Buddy's Pals/Therapy Dog Drop In Practice

Therapy Dog Drop-In Practices

Looking to strengthen your therapy dog team skills in a supportive, real-world practice environment? Our Therapy Dog Drop-In Practices are designed for handlers and dogs interested in educational comfort work or therapy visits in settings such as schools, hospitals, libraries, and senior living communities.

These drop-in sessions focus on building confidence, polishing skills, and preparing teams for the unique environments and interactions encountered during therapy visits.

Please Note: These practices are intended for advanced-level dogs and handlers. Dogs should have strong foundational obedience skills equivalent to Canine Good Citizen level or completion of Beginning and Intermediate training courses. Dogs displaying leash reactivity, significant fear of people, or difficulty settling in public environments may be redirected to more appropriate training opportunities.

Skills practiced may include:
• Calm and confident exposure to sights, sounds, and environments commonly encountered during visits
• Polite greetings and handler engagement in distracting settings
• Relaxing and settling in unfamiliar environments
• Review and strengthening of sit/down stays with duration and distance
• Loose leash walking around distractions
• Automatic and cued “leave it” skills
• Understanding and reading canine body language and stress signals
• Supporting your dog’s comfort, welfare, and success in public settings

Mondays: July 6th, July 13th, August 3rd, and August 10th

6:30PM -7:30pm

Therapy Dog Test On August 22nd at 1pm. Please Contact Sara to sign up for the test: clickpawsitivefamilypetcenter@gmail.com