Therapy dogs are trained to interact with people in different therapeutic settings. Dogs can bring comfort and joy to people and can help us with our mental wellbeing. Stroking animals has also been scientifically proven to release feel good chemicals in the brain such as oxytocin and dopamine.

Therapy dogs can offer support to children in schools, with many schools inviting them to be a part of their reading schemes where children are encouraged to read aloud to the dog, which they may find easier than doing so to an adult or their peers.

Therapy dogs are different from assistance dogs and are not trained to carry out tasks to assist their handlers, they are instead trained to provide comfort and support in therapeutic settings such as schools, health wards, care homes or hospitals.

It's important that therapy dogs enjoy their work too and are provided with regular breaks (not working for more than an hour each day). We must make sure that our dogs are consenting at all times to the activities they may be involved in and Lady & the Hound does not advocate the use of pain, fear or force in any of the training we provide.

Dogs need to be at least 18 months old before they can formally be assessed and examined to be a therapy dog with Therapy Dog Training UK - this is because dogs aren't yet adults until they reach this age and this is when their personalities and temperaments will be fully formed and ready to be assessed.

It's important to be putting the work in to helping your dog develop a calm and polite disposition from as early an age as possible (regardless of whether or not they are going to become a therapy dog) and our puppy training classes can help you and your dog achieve success in this area.

We recommend starting your puppy's training and therapy dog preparation as soon as you can, we take puppies in our classes from 8 weeks old and they must be vaccinated.

The short answer is, no! Our training programme is designed to walk you through every step of the way, and you and your dog do not need any prior dog training experience.

Having said this, your dog will need to be well socialised and if they have had some prior formal training, it is likely that your dog will be better prepared for the work which is involved to become a certified therapy dog.

Our pre-assessment will help ascertain whether or not your dog is suitable for our therapy dog training programme and we will provide feedback on any areas for further training and development. If your dog is not suitable, we will explain why and we can offer alternative training routes more suited to them.

There are no restrictions on breed type for therapy dog work. Some breeds can be pre-disposed to certain breed traits such as anxiety or over arousal but we treat and assess each dog individually - like us, all dogs have a unique personality and our pre-assessments and temperament assessments help determine whether your dog has the right personality and disposition for therapy dog work.

Your dog's emotional wellbeing is our priority and we will ask you questions about your dog's personality before we work together. It's important to be honest so we can make sure that your dog's best interests are being considered first and foremost.

If your dog is assessed as not having the right temperament for therapy dog work then this is a GOOD thing and something which is to be celebrated. This result means that you have advocated for your dog's needs and have honoured their personality and respected their right to abstain from activities which they do not enjoy or feel safe doing.

Jumping-up is a behaviour which is not acceptable within a therapy dog setting, nor are things like pawing, biting, excessive licking and barking.

All of these behaviours are things which can be modified with the correct training so if your dog has been assessed as being suitable in temperament but still has some behavioural challenges to work on, this does not necessarily mean that they are not suitable for the work - it may instead just be an indication that they are not ready and that further training is required.

We offer tailored behaviour and training plans to help you and your dog achieve success and if your dog is assessed as not quite ready, there is always an opportunity to work on dog's training further.

It's important to bear in mind that some of these behaviours can be a way of a dog communicating that they are uncomfortable in certain environments and we will ascertain this in your dog's pre-assessment and temperament assessment.

It's entirely up to you whether or not you wish to charge for your dog's therapy work and this may depend on the setting you decide to offer your services in.

You may wish to consider volunteering with your dog in places like retirement homes, hospices or hospitals. Or you may wish to provide an educational service in places like schools or special education settings where there may be budgets for services such as animal assisted interventions or canine assisted reading schemes.

There are endless opportunities for you and your dog to enjoy working together in a therapeutic way and it's worth putting some thought into which types of settings you'd both enjoy working in the most.

Please note that you will need insurance, even if you are volunteering your services. There is more information on this and other aspects of setting up a therapy dog business in Workshops 1 & 2.

Our training programme with Therapy Dog Training UK has been designed to help you and your dog achieve success, and most importantly have fun along the way whilst doing so!

The minimum standard for therapy dog work in the UK is equivalent to the Kennel Club's Good Citizen 'Silver' award and our programme is pitched at this level.

We provide you with the foundations to achieve success and unless your dog is assessed as not being suitable for therapy dog training, the certification can be achieved in your own time and at your own convenience.

If you feel stuck along the way and need additional support then you can reach out to us at any stage for additional guidance and advice - we want you and your dog to achieve success too and to enjoy a fulfilling role together in your therapy dog team.

The temperament assessment is designed for us to get to know you and your dog and for us to check to see if your dog is happy to be involved in therapy dog work.

We will check to see if your dog likes being touched, and if there are any areas which they do not enjoy being touched. We will assess their body language to check for consent in all areas of the work and we will check to see if they are calm and confident. We will never force your dog to do anything they do not want to and do not advocate the use of aversive handling or training methods.

We will check your dog's overall health and wellbeing, look at their energy levels, their arousal levels and check to see if they have any sensitivities around noise or movement.

We will check to see what your dog's current level of training is and ascertain if there any areas for development. You will also have the chance to ask us any questions and to discuss any additional support you may feel you need.

The result of your dog's temperament assessment will either be 'ready', 'not ready' or 'not suitable'. If your dog is 'not ready', then further training guidance will be provided. If your dog's result is 'not suitable', we will explain why and help you understand that this result is still a GOOD result - one which keeps your dog safe and does not put them in situations which they would not enjoy.

There is no time limit to when you need to work through our training programme by.

The minimum age for a dog to begin formal therapy dog training is 18 months old so puppies have to wait until this age to be formally assessed. This is a good amount of time to be working on your workshops and to be preparing for your dog's formal training award and it is advisable to take a pre-assessment during this time so you can make sure that your dog has been pre-approved for the training before registering for the workshops.

We advise taking your time to work through the programme and to make sure that you have read and completed all of the documents and assignments in the workshops before booking your final in-person assessment, so you know exactly what's involved and have had the time to prepare your dog for the training too.

Our additional in-person therapy dog training lessons can be booked by the hour or in groups, please contact us to discuss any additional training needs you have here.