Canines for Therapy - Instructor
Instructor Workshop.
The Canines for Therapy program trains owners and their dogs to provide animal-assisted visitations in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, group homes and treatment facilities. The Canines for Therapy Instructor Workshop will provide dog behavior instructors the expertise to teach their students to be therapy teams. Upon successful completion of the workshop and passing the exam, instructors will be able to provide a therapy dog class to their students and ultimately be able to certify teams through Canines for Therapy.
The Canines for Therapy Instructor Workshop qualifies for CCDPT Continuing Education Units (21 CEUs for trainers and 0 CEUs for behavior consultants).
Instructor Prerequisites.
Business Prerequisites.
In order to become a Canines for Therapy Instructor and Evaluator, one must meet the following criteria:
- Have at least 100 hours in dog behavior instruction
- Teach classes with a minimum average of 5 students per class
- Current CGC Evaluator certificate
- Two letters of recommendation from students and two from fellow instructors (total of 4 recommendations).
- Submit a 10 minute DVD of class instruction.
- We are looking for how you administer corrections (to both dog and handler) as well as interactions with students.
- Submit the attached background check form and have no serious violations
Business Prerequisites.
In order to host the Canines for Therapy Program, a business (or club) must meet the following criteria:
- Proof of business or commercial liability insurance (minimum of million dollar policy)
- The location you plan on hosting classes may not be within 25 mile radius of an existing business offering Canines for Therapy classes
- The business must have at least one other CGC evaluator other than the Canines for Therapy instructor. The CGC evaluator and Therapy evaluator may not be the same person for an individual dog.
- The business must agree to provide a 6-week course as follows: a two hour class for five consecutive weeks including classroom and hands-on training (approximately 1 hour each) with week 6 assessments individually scheduled for each team (person and dog).
- The owner of the business must sign a contract with Canines for Therapy within 10 business days of completion of the workshop stating sole affiliation with Canines for Therapy upon the instructor completing the workshop. The business will be responsible for all costs associated to offering the Canines for Therapy program in their facility including the cost of the Canines for Therapy Student Handbook.
- Successful completion of the Canines for Therapy course offered on Day 1 of this workshop.
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- It is required that instructors bring their own dogs when attending the workshop.
- The dog must be appropriate for therapy work. This means the dog is, friendly to people, has basic obedience skills and able to work in a space with other dogs.
- The dog must be at least one year of age and have been in your home for at least six months.
- The dog must also have an AKC Canine Good Citizen title (within past 2 years), and be up to date on vaccinations (titers acceptable).
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