Intro. to Animal-Assisted Therapy Classes

THIS CLASS STARTS 6 pm on Thursday, Feb. 5 and runs for 6 weeks. Have you always wanted to know how you and your dog could become a volunteer therapy team, but never knew where to start? This 6-week class is your first step in learning how to become a certified therapy dog team. Learn the legal classification of support animals – such as Emotional Support Animal, Service Dog or Therapy Dog. Review behaviors that will help move your dog forward in therapy dog training: Focus, Attention, Polite Walking, Greetings, Leave It, Wait, Recall and more. We will review tips for how to get started and make the most of your future therapy dog visits. The therapy test is NOT offered as part of this class. AKC Canine Good Citizen test is available for a $20 donation to AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds Program (A 501c3 Non-Profit) Requirements: Dogs should be a minimum of 10 months old by the beginning of class. For more information and to register, people can go to the website at www.liveandlearndogs.com. Class instructor Tricia Baker is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (CGC) and Certified Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog Evaluator. She also is the Co-Director of Attitudes in Reverse (AIR), an all-volunteer organization that works to address mental health issues and student suicide prevention. Baker and her five dogs are involved in many activities, especially therapy. Her dog, Miki, has earned his Canine Good Citizen certification, Therapy Dog Certification from Bright & Beautiful and has been awarded the American Kennel Club Award of Canine Excellence. Her other dog Luna, a Pit Bull mix, was certified as a therapy dog at the age of 13, proving you can teach an old dog new tricks. POSTS