How to Train a Pet to Visit Hospitals

Pet therapy, or animal assisted therapy, brings people-loving animals together with hospital patients, helping patients feel better. Most often dogs are seen on visits to the hospital, but in some cases, cats, rabbits, parrots, ponies and even llamas may visit the sick bringing smiles to the patients. Getting a pet trained to pass a certification or registration test is a lengthy process that requires both the pet and the owner have the right temperament and training skills.

Things You'll Need

• Pet therapy organization

Instructions

1. Join a pet therapy organization whose volunteers take animals to hospitals. Around the country, there are national (such as the Delta Society) and local nonprofit organizations that provide training classes and certifications for pet therapy animals. Hospitals will require that you and your pet be certified by or registered with the organization(s) that service their hospital.

2. Temperament test your pet. Take your pet out for walks and stop to talk to other people to see how your pet reacts. To be a good therapy pet, they should not just be good with, but truly enjoy adults, kids and other animals.

3. Train basic obedience commands relevant to your type of pet. For example dogs must know: sit, stay, come, how to walk on lead, leave it (where he will leave any item, even a treat, if you say “leave it”) and paws up – where the dog puts his paws on the side of a bed so a patient can reach him. Cats and rabbits must be able to be passed from person to person and sit nicely in a basket or on a table. Birds should know how to step up from person to person and sit nicely on a travel perch or table. Other animals such as ponies will need basic commands similar to dogs.

4. Train your pet to be “bomb proof.” A bomb proof pet remains calm, in control and responds to their handlers commands no matter what happens. The idea is that if a bomb went off, your pet reponsds by looking to you and obeying your commands calmly. Bomb proof training involves getting your pet used to and obeying commands while being surrounded by people, being petted roughly, hugged and having their tail pulled. They will also need to obey commands during sudden loud sharp noises, with wheelchairs rolling by, with medical equipment rolling by and with people yelling and acting unpredictable. This training will often start in a pet therapy training class and then advance to taking the pet into new and unpredictable environments.

5. Pass the organizations test to gain their pet therapy certification or registration. Once your pet’s training is complete, you and your pet will be tested by a member of the organization. This will involve evaluating your pet’s obedience and reaction and your ability to handle your pet in various situations.

References

• The Delta Society: Pet Partners Program
• The Delta Society: Skills Exercises
• The Delta Society: Aptitude Exercises

Resources

• Love on a Leash: Frequently Asked Questions
• HSUS: Sometimes Everybody Needs a Little Therapy
• PAL