Become a Therapy Dog Team

Our Therapy Dog program is designed for well-mannered, friendly canines and their humans that have already passed the Alliance of Therapy Dogs' test. Passing the test means (to us) that a dog owner is serious about being prepared as a volunteer therapy dog team.

Since both people and dogs can become complacent over time, we also work with local dog trainers to provide on-going training to our teams.

We help our therapy dog teams understand where their interests are and where their dog enjoys visiting. We assist our teams by determining what age range(s) the therapy dog enjoys the most, since it is critical to their success. New therapy dog teams are accompanied on their first visits by an experienced therapy dog team to help them build confidence in introducing their dog and managing the visit.

Prepare

Build a strong relationship with your dog through:

Participate in regular training
Socialize your dog with other people, dogs, and situations
Involve your dog in play and interactions
Brush, groom, and pet regularly

Pass

Ensure you and your dog have the skills to join our Therapy Dog Program. Once your dog is at least one year old:

Become a nationally certified therapy dog team with Alliance of Therapy Dogs
Contact us to obtain the Helping Idaho Dogs volunteer application (includes an Idaho State Police background check)

Note: Costs of any training, joining Alliance of Therapy Dogs, and background checks are the responsibility of each volunteer.

Enjoy

Enjoy the benefits of being a pet therapy team with Helping Idaho Dogs:

Assistance
- identify interest & locations
- Partner with other therapy dog teams
- On-going training
Enjoy
- Give back to your community
- Share wags and smiles in many locations
- Meet other volunteers in a suppportive helpful environment

Do you have questions or need advice on training? We are here to help!