When is a good time to begin therapy dog training?
Formal therapy training should not begin much before a dog is one year old. They may not be certified before the age of one year, anyway. However, you may wish to take your dog to some basic obedience classes, and out for frequent walks such as going over to friend’s homes or into stores that allow dogs so that the dog may interact with the public there. That is the most basic form of training, but you do not want to overload a young dog with too many experiences that he finds stressful. You want to assure the dog that these activities will always be fun, and not become too much work for him. Basically, getting obedience training and proper socialization lays a strong foundation for therapy dog work.
