There is a lot of confusion about the different types of working dogs. Just what exactly are the types of 'working dogs', and what do they do? First, it is important to understand the differences between a Therapy Dog, Service Dog, Emotional Support Dog, Companion Dog, or Psychiatric Service Dog. With the exception of service dogs that are used as seeing-eye dogs or someone with a obvious disability, the definitions can be somewhat unclear. (Please note that for the purposes of this article, we focus on dogs, but there are often times other animals, which are used for each of these purposes.) Therapy Dogs can provide both animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT). AAA is defined as pet-centered visitation programs to enhance the life quality or support educational programs in a variety of environments such as hospitals, special needs day care, retirement homes or reading intervention programs. AAT is goal-oriented treatment utilizing specially trained pet/handler teams to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, or emotional goals with patients. AAT facilitates healing and improves self-esteem, lifts morale and reduces stress of patients and staff alike. Emotional Support Dogs, sometimes referred to as Companion Dogs, are typically dogs that do not work, providing only companionship as a pet - rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks.
Therapy Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs and Companion Dogs are considered 'pets' and Federal laws have no provisions for people to be accompanied by therapy animals in places of public accommodation that have "no pets" policies. Therapy animals usually are not service animals.
Service Dogs are legally defined (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990) and are trained to meet the disability-related needs of their handlers who have disabilities. Federal laws protect the rights of individuals with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in public places. Service animals are not considered 'pets'. A Psychiatric Service Dog is a dog that helps its handler, who has a mental (psychiatric) disability. Examples of mental disabilities that sometimes qualify a person for a service dog include, but are not limited to: Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Autism, Anxiety Disorder, and Schizophrenia. They often are animals that did not complete service animal or service dog training due to health, disposition, trainability, or other factors, and are made available as pets for people who have disabilities. These animals might or might not meet the definition of service animals and thus, might or might not fall under the Americans With Disabilities Act. So, what does it take for a dog to become a Therapy Dog? First and foremost, a dog should actively seek out the attention of people other than their owners or immediate family. This means that your dog should love people. It shouldn't matter if the dog is at home, at the park, or in a shopping center. It should be willing and happy to interact with people. A dog that hesitates or seems a bit shy around strangers may not yet be mature enough or just may not be suitable for therapy work. We believe that therapy dogs are born to do the work. It's really not something that you can train into them or that they should be forced in to.
Does your dog stay calm around loud noises? Is he or she comfortable around wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, equipment that may make hissing noises or alarms?
Good obedience training is a must! Having a well-trained dog keeps not only the people in the facility safe, but your dog as well. Dogs should be able to perform basic commands such as sit, down and stay without repeated requests. They should walk well on a loose leash, come when called, and know to leave something alone when told ("leave it").
It is also critical that your dog get along with other dogs. This is an area for which there are no excuses for bad behavior. With more and more nursing homes and hospitals allowing patients to bring in their own dogs to visit, we never know when we may run into a dog that is less than friendly. We also never know when there will be other therapy dogs or facility dogs present. It is critical that your dog show absolutely no aggression towards other dogs.
Dogs who bark, lick or drool excessively, or jump up on people are not suitable for therapy work.
Therapy work requires a great bond and teamwork between you and your dog. Continued obedience training is important to keep that bond strong. A great team provides great benefit to those that they visit. We increase public acceptance and understanding of the important work pet therapy teams, like those with C.A.T., by better understanding the various roles of 'working' or companion dogs. Pet therapy organizations are each unique when it comes to their requirements and volunteer team support. If you are interested in pet therapy, it is important to research training, testing and certification requirements as well as available insurance before you align yourself with a particular organization. The organization should be a good 'fit' for you and your dog to make your pet therapy service safe and fulfilling for everyone involved. If you think you might be interested in learning more about pet therapy, more information can be found on our website at www.catdogs.org Back to Top
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