What is Therapy Dog Training?
Therapy dog training is the specialized process of training dogs and their handlers to provide comfort, emotional support, and companionship to people in healthcare facilities, schools, and nursing homes.
At Petropolis, training involves teaching dogs to remain calm in various environments, to be comfortable around medical equipment, to respond reliably to cues, to maintain composure when meeting strangers, and pass their therapy dog certification test. New clients can get started on their therapy dog training journey with a free private lesson.
New Client Offer
FREE PRIVATE LESSON
(New training clients only. One per pet.)
What Our Therapy Dog Training Program Includes
Skills List
Petropolis' Therapy Dog Training Program is designed to teach your dog everything needed to pass testing, as well as evaluating them and teaching them to navigate the places they will visit as a therapy dog.
Confidence Building
- Intro to Noises
- Intro to Mobility Equipment
- Intro to Moving Surfaces
Foundations & Basics
- Door Manners
- Polite Greetings
- Leash Skills
- Working Around Dogs
- Distance Recall
People Handling
- Intro to People
- Intro to Children
- Handling of Dog by Strangers
- Supervised Absence of Handler
- Working/Behaving in Public Areas
Advanced Skills
- Automatic "Leave It"
- One Minute "Wait"
- Advanced "Place"
- "Go Visit" (Head Down/In Lap)
- One Minute "Sit", "Stand", "Down", "Stay"
Distance, Duration &
Distractions
- "Sit"/"Down" with Distractions
- "Focus" Around Distractions
- Food Refusal
- Walking Through Crowds
Therapy Dog Training Package Pricing
Dogs must have already completed basic obedience training before advancing to therapy dog training.
*Price valid for 30 days from evaluation
Total Cost
$2,981.25
- Confidence Building
- Therapy Dog Foundations
- Intro to Equipment, People, and Environments
- People Handling
- Advanced Therapy Dog Training
- Distance, Duration, and Distractions
- 20+ Different Skills
Frequently Asked Therapy Dog Training Questions
Therapy dog training is a specialized form of dog training that focuses on teaching dogs to provide comfort to people other than the handler. Therapy dogs often work in schools, hospitals, and assisted living facilities.
We will start training a dog as early as 12 weeks old (8 weeks with manager approval). We regularly work with dogs of all ages and have specialized approaches for puppies and senior pets.
We use science-based positive reinforcement techniques that reward desired behaviors rather than punishing unwanted ones. This force-free approach builds your dog's confidence and strengthens your relationship rather than creating fear or anxiety.
No, only service dogs are legally protected. However, therapy dogs can get certified as a testament to their legitimacy.
Emotional support animals provide comfort to their handlers and have no formal certifications. Therapy dogs provide comfort to others and can get certified. Service dogs are task trained to support people with disabilities, and they can also get certified.
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