Therapy training – is offered by Ridgeside K9, LLC. However, and there is a big, however, we need to be very upfront on what that means to us and what we offer to the client in terms of training. Ridgeside K9’s definition of a therapy dog is a highly obedient dog that is environmentally neutral, stable, and indifferent to outside distractions and stimulus. The dog should already have a bond with the owner and be compliant and comfortable with maintaining close proximity to the owner. Learning to “place” on the owner during an emotional outbreak is a learned task.
Being comfortable in “placing” on the owner is a trait and we can not teach traits. Some dogs show extreme stress when the owner has an emotional outbreak – these dogs, no matter how much training they receive will never “learn” to not be stressed in that situation and would be unsuitable for emotional support; it doesn’t mean they are not good house pets, they just do not possess the traits needed for emotional support.
We can not teach the dog to love or like you – NO dog trainer can.
All therapy dog training packages are 4-weeks in duration. During this time our training goals are to establish full off-leash control, full obedience, and focus heavily on environmental neutrality and stability while out in the real world.
There is nothing worse than seeing a service dog in public wearing a “working vest” of some type that is out of control. Our goal is to have your emotional support dog be a true ambassador with world-class obedience that the handler can take into any environment with full and total control.
