What do Therapy Dogs do?

Therapy dogs play a vital role in providing comfort, support and companionship to people in need. You can find these furry heroes bringing smiles and warmth to hospitals, nursing homes and even schools. We will explore the impact therapy dogs have on the well-being of patients and how their presence can make a difference in healing.

We speak to Eric Leonard, a therapy dog handler at INTEGRIS Health, to learn more about the role therapy dogs play in patient care.

The role of therapy dogs

A therapy dog is a type of dog trained to provide comfort, support and relief for people in various settings – typically in health care. Therapy dogs help improve the emotional and mental well-being of people they come in contact with.

Therapy dogs can be used in various ways, whether to boost the spirits of older adults in nursing homes or to reduce stress or anxiety for children who may be hospitalized.
Of note, therapy dogs should be distinguished from service dogs or emotional support animals as they fulfill a distinct purpose. Service dogs undergo specialized training to perform specific tasks that aid individuals with disabilities, whereas therapy dogs primarily focus on offering emotional support and companionship to those in need. 
In general, therapy dogs are mild mannered, don’t shed excessively, are social, can adapt to their surroundings and, most of all, can cheer people up.

Types of therapy dogs

Dogs and their handlers provide several types of therapy used in various clinical and non-clinical settings.

Animal-Assisted Activities: Therapy dogs visiting hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers and other locations can provide comfort to people dealing with physical ailments or mental illnesses along with general and uplifting interactions. A therapy dog visit typically lasts between one to two hours per day.

Animal-Assisted Therapy:  When therapy dogs work hand-in-hand with health care professionals or rehabilitation specialists together with patients, they can seek to achieve specific and measurable outcomes during their continuum of care.

Facility Therapy Dogs: These dogs are typically owned by a facility and an employee handler is assigned to care for the dog during and after hours. They typically undergo more specific training for clinical tasks, or for pediatric patient populations. Often, they tend to be quite a bit older than the minimum age of one year for regular therapy dogs because of this extra training. Facility dogs tend to be “at the office” all day and often work multiple shifts per day.

What are the benefits of a therapy dog?

Therapy dogs offer many benefits to people in need. Here are some examples:

Emotional support: By providing comfort and companionship, therapy dogs can help boost morale and improve feelings of loneliness and depression.

Stress reduction: Therapy dogs can help you relax, therefore reducing the release of stress hormones that can make you more anxious and uptight. Therapy dogs have a unique way of bonding with people they meet, which can reduce the emotional intensity people feel.

Improved mental health: Whether you’re a dog lover or not, therapy dogs are social animals that specialize in boosting the mood of everyone they come in contact with. Improving your mood is one way to cope with PTSD or anxiety triggers. A study by the Journal of Psychiatry, Depression & Anxiety found 93 percent of medical students who participated in the survey reported a therapy dog had a positive impact on anxiety levels and helped improve the learning and testing environment.

Improve physical health: For people with cardiovascular health issues, therapy dogs can physically have a calming effect. For example, these dogs may help lower heart rate or blood pressure when they’re in your presence. According to a 2020 study, therapy dogs used in hospitals can improve patient well-being and decrease anxiety, loneliness and depression. The study also showed that therapy dogs help hospitalized patients by lowering pain, blood pressure and stress.

Social interaction: Therapy dogs can bring a smile to your face, which helps encourage socialization in both individual and group settings.

Motivation: Some people struggle opening up to health care providers, such as counselors or mental health specialists. Therapy dogs can help bridge the gap and provide an environment that makes it more suitable to socialize or communicate.

“Having volunteered with both of my therapy dogs, Timber and Bodie, there is no measurable way to place a value on a smile. From this small gesture of a smile to tears of happiness as payment for services rendered, it keeps me coming back to give more,” says Leonard.

How to get a therapy dog

If you’re interested in training a dog to provide therapy services to children and adults, there are several steps to take to ensure they meet certain criteria.

Some organizations require dogs to be certified before they take visits to hospitals, schools or nursing homes. However, this doesn’t apply to every place.

Several organizations can certify your dog. For example, the American Kennel Club administers a Canine Good Citizen test that rates a dog’s manners and obedience. You can find a full list here. Dogs who can’t meet these requirements will need to continue training until they can pass the test.

Here is an overview of the criteria needed for a therapy dog:

• All application documents including a background check must be received followed by an interview with the intake coordinator.
• Successful evaluation of obedience, disposition and temperament conducted in a neutral environment.
• Completion of a field evaluation held in a partner facility.
• Dog is vested, insured and is monitored to ensure all rules and regulations are followed.  
• Dog and handler must undergo annual recertification.

There isn’t a specific age requirement for therapy dogs, but most organizations require dogs to be at least one year old. Therapy dogs also need to be up to date with vaccines and shots.

Choosing a therapy dog

If you plan to adopt a dog to train to be a therapy dog, both puppies and adults are good choices. However, puppies can be trained more to your liking from a young age. When adopting a dog, choose one that is friendly, obedient, unaggressive, gentle and outgoing. Dogs that bark excessively, chew on objects or get overly excited and jump on people don’t make good therapy dogs.

Therapy dogs can be any type of breed, but some of the most common types include labrador retriever, golden retriever, poodle, newfoundland or border collie.

Small dogs make good therapy dogs because they can easily fit in the laps of patients in hospitals. Some people are bound to their hospital beds and can’t move around to reach larger dogs. That said, larger dogs are common in pediatric settings because they tend to be gentler around children.

Characteristics of a good therapy dog

• Accepts strangers without aggression, timidity, or anxiety.
• High level of obedience (understands and reliably demonstrates basic commands).
• Ability to stay away from the handler for a short time without showing anxiety.
• Recovers quickly from loud crashes or annoying noises without hiding behind the handler.
• Can stay focused and under control around other pets in public without barking.

At INTEGRIS Health, we have dozens of therapy animals walking the halls of our hospitals statewide. They are an integral part of our team, lifting spirits and providing comfort wherever they go.

For more health and wellness content, visit the INTEGRIS Health For You blog.