there. It was the first, and only time, she got on a bed and laid down with a patient. She simply laid there with her head on the woman's leg. She passed while Gracie was with her. I think it made a difference to the woman and her family that a dog she had come to love was there. So in a nursing home I think the dogs develop relationships with the patients. In a hospital, because there is a constant turn-over in patients, that probably doesn't happen as often.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I sent an email to the group leader for my area... hopefully she'll call me in the next few days...


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## Dee's Gidget (Aug 14, 2016)

College campus and sporting events are fantastic ideas! I will try these very soon with Gidget. 

I proofed her by reserving three dog friends and a room at our church. She never met the people, dogs or had ever been inside the church's activity room. Our church has elderly members with dogs that love to help. We staged it. A mock test. The two tasks that I thought my girl, Abi, wouldn't do well with were watching two adults "fight or argue" and the Down-Stay where she couldn't see me. She was 12 months. This was almost 10 years ago when our therapy was done through Delta Society. Not sure if the test has changed. 

I honestly think it helped. OR, it was just agood day for her ;0)


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## fishergal (Nov 18, 2012)

Sweet Girl and all others on this thread.

All Golden's do very well as a Therapy Dog. With a little more training and exposure to people they'll be great.

I was lucky with my Molly since she was a pup at 8 weeks old and even now at 4 years old; she's always been VERY mellow. People ask me if she's a senior because she acts like she's old. They can't believe it when I tell them she's only 4.

Her and I visit a senior's home every Tuesday and they just love her there and she loves all the pats she gets. She knows once I bring out her scarf and leash she knows it's time to visit.

We are members of the St. John Ambulance Dog Therapy Program - very good organization. Yesterday Molly passed her CGN and has a very busy schedule.

Earlier this month besides our weekly visit, we went to a hospital for a drop in there for the staff. It was nice to see the staff come and see her and the other therapy dogs and spend time with them. Next month we'll be going to 2 university campus' for the students de-stressing down time going into their exams. During the month of December Molly and I will be at YVR on a project that a Provincial co-ordinator of the St. John Ambulance asked if we would help out there. It'll be a very busy place, but I'm sure she'll be fine.

All Golden's do very well as a Therapy Dog. The ones that have more energy eventually do great; don't despair, keep working on it. It's very rewarding to see how people interact with your dog and they love it too. After all they're really people dogs - best breed around. Should be proud you own one


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