The path to becoming a Delta Pet Partner and member of the Love Dog Adventures team begins with understanding your animal and becoming the best handler you can.
- Your pet must be at least one year old to be evaluated and have lived with you for at least six months.
- Your dog cannot be on a raw protein diet (http://www.deltasociety.org/rawdiet)
- Your dog cannot walk with any metal equipment such as choke, prong or electronic collars.
- Your dog should be trained with positive methods, not compulsion or dominance.
This is to ensure that you understand your dog’s behavior, signs and signals.
The next Delta Pet Partners Workshop will be on Saturday, June 22, 2013. For the schedule, course fee and location contact Sue at sue@lovedogadventures.com.
If you are interested in meeting for a Pre-Evaluation and Orientation, contact Sue at 917-301-4710 or sue@lovedogadventures.com
- Location will be provided once you Register to attend -This Orientation is Free
Here is a simple guide to begin your journey:
Five Steps to Becoming a Delta Society Pet Partner Team
STEP 1 – Ask yourself these questions:
- Is my pet temperamentally and behaviorally reliable?
- Is my pet comfortable in a variety of settings?
- Does my pet seek out new experiences with unfamiliar people?
- Does my pet not only accept hugging and petting, but enjoy it?
- Is my pet friendly / calm and neutral around other animals?
- Do I feel confident in my ability to control my pet?
- Does my pet have basic obedience and not jump or bark?
- Am I friendly with people and comfortable in unfamiliar settings?
- Can I raise the skill level of my pet and take the time, energy and motivation to do this?
- Do I have the time to commit to a volunteer assignment?
- Do I find joy in sharing my love for my pet with others?
STEP 2 – Prepare for your Team Evaluation
- Remember this is a Team Activity so both the Animal and Handler are evaluated
- Steady solid basic obedience is required so you may want to take a positive basic obedience class (Good Dog 101 – schedule at www.lovedoglasvegas.com) and then advance to the Delta Pet Partners Prep Class
- Attend a Delta Pet Partners Workshop
STEP 3 – Schedule your Team Evaluation
- Schedule your Team Evaluation / Test with Sue Grundfest; The Evaluation consists of AAST (Skills) and AAAT (Aptitude) tests
STEP 4 – Register with Delta Pet Partners
- Once you have passed the Evaluation, submit your signed Packet to Delta Pet Partners and Register
STEP 5 – Volunteer!
- Volunteer with Love Dog Adventures, the only exclusive Delta Pet Partners Team in Vegas
ARTICLES:
Is animal-assisted therapy work for you? Browse through these articles and see if you should pursue becoming a Delta Pet Partners therapy team with your dog, cat, pig or horse!
Cricket: a therapy dog’s fist visit is memorable
How do you know when to retire a therapy dog?
Importance of familiarity for therapy dogs
Every touch can be therapeutic
How one health facility measures success
There’s a cat in my room (Dancer)
Can a dog be too old to be a therapy dog
How do we determine if our animal is stressed
What do therapy animals actually do?
My dog doesn’t like other dogs, can he be a therapy dog
The human is as important as the animal
Therapy dogs are not service dogs
Can a service dog also be a therapy dog?
Las Vegas has its first Delta Pet Partners therapy horse
The smallest therapy dog was the biggest hit
Unlocking dementias with furry friends
The difference between animal assisted activity and animal assisted therapy
Can you be a Delta Pet Partner team without a dog?
How to be a responsible therapy team
How to know when to retire a therapy animal
The world’s most unadoptable dog
The child who never spoke, said Coco
What the child who could not see saw in Coco
How the first therapy dog got into ICU
First impressions are so important
What do therapy dogs do in an Emergency Room?
Why the Down is so important for therapy dogs
How would Kirby say that word?
Never underestimate the power of touch
Delta Pet Partners is NOT a dog training organization
What does a therapy horse actually do?
RISE Resource Center brings children and dogs together
One touch, one smile, one very special dog
Dog’s first visit made a difference today
What we look for in Delta therapy teams
Las Vegas always needs more therapy teams
The true benefits of AAT (animal assisted therapy)
To read all of Sue’s Pet Column articles, click here
To contact Sue call 917-301-4710