Caring Canine Doctor-Dog
Evaluation
Introduction
To qualify as a therapy dog, your dog must
have no aggression towards
people or other dogs (including un-neutered male dogs).
Your dog should have basic obedience
training and be house broken.
Furthermore, everyone at Caring Canine is
a dog lover. As such, we will only
qualify dogs which enjoy interacting with strangers.
A Brief Summary of the Formal Evaluation – STAGE 1
Note: During the evaluation, you can talk to your dog at anytime
but teats are not
allowed. Your dog will be on leash with
you at all times except during test # 12.
1) Accepting
a Friendly Stranger:
Ø An evaluator pats dog while
chatting with the handler
2) Sitting
Politely for Petting:
Ø includes
a friendly all-over and hands-on examination.
3) Appearance
and Grooming:
Ø not
only should the dog be well groomed but it should also allow the tester to
brush it and examine its feet, ears, etc.
4) Walking
on a Loose Leash:
Ø not
necessary in a “Heel” position but the test will include a “Left”, “Right”,
“About Turn”, and a “Halt” (automatic sit not required).
5) Walking
through a Crowd:
Ø will
include people in service equipments (e.g. a wheelchair or crutches). The dog may show some interest in the crowd
but should show no shyness or over-exuberance.
6) Sit
and Down on Command, Staying in Place:
Ø the dog should respond to
these commands from the handler
7) Com
on Command:
Ø the
dog will need to respond to the “come” command while being distracted
8) Praise
and Interaction Calming:
Ø the handler should be
able to calm the dog and bring it back under control after an animated
encounter
9) Reaction
to Another Dog:
Ø the dog may show some
interest to a neutral dog but should remain in control of his owner
10) Reaction
to Distractions:
Ø the dog may startle and
recover but shyness/fear/flight is unacceptable
11) Leave
It:
Ø includes leaving toys, treats, and any objects
12) Supervised
Isolation:
Ø the
dog will be left to the care of another person while you leave the room. Excessive whining/pacing/stress is
unacceptable
A Brief Summary of the Formal Evaluation – STAGE 2
After and only after you and your dog
have passed stage 1, we will invite you to stage 2.
Stage 2 consists of 8 additional tests:
1) Greeting
the Infirm:
Ø the dog will greet a
stranger in a wheelchair etc. It should not be shy of or resent the interaction
or petting
2) All-Over
Body Touch:
Ø the
dog will be touched all over its body.
Small dogs will need to sit on the lap of each evaluation assistant.
3) Restraining
Interactions:
Ø includes
tight hugging, gentle ear-pulling, gentle tail-pulling, and gentle leg-pulling
4) Crumsy
petting:
Ø includes
on the head as well as the body. The
evaluation with children also includes finger poking.
5) Awkward
movements:
Ø includes
awkward arm-swinging and walking
6) Bumping
from behind:
Ø the
dog will be bumped gently from behind while walking with its handler
7) Yelling
and other loud noises:
Ø includes
arguments between 2 evaluation assistants and dropping of an object in front of
the dog to create a loud noise
8) Crowded
Petting:
Ø the
dog will be petted simultaneously by multiple evaluation assistants
Evaluation with Children – STAGE 3
Teams that visit children must also pass
an additional evaluation with children.
The evaluation consists of exercises in stage 2 but the interaction will
be with children of various ages instead of adults. Only teams that have performed well in stage 1 and stage 2 will
be invited to participate in stage 3.
Volunteer with a Family Member or Friend?
If two or more people (e.g. family
members or friends) visit together, only those who have passed the evaluation
with the dog can handle the dog during a visit. Those who have not taken or passed an evaluation are still
welcome to volunteer and accompany the handler on visits.
Volunteer with More Than One Dog?
Each volunteer may be evaluated or visit
with only one dog at a time. (Two
volunteer handlers can visit with 2 dogs at the same time.) If you would like to volunteer with more
than one dog (e.g. on alternating weeks, on different days, or with another
volunteer), you may do so by taking the evaluation with one dog at a time until
all of your dogs are evaluated. The
multiple evaluations may be held on the same day.
Volunteer with Someone’s Else Dog?
You must have obtained written permission
from the owner(s) of the dog. The
letter should be submitted with your application form and will be kept on file
at Caring Canine.
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are not influenced in any way by our sponsors. |
Last Updated: 11-2007 |