Many dog owners have chosen this animal as a family pet. Then there are those who own a dog that has been trained to assist with health needs. In this category are the therapy dogs.
What Is A Therapy Dog?
This a dog that has been specifically trained to provide affection and comfort to individuals dealing with health issues that are in many different settings. These dogs are trained to offer emotional support. As a working dog, they are in need of proper care so they can perform their services to the best of their ability.
Taking Care of The Therapy Dog
This type of dog is like any other dog when it comes to their health needs. This means keeping them in shape and providing them with the proper diet. The therapy dog needs to be exercised regularly which is up to the owner of the dog if possible. If the owner is not able to do this then arrangements must be made for someone to assist with this.
To help the therapy dog maintain their good health they require the proper diet. This will depend on the breed and size of the dog. Usually, those who are providing the therapy dogs will give suggestions as to the best diet for these dogs.
Play Time
Many dogs who are assigned responsibilities as the therapy dogs thrive on being a type of working dog. However, they also need some downtime and the ability to just be dogs. This means arranging for regular playtime. They need a selection of toys and should be able to interact with others besides those who they are providing therapy for.
Proper Training
Not every dog is cut out to be a therapy dog. The dog owner who wishes to have their dog trained as a therapy dog has to find the right resources to help with this. The main attribute that the dog will need to have is a good temperament and enjoy being around people of all ages. The way to determine this is to ascertain whether the dog is friendly towards people they don’t know. Does the dog have a quiet and calm nature? Is the dog able to adjust to basic training easily? Also is the dog happy and healthy?
Aside from this, there is not any specific breed that is deemed to be the best for therapy work. A good deal of the responsibility for the dog’s performance in this area lies with the owner of the dog who is also going to have to commit their time to take the dog to those who require therapy.
