Therapy dogs are used for animal-assisted therapy procedures and are becoming increasingly popular. Their areas of application primarily include physiotherapy and psychotherapy, where they support their owners. Training is necessary before you can call your dog a therapy dog. This varies depending on the provider in terms of duration, costs and entry requirements. Whether your dog is suitable as a therapy dog is usually tested in an aptitude test. The most important thing is that your four-legged friend is patient, resilient and calm. For therapy dog training, a close bond between owner and dog is also desirable so that the willingness to learn is easier to maintain. In addition, the stimulus threshold should be high - aggression is an absolute no-go.
By nature, dog breeds such as poodles, golden retrievers, border collies and German shepherds tend to have characteristics that are expected of a therapy dog during training and beyond. In principle, however, any animal can have the necessary prerequisites. The length of the training varies greatly, from a few weekend courses to long-term training courses. The costs can increase accordingly. We recommend avoiding crash courses and investing between 1,500 and 2,000 euros. This way you can be sure that you get a properly trained therapy dog that will actually help you.
