THERAPY DOG SOCIALIZATION - AWAY FROM HOME
NOTE: Although this page refers to dogs it's also important for all species of therapy pets!
CLICK on image to READ PERSONAL TERRITORIES
"No other canine related event, no sport nor competition
requires a dog (or any pet) to enter the intimate zones of unfamiliar humans
& remain there for several minutes of petting and hugging …
Most dogs (& other pets) have been bred for generations to distinguish between outsiders & family, & to act accordingly. Therapy Pets are no different."
- Kris Butler, Therapy Dogs Today, Their Gifts, Our Obligation
The importance of properly socializing your dog
(or other therapy pet candidate) AWAY from home is very important.
Many of us assume that if our dog (or other pet) is friendly with strangers at home that they would be a good therapy pet. Maybe, maybe not. It's important that we get our pets away from home - out of his or her comfort zone - to see how social they really are. Even if we take our pets to a park &/or visit grandma in the nursing home and everyone loves her this does not necessarily mean she is ready to be a therapy pet. Perhaps he or she would be a wonderful therapy pet but they may not be ready quite yet. Even if we take our pet to work or another friend or relative's home often they need to be socialized even further out of their comfort zone. Training, Leadership and Socialization are ALL important to be a good therapy pet.
While preparing your pet for therapy work it's very important to remember that this is the ONLY activity - including recreational sports or competitions - that requires your pet to be comfortable sustaining 10 to 20 minutes of certainly social, usually personal and often intimate interaction with stranger after stranger for a prolonged period of time - usually 1 to 2 hours (2 hours maximum!). (see Personal Territories diagram above) This is not natural for any pet - especially dogs - no matter how friendly, well socialized or even well trained but when properly prepared our therapy animals do enjoy and look forward to working in this capacity with great enthusiasm! Although we refer specifically to dogs in the following it generally applies to other species of therapy pet candidates as well.
Appropriate socialization - WITH appropriate manners & leadership - in a controlled setting with a variety of strangers, both indoors and out, away from home is very important. If your dog is under reasonably good control on a flat buckle collar (or other acceptable equipment) - no choke chains or prong collars - there are many dog friendly places you can socialize your dog. Even visiting with people outside of stores is a good start. Once you are comfortable visiting in an out door environment with many different types of people, sounds and smells - such as outside Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Best Buy etc., you might be ready to try indoor visits - in unfamiliar settings. Your vet's office or pet store is not an unfamiliar setting. Please contact us for a list of local dog friendly businesses that allow our volunteer candidates to train in their facilities.
REMEMBER TO PRACTICE P.E.T.S. WHILE SOCIALIZING!
After your animal is confident, responsive and relaxed away from home more causal socialization may be appropriate too at times
but these are the required criteria for safe and effective AAA/T visits (and for the Skills & Aptitude Test) so practicing these skills while socializing
in a variety of unfamiliar locations will build trust, confidence & manners - and therefore enhance the relaxed enjoyment & therapeutic effect for all!
After your animal is confident, responsive and relaxed away from home more causal socialization may be appropriate too at times
but these are the required criteria for safe and effective AAA/T visits (and for the Skills & Aptitude Test) so practicing these skills while socializing
in a variety of unfamiliar locations will build trust, confidence & manners - and therefore enhance the relaxed enjoyment & therapeutic effect for all!
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
"Home is where the leader is!" It's important to remember that just because our dogs (or other therapy pets) are comfortable and well behaved in certain locations away from home - perhaps at our place of work &/or homes of various family and friends - does not necessarily mean we have established the trust & confidence in our dogs necessary for them to be comfortable, confident & focused in a wide variety of places. Sometimes volunteers have been surprised to learn that their dogs were uncharacteristically fearful in certain new locations for no apparent reason. (Or maybe so over stimulated they couldn't focus.) There can be many reasons for this and it's important to seek professional help if this happens so that you can learn to apply appropriate techniques with out either forcing or giving in to fear (or getting too frustrated with their over excitement). But it's also important to remember that our Leadership plays an important role here as well. If we have practiced appropriate positive reinforcement techniques with Benevolent but Pro-Active, Assertive Leadership while socializing in a variety of locations our dogs will ultimately put their trust in US - their leader - rather than in a specific location. They may still feel varying degrees of insecurity and trepidation (or distraction) in new places, but we will have cultivated and maintained enough trust and confidence in our dogs for them to adapt quickly and feel safe and secure with us no matter where they are. WE will be their safe place rather than a location or situation. Please see our Leadership page for more information.
"Home is where the leader is!" It's important to remember that just because our dogs (or other therapy pets) are comfortable and well behaved in certain locations away from home - perhaps at our place of work &/or homes of various family and friends - does not necessarily mean we have established the trust & confidence in our dogs necessary for them to be comfortable, confident & focused in a wide variety of places. Sometimes volunteers have been surprised to learn that their dogs were uncharacteristically fearful in certain new locations for no apparent reason. (Or maybe so over stimulated they couldn't focus.) There can be many reasons for this and it's important to seek professional help if this happens so that you can learn to apply appropriate techniques with out either forcing or giving in to fear (or getting too frustrated with their over excitement). But it's also important to remember that our Leadership plays an important role here as well. If we have practiced appropriate positive reinforcement techniques with Benevolent but Pro-Active, Assertive Leadership while socializing in a variety of locations our dogs will ultimately put their trust in US - their leader - rather than in a specific location. They may still feel varying degrees of insecurity and trepidation (or distraction) in new places, but we will have cultivated and maintained enough trust and confidence in our dogs for them to adapt quickly and feel safe and secure with us no matter where they are. WE will be their safe place rather than a location or situation. Please see our Leadership page for more information.
Whether training new skills or practicing various skills while socializing in a variety of unfamiliar or even familiar locations it's important to practice positive reinforcement with your dog! Please click here for more information about Positive Reinforcement. Better yet, seek professional help from one of our Recommended Local Dog Trainers to learn how to best apply Positive Reinforcement techniques. Additional information on our Can My Dog Be A Therapy Dog?, What Kind of Training Does My Dog Need, Acceptable Equipment and Leadership pages all provide helpful information to keep in mind while socializing your dog too.
Be sure to keep appropriate manners as defined in the Delta Society Pet Partners Skills & Aptitude criteria in mind while visiting people in these facilities with your pet but start slow and don't expect too much too soon. Practicing appropriate manners while visiting with a lot of strangers in strange places can be much more challenging than most people expect even for the friendliest of pets. Is your dog timid, shy or over eager to greet? Does he or she avoid interaction or leap ahead? Try to be truly objective and note how others respond to your dog - not only the dog lovers but note if anyone is timid or unsure around your dog even if it's only 1 or 2 people. Be painfully honest with yourself about this. Be sure to seek professional help if you or your dog experience any challenges or your dog exhibits any signs of stress. The sooner you seek professional help the better to assure that you are not inadvertently reinforcing undesirable behaviors. The longer bad habits go unchecked the more challenging it will be to adjust. Even a dog with an excellent aptitude for therapy dog work may quickly be soured by inapropriate interactions. It's important that these social outings always be positive experiences for your dog. Even if they are positive for your dog and others seem to love your dog it's important that your dog learn appropriate manners as soon as possible so that visits are equally positive and therefor most beneficial for those they visit - including those who may be feeling quite fragile.
Once you have seen that your dog does indeed enjoy interacting with strangers in all these strange places - or before! - it's time to hone your skills and teach appropriate manners. If your dog is still a little tentative it is even more important to hone your own leadership skills so your encouragement to be friendly with strangers will be trusted. A good positive reinforcement trainer can help you hone your skills, teach manners, desensitize fears and - if your dog does have the appropriate aptitude - help assure that you and your dog both have a positive experience your pet will look forward to repeating while inspiring confidence in the safety, comfort and control you possess for those you will be visiting with. It's important to remember that not all those we encounter in the facilities we visit are comfortable around dogs and their comfort level must be honored as well. Even those who do love dogs may be feeling quite fragile and will need a relaxed dog who responds willingly to verbal and/or visual cues to enjoy their visit. While not all dogs are suited for this work, a good positive reinforcement trainer may be able to help you make more of a difference than you imagine so please consider seeking professional help as soon as possible. Please see our Can My Dog Be a Therapy Dog, Recommended Dog Trainers, What Kind of Training Does my Dog Need... & Leadership pages.
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