Therapy Dog Program

A therapy animal provides affection and comfort to members of the public, typically in facility settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living, hospice, shelters, schools, libraries, and physical therapy centers. We do not train personal service dogs, personal therapy dogs or emotional support dogs. 

In therapy classes, you’ll learn the basics of animal-assisted therapy, how to know if your pet would be a good therapy animal, what training you and your pet need to be an animal therapy team, and how to get involved in therapy programs around the Twin Cities area. You can watch these slide shows to learn more: video overview

Prerequisites:

  1. The handler and dog must pass an in-person assessment by our Instructor. The instructor will assess each dog and handler for skills walking on a loose leash, sit and down on first cue without treats, a 30-second stay, and displaying a close connection. The fee for the assessment is $8.00.
  2. The dog has to be at least 2 years old and have six months of prior obedience training, within the last 18 months, in group classes with the current owner before registering for the assessment.
  3. Students are required to view this video overview prior to registering for an assessment. 

Upcoming Therapy Dog Classes:

  • Skills assessments will be held on April 16, 2024. Those who pass the assessment will be eligible for the Tuesday 10:15am class 4/23/24 – 5/28/24. We must have a minimum number of eligible students in order to hold the class. Registration instructions will be sent to eligible students via email. We currently can not offer this class in the evenings.

Therapy Dog Classes will be a concentrated course of 60 minute sessions on each of 6 consecutive weeks.  You cannot register for this class until you have received approval following the in-person assessment by our instructor.

Goals:

  • learn the basics of animal-assisted therapy
  • learn to read your dog’s body language to determine if your pet would enjoy therapy dog work
  • learn how to help your dog be prepared for visiting with people in different facilities
  • learn what skills your dog will need to become a therapy dog
  • learn how to help your dog overcome individual areas of difficulty

The class will include desensitizing your dog’s senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste to help cope with actual visiting situations. You will learn optimal positioning of your dog for safe, effective visiting. You will practice protocol, etiquette, and what to say in various situations.

Class Fee: $140. Registration is for the block of 6 weeks and a minimum number of students is required in order to hold the class. 

Membership is required to take classes at TCOTC. The annual membership fee is $35 ($25 for students age 16 and older). If you are a new member, you will be prompted to purchase a membership level upon enrolling for Visiting Dog 1.
Be sure to check our policies for children in class and allowed training equipment.