This class prepares the handler and their dog for involvement in animal-assisted therapy programs. Most therapy dogs are personal pets that accompany their owners to various facilities such as hospitals, rehab centers or nursing homes. The skills taught in this class will include working around medical equipment, loud noises, food, toys and other distractions. The class will include a field trip to observe a therapy visit, a guest speaker from a health care profession, and information on local therapy locations. This class covers all the skills necessary to pass the Delta Society Pet Partners® evaluation, which will be offered at the end of the session.

This class is for dogs who have had basic obedience training and who have earned their CGC. Our therapy dogs are trained to be very controlled due to the expensive monitoring equipment and the potentially fragile people that exist within a therapy setting. We realize that every dog that enters a therapy setting makes a long-lasting impression on every person it meets!

Your canine companion can be a Therapy Dog too!

"For the past few years, I have been evaluating the students of Monica Bedrosian, director of the Fine Canine. These people come to me to be tested as therapy teams for the Delta Society. Consistently, they all do very well at the evaluation, all of them making the highest score that makes them eligible to visit in complex environments.

From the way they handle their dogs to the manner in which they present themselves, you can tell that they are the product of an excellent teacher. Monica educates her students to train their animals with lots of positive reinforcement. When they come to be tested, it is a joy to watch them. The handler and dog are in touch with each other and work in sync as a real team.

Only a terrific teacher as Monica could continue to produce such a high level of animal training and to get the human handler to respond as well."

- Shirley Lieb, Delta National Pet Partner Committee

DuPage Therapy Dog Club

Clients that successfully attend and complete our Dog Therapy Training class automatically qualify for membership in our DuPage Therapy Dog Club. Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 8PM.

Information Request/Class Sign-Up Form