Therapy Dog Training
Unlock your dog's potential in the most rewarding way and let 4 on the Floor help you with your Therapy Dog training needs in the DMV!
Led by Kelly, who is not only the secretary of the board of National Capital Therapy Dog (NCTD) but also an instructor of therapy dog training classes with NCTD, our training program blends expert knowledge with real- world experience! You'll learn from a professional who not only teaches but actively works with her own therapy dog Brutus as part of the READ program specializing in supporting adolescents in alternative education programs. Kelly and Brutus also help with trauma recovery and are working with the Scholar's Program at University of Maryland.
"The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship between people and animals. It's influenced by behaviors essential to the mental, physical, and social health and wellbeing of both."
Q: What is a therapy dog?
A: Therapy dogs are trained and certified to provide comfort and support to a variety of people, sometimes via animal-assisted therapy, in a variety of different settings. Although they do not have implicit public access rights, with permission, they may visit many places.
​Q: What is the difference between a service dog, therapy dog, and emotional support animal?
A: A service animal is trained to perform specific work or tasks for a person with a disability and has public access rights. Emotional support animals provide comfort to a person with a disability but are not trained to perform work or tasks and do NOT have public access rights.
Journey to Becoming a Therapy Dog Team
We are here to help you every step of the way and can customize our program to your specific needs!
01
Schedule an evaluation
Meet Kelly to evaluate your dog as a therapy dog prospect (in person) or get help with the process of picking out a prospect from a breeder or shelter (can be done virtually) if you don't have a pup yet.
02
Early training & socialization
Ideally, training and socialization begin early during puppyhood. 4 on the Floor's offering includes a variety of puppy classes to begin training and include sociazalition.
03
Adolescence training & continued socialization
Training and socialization needs to continue through adolescence. We offer a range of classes to prepare for your Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, which is a requirement for your dog to have passed. In order to prepare for real life visits, we also recommend the CGC-Advanced and CGC-Urban classes.
04
Apply for therapy dog training with NCTD
Once you've passed your CGC and your application with NCTD has been accepted, you will need to complete the mandatory handler's class and therapy dog training class before you can be evaluated as a team.
Brutus and Kelly have mentored many teams and are offering private training to help prepare for the evaluation.
