Have you ever asked this question? Were you just curious or were you considering your dog companion could do it? In this article, you will learn basic information – what nature the dog needs to have, what it has to handle and how to start with Canis therapy.
It’s a well-known fact that contact with dogs is beneficial for humans’ mental and physical health. Canistherapy is a treatment method with such contact and it has various uses. Dog canistherapists often go to orphanages, retirement homes, sanatoriums, hospice care institutions, institutions for physically and mentally disabled people and other similar places.
Of course, not all dogs are suitable to be therapists. If your dog shows any signs of fearfulness or aggression, you should rather focus on another activity together. However, if your dog companion is calm, well-balanced and obedient and loves contact with humans, you may consider canistherapy.
Dog therapist obviously has to be completely healthy and older than 15 months. It can be any breed or a mongrel. Its size is also not important. However, you and your dog should definitely be quite patient.
Besides suitable nature, the dog also needs to be well-socialized and well-mannered. It should be well controllable and it needs to obey the commands for the first time even in a noisy environment. It should also handle new environments, noises and situations with ease. Canistherapy is about physical contact – stroking and cuddling. The dog should be able to accept it calmly, patiently and gladly even from strangers. It is also a good thing to let the future therapist get used to slight pulling of hair, ears or skin to be ready for this kind of situation if it occurs.
Basically, the only special skill the dog therapist needs to learn is being able to stop playing and positioning. When you don’t know what to do next, you can make use of any canistherapy school that focuses on this.
If you still think you and your dog have everything necessary and you are ready to dive in, try to pass the exams you need to be able to practice canistherapy. Every company may include different disciplines, so don’t forget to check in advance what you are going into.
Have you ever watched your cat and asked yourself what it might be thinking? It sometimes seems that these furry friends enjoy situations in which you don’t know if they love your or want to claw your eyes out. They only sit and watch you from a...
These special dogs were bred and raised specifically for hunting of puffins and guillemots (water birds). For this reason, they have several very specific and for their purpose very practical physical deviations. For example, they have extremely...
They say there aren’t many activities as relaxing as fishing. And it’s no longer true that fishing is only for men. When my friend told me she takes her dog for fishing, I was really surprised. And I immediately had to question her about how it...
If you like small dogs, it will be easy for you to fall in love with pomeranians. Not only they look like teddy bears with a nice face and look, they will also impress you with their nature. They belong to sociable dog breeds rightfully. Besides their...
Living with dogs is such a natural thing for us dog lovers that we sometimes treat them more like people. We love them, we nurture them but we may sometimes care a bit too much and unintentionally harm our furry friends. Such cases include wrong fur...
Miniature pinscher is also called min pin or German pinscher. There is a great personality with a big heart inside its little body. It is a big warrior,sports dog and a tourist. Perfect sports for this breed are for example dog dancing or agility where...
Some animals are simply talented for water sports. Already as a puppy, Ricochet grabbed people’s attention for her confidence she jumped into sea waves with. Later on, she became a dog hero helping disabled and a role model for many enthusiasts who...
While in the wildlife, their diet depends on natural instincts, rodents kept by humans and other small animals require a regular and balanced diet. What should rodent’s diet include and what should it avoid? What food is dangerous/safe for it? And what...
If you wish to do sports with your dog, you should at first think about if it’s right for you pet, no matter if you want to do it for leisure or top-level. And not only from the point of view of your pet’s nature but also of its physical predispositions.
Have you ever discussed whether a cat or a dog is more intelligent with your friends? Reportedly, scientists already know the answer. In this article, I mention a few facts and observations from a recently published research paper on this topic.
Cats can handle a new human in your family very badly. They are more sensitive to the changes than dogs. Are you interested in what you can do to enjoy this time and not to deal with the problems with your cat?
Are you considering getting a rodent as your new pet but you are afraid it won’t be doing good with your dog under one roof? Don’t be afraid, dogs and rodents can do great together. It is important to teach your dog from an early age that other animals...