BECOME SOMEONE'S DREAM TEAM

Students receive personalized support from their instructor that includes up to three real-time video coaching sessions (each up to 30 minutes), up to 12 hours of video review and feedback from the instructor on practice and assessment videos, and five hours of email support for course-related questions. 

Course video submissions are limited to a total of 45 minutes. Each practice video submitted to the instructor must be no longer than two minutes. The three videos submitted for the final SkillCheck can be up to eight minutes each as they will demonstrate a series of behaviors.  

1. A computer or device with high-speed internet access and a modern web browser
2. Support for Adobe PDF documents
3. Training supplies:
   • clicker (if you choose to use one)
   • treat pouch
   • high-quality, soft, small training treats (pea-sized)
   • 6-foot leash (not a flex-lead)
   • front/rear attachment harness, buckle collar, or martingale.
   • training mat (can be a towel or small rug)
4. Ability to record video on (e.g. phone, camcorder, digital camera) as well as a way to capture good angles of training sessions (e.g. tripod, gimble, helper).
5. Access to a friendly, food-motivated dog that you can train regularly
6. A human assistant (occasionally)
7. Access to one or more friendly canine assistants (for some training exercises)

This course focuses on creating strong therapy dog teams by equipping both dogs and their handlers with the skills, behaviors, tools, and knowledge necessary for therapy dog work. 

This course is for anyone who wants to train for therapy dog team work and it accommodates all pet guardian skill levels and all dog skill levels. No training experience is required for you or your dog. If you and/or your dog already have some of the skills taught in this course skills, you will move through the material at a faster pace.

This course is also right for you if:

• Your goal is to become affiliated with a therapy dog organization and participate in organized public-facing therapy dog work. Non-profit therapy dog organizations will require that you pass their certification test to obtain insurance and become part of their network. This course thoroughly prepares you for those tests and provides a simulation of the evaluation processes commonly used by the organizations
• Your goal is to develop the skills and demeanor to provide calming, therapeutic benefits for you or someone close to you.
  

Begin making a difference

This course is generally appropriate for all breeds and ages of dogs with a few caveats:

•  This course is NOT appropriate for dogs with a bite history with other dogs or people.
• While puppies can go through this course, it is not recommended that young puppies start with this course. Instead, we recommend Dog Trainer Foundations 
• If your dog often exhibits shy behavior around other people or dogs, or persistent fearful behavior, your dog team may not progress to the stage of comfort and relaxation needed for the standard of therapy work. However, the course can help you and your dog make substantial skill progress.

You can also progress through this course with more than one dog or with someone else's dog provided you have regular, frequent access so that you can complete the training exercises, progressions, and plans.

We are not affiliated with therapy dog organizations, however we are highly supportive of their mission.

Therapy dog organizations typically do not endorse specific training programs in an effort to remain unbiased.

To work with any of the many therapy dog organizations that place therapy dog teams you will typically need to pass their certification test. Therapy dog organizations do not typically provide training for their tests. Instead, they encourage aspiring therapy dog teams to seek professional training assistance to learn the necessary skills and prepare for the test.

In this course, you will teach your dog the skills and behaviors required to be a therapy dog and learn the handler skills that will make you a great therapy dog team. The included  KPA SkillCheck^TM assessment for Therapy Dog Teams simulates the certification testing that most therapy dog organizations require for affiliation. 

If you are training a dog for therapy work for yourself or for someone close to you, you and your dog may not need a certification. However, you will need the skills developed in this course to work safely and effectively both in and outside the home.

Yes. This course is eligible for the following CEUs:

• Karen Pryor Academy (KPA)
  • CEUs: 26
• The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)
  • CPDT-KA
    • KSA Knowledge: 9
    • KSA Skills: 4
  • CBCC-KA: 4
• The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
  • CEUs: 25

Yes. You can download and/or print a certificate of completion for this course.

If you and your dog meet the criteria,  you will also earn a SkillCheck™ designation and digital badge.

If you earn the SkillCheck™ designation in Therapy Dog Team Training, you will be notified by your teacher or course administrator and provided with the SkillCheck Therapy Dog Team Training digital badge for your use. You may also claim in writing that you earned your "KPA SkillCheck: Therapy Dog Team Training."

Please specify that you earned a SkillCheck with the specific reference to the skill/course in which it was earned and that it was earned with Karen Pryor Academy (KPA); all of these elements must always be included. You can find an example of the badge in this section!

IMPORTANT:

• The KPA SkillCheck designation is the mark of competency earned from a specific KPA course. It is not a KPA certification and you may not use language that you are certified by KPA in, for example, Therapy Dog Team Training or any representation or language to that effect. It is permissible to note in text format that you earned your KPA SkillCheck in Therapy Dog Team Training or in a signature that includes "KPA SkillCheck: Therapy Dog Team Training." You may also display the official badge freely.
• A KPA SkillCheck designation does NOT make you a KPA Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP); therefore, you may not represent the KPA SkillCheck as a form of general certification by KPA in any public or private communications.

If you earn the SkillCheck™ designation in Therapy Dog Team Training, you will be notified by your teacher or course administrator and provided with the SkillCheck Therapy Dog Team Training digital badge for your use. You may also claim in writing that you earned your "KPA SkillCheck: Therapy Dog Team Training."

Please specify that you earned a SkillCheck with the specific reference to the skill/course in which it was earned and that it was earned with Karen Pryor Academy (KPA); all of these elements must always be included. You can find an example of the badge in this section!

IMPORTANT:

• The KPA SkillCheck designation is the mark of competency earned from a specific KPA course. It is not a KPA certification and you may not use language that you are certified by KPA in, for example, Therapy Dog Team Training or any representation or language to that effect. It is permissible to note in text format that you earned your KPA SkillCheck in Therapy Dog Team Training or in a signature that includes "KPA SkillCheck: Therapy Dog Team Training." You may also display the official badge freely.
• A KPA SkillCheck designation does NOT make you a KPA Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP); therefore, you may not represent the KPA SkillCheck as a form of general certification by KPA in any public or private communications.

SkillCheck^TM is a formalized KPA method for teachers to provide feedback to students on the skills taught in a specific course. Unique SkillCheck criteria are developed for each KPA course or class that offers SkillCheck assessment.

In this course, SkillCheck is available and open to all students. You will receive an easy-to-digest assessment of your skill progress on the essential therapy dog behaviors and training and, if you complete the course and demonstrate proficiency, you will earn the SkillCheck designation for Therapy Dog Team Training!

The SkillCheck™ designation means that you demonstrated competency in the specific skills taught in a KPA class or course.

While students in the course receive the SkillCheck assessment, the SkillCheck designation is awarded only to those students who complete the class and meet the criteria for the specific skills in the class.

Students who achieve the SkillCheck designation can feel confident that they have the proficiency and understanding to apply the skills and continue to build them.

Interested students can earn their SkillCheck in Therapy Dog Team Training and will receive both a digital copy of that designation and a digital badge that can be displayed.

Please note: A KPA SkillCheck designation does NOT make you a KPA Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP).

The course is authored and taught by Therapy Dog team evaluators and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners. Each author has extensive experience in the Therapy Dog world from various perspectives.

You can read more about the authors in the Meet Your Teacher section.

The course was also co-developed, reviewed, and approved by Karen Pryor Clicker Training. It is 100% force-free and fun for teachers, students, and dogs!