Time For Some Fun!

As many of you know, I've studied, researched, published and logged thousands of hours of observation on play behavior in animals.  What's currently grabbed my attention is something slightly different: The importance of dog owners playing with their own dogs.  While I've certainly spent a lot of time watching puppies play with each other, as well as adolescent and adult dogs playing together, I'd never specifically thought about people playing with their dogs beyond the obvious "you should play with your dog to help foster a relationship with them." Turns out just spending an extra five minutes a day playing games with your dog is even more beneficial to your relationship with them than spending five extra minutes on training exercises.  Now, before you get too caught up in this, one caveat.  You still need to spend time training your dogs!  Even if doing so isn't the sole foundation on which your relationship is built, it's still important.

The type of games you play with your dog also makes a difference. For example, a game of fetch wasn't even included as part of the study. Instead, they looked at games whose focus was on the social interaction between the dog and the human.  So, games that included rough-housing, tug-of-war, chase, and hide-and-seek were seen as social bond building, creating a foundation for the formation of a solid relationship between the human and the dog.  I found this fascinating! Just a few years back, there was a backlash against people playing tug-of-war games with their dogs or engaging in rough-housing style play.  At that time, the argument was being made that doing so fostered aggression in dogs.  Consequently, I'd have puppy owners roll up to puppy classes and ask what they should be doing with their puppies since they "weren't supposed to play tug or rough-house."  I was always quick to debunk the mistaken connection between aggression and rough and tumble play.  That's not where aggression comes from and playing this way with your puppy isn't going to make them aggressive. If it did, then every dog I knew during the 70's and 80's (including my own!)  would have been aggressive because that's how we all played with our dogs!  The bottom line is this: They are most likely to be aggressive if they inherited some form of aggression, not because you played with them a certain way when they were puppies.

Now, it's certainly also true that not all dogs enjoy rough-housing play, and that's okay too. You know your own dog.  Most of the dogs I meet love tug-of-war, even if they don't love to wrestle.  And if they don't like tug or wrestling, they enjoy hide-and-seek.  I love encouraging the kids in my puppy classes, in particular, to play hide-and-seek with their dogs.  It's a great way to have a child get their dog to come to them by having their dog try to find them as part of a game. That doesn't mean that you, too, can't play hide-and-seek with your dog.  Try it yourself; a return to a game from your childhood will be good for you as well.

As Ozzie has gotten older, he likes to be tickled.  I don't know how to describe it, but I hug him and make tickling gestures and sounds and he makes that dog laugh I talked about last week. It's really quite funny.  When he was younger, he loved tug-of-war and hide-and seek, but he never liked rough-housing at all.  Henley loves tug-of-war and his favorite game involves me making my hands into spiders that wiggle around and try to tickle his feet or grab his toy.  He will bounce around, bark, and make the dog laughing sound, so I know he's having a good time too.  I have always enjoyed playing with my dogs, so now knowing that it's actually helping to foster a lasting bond between us is just the icing on the proverbial cake.

That's it for now.  Henley is asking to play tug-of-war and I'm certainly not going to say no to that.  As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Here's Henley playing tug-of-war with me!

Dog Laughter!

It turns out, dogs do laugh, and it has nothing to do with their wagging tails.  I stumbled upon an interesting research paper, documenting a study conducted in 2005 by Patricia Simonet.  She and her team had previously collected audio of dogs socializing and playing using a parabolic microphone so that researchers could remain at a distance sufficient to keep their presence from altering the dogs' behavior. They discovered that when dogs made a particular chuffing sound, much like a pant, but with a more complex frequency range, other dogs responded with similar sounds, play bows, or even a play face and initiation of a game of chase. When these recorded sounds were played back to dogs in a shelter environment, they discovered that the dogs who heard the laugh playbacks had a significant reduction in stress behaviors. Most fascinating to me was the fact that not only did their stress markers decrease, but most offered pro-social behaviors, including chuffing back and bowing.  She repeated the experiment with a group of fifteen puppies and found that one and all responded to the recorded dog laughter with happy romping about.

Interestingly enough, a few other researchers have tried to recreate this chuff sound themselves and it's not easy.  For a human to make this breathy pant, without creating vocal vibrations, is tough!  They discovered that mostly they just confused their canine subjects or the dogs had no response at all. For those who could mimic the sound accurately enough, they were rewarded with those same pro-social behaviors Simonet noted in her study: play bows, wagging tails, and friendly approaches.  Through trial and error, Simonet was able to create the sound for herself and found that even when she offered the canine laugh to shelter dogs, it resulted in similar pro-social behaviors.  Why is this important?

Reducing canine stress, wherever it shows up, is a worthwhile endeavor.  Whether in a shelter, veterinary hospital, or your own home, reducing your dog's stress increases their quality of life.  For people like myself who spend a lot of time observing, treating, and interacting with anxious dogs, I'd love to be able to recreate this sound.  I already go to great lengths to present myself to anxious dogs in a non-threatening fashion:  I don't stare, I don't loom, and I let them choose whether to interact with me or not.  It would be interesting to see if I could convince some of them to choose to interact faster if I could laugh like a dog.  I don't believe, however, that it would help every anxious dog, even if I could make the sound.  For dogs who are profoundly anxious, playing that canine laugh, or a human attempt at it, would likely be viewed as confusing at best, and downright rude at worst.  Sort of like someone trying to jolly you out of your stressful mood by cracking jokes and making light of it, which just ends up making the situation worse.

Okay...here comes the fun part.  Dogs will laugh when initiating play with their owners as well, so we can all conduct little mini-experiments of our own.  Grab a toy or position yourself as you do when initiating play with your dog and then watch and listen to them carefully.  See that wide grin?  That likely precedes the canine laugh once they get into play mode.  If you have more than one dog, watch their play sessions.  See what happens when one dog exhibits pro-social behavior (a bow, perhaps); does the other dog laugh and then the game begins?  It's really a fascinating way to spend an afternoon and I can confirm that it's a lot more fun than balancing your checkbook.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

This is Zelly offering the smiley face, slightly opened mouth grin, that precedes her emitting the canine laugh and initiating play with me, since Henley is sound asleep on the floor behind her, and thus uninterested in her shenanigans.

Not Every Dog Is An Einstein

 There was a wonderful article in the New York Times last week about why people think that their dogs are smart.  Did you read the article too?  If you didn't, and want to, here's the link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/science/pets-dogs-intelligence.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20260416&instance_id=174162&nl=the-morning&regi_id=119526550&segment_id=218310&user_id=5b6f3acda3c1e75ce5f119e547e74d2e

I really love when science and mainstream media meet as it gives us all an opportunity to think about a topic in a more thoughtful way, looking more closely at where our own biases effect the way we think about the world.  In this case, the way we think about dogs in general, and our own beloved canines, specifically.

Here's the gist of the article and why it's important:  Researchers have consistently found that dog owners rank their dog's intelligence with what's called a "better than average effect," or what we referred to in the psychology classes I taught at UC Davis as "cognitive bias."  Basically, we dog owners tend to overestimate the abilities of dogs in general, but we really tend to overestimate our own dog's intelligence.  Remember that Border Collie that made the news and was even in a story on 60 Minutes?  Her name was Chaser and she was a female Border Collie who could identify over 1000 toys by name.  This is a feat known as "word learning" and it is actually rare as it takes a combination of dedicated direct instruction by the human caretakers and the dog's own natural ability to eavesdrop on human conversations about objects and make inferences. For some reason, herding dogs like Border Collies seem to excel at these tasks, but not every Border Collie excels like Chaser. So, why do people who participate in these studies consistently rank their dogs, regardless of breed, as being so cognitively gifted?

I was fascinated by the data here:  While it is often stated that a dog's cognitive skills are on par with a human toddler (aged 1-3 years), this is really too simplistic a claim given the number of skills a toddler has that a dog doesn't and vice versa.  And, yet, in a 2025 study, people consistently ranked their dogs as having equivalent cognitive skills as 3-5 year old children, and many people ranked their dogs as being on par cognitively with a 16 year old kid. In one study, about a quarter of the participants ranked dogs as smarter than most people! Only 6% of the study participants said their dogs possessed a lower than average intelligence. The conclusion I found most interesting was that the dog owners who were most emotionally bonded to their dogs gave higher cognitive skill ratings to ALL dogs, not just their own.  So, somehow that emotional bond the study participants had with dogs caused them to rate dogs as more intelligent in a general sense.  And they also rated their own dogs more favorably than the average dog on markers such as loyalty and friendliness, and not just intelligence. That, I think, is really important.

Dogs excel at reading people. They read our body language, facial expressions, etc. and make inferences from that.  For example, when we look out a window, they'll often go over and look out too.  Or if we point at something, they'll look where we are pointing.  They'll get your attention when their ball rolls under the couch, demonstrating that they have object permanence; even though that ball is out of sight, they know it still exists.  Some scientists even believe that dogs can understand that others have a different perspective than they themselves have, a skill previously thought to be limited to primates and dolphins.

So, while at least two thirds of us dog owners might be like those in the 2025 study, stating unequivocally that our dogs are smarter than the average dog, the truth is this: Most of us are, statistically speaking, more likely to be living with dogs on the lower end of the intelligence spectrum. And, you know what?  That's not just okay, it's better than okay!  There is absolutely nothing wrong with a dog who can't remember where they left their ball or has to be reminded every time to sit before they go out the door.  Think of it this way:  Intelligence in dogs is a gift and a curse.  Really smart dogs like Chaser the Border Collie need almost constant engagement in the form of enrichment opportunities and mental stimulation so that they don't become bored, anxious, or destructive. In my opinion, a dog who excels at being a beloved family member is a dog to be desired and appreciated. Just because your dog has to be shown where you dropped the treat for him because a finger point in that direction is met with a blank stare, doesn't make your dog any less valuable than any other dog.  There are so many ways to be smart other than showing a knack for word learning or object permanence. 

Generally speaking, dogs have the uncanny ability to bloom where they are planted and that's a skill I wish more people had.  They find joy in the mundane, they relish schedules and routine, and they are happy just to be with us.  Your dog loves you unconditionally, so love him back for who he is: Your faithful, devoted companion whose most special ability is the one that allows him to bond to you and your family.  Frankly, that's the skill that I value the most in a dog.  In my mind, any dog can learn a party trick and the names of a few toys.  Bright dogs know when it's time for dinner and get you into the kitchen to prepare it as if they were the ones wearing the smartwatch.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Here's Henley, ready to work.  He loves learning new tasks and tricks and is a pretty quick study.  He's learned to follow a finger point but may seem to forget the name of a familiar object.  But you know what amazing skill he has?  He knows when it's time to take his anti-seizure medications and he'll come get me if I seem to be forgetting that it's time.  Frankly, I find that absolutely incredible as, (1) I often lose track of time and it really helps that he doesn't and (2) he needs those meds twice daily on a schedule and he knows the schedule better than I do. Do I think Henley is brilliant? No, but I do think he excels at love, friendliness, and a desire to learn. He's the perfect dog for me.

Surface Preferences & Toileting Habits

A few weeks ago, a long time client reached out for help with her adult dog.  I've known her since this dog was a puppy and they lived here in California.  She's since moved to the Midwest to be closer to family and that seems to be when the issue with toileting habits began.  You see, her dog was trained as a puppy to toilet on artificial turf as that's what she had in her yard here.  We began with a patch of artificial turf in an xpen to keep her tiny puppy safe and he eventually graduated to using her entire backyard, no problem.  Other than the fact he hated going outside to toilet on rainy days (we added an area covered by an awning to fix that issue!), all went well with his house training.  All went well, that is, until they moved four months ago.  Since then, he's been toileting everywhere, except where she wants him to go!  She actually suggested that I share her story as she'd not seen it here on my blog before and she felt that my suggestions not only made sense, but that they would work for her. 

It's really important to start with the way puppies learn to toilet appropriately.  If their breeder exclusively uses puppy pads, for example, never introducing them to other substrates such as fake grass, real grass, ground cover, or bark, these puppies will develop a surface preference for puppy pads and other soft surfaces like furniture, backpacks on the ground, throw rugs, towels, and piles of laundry. This means that when you bring your puppy home and try to teach them to toilet outside on your lawn or in the ground cover, they'll look at you confused.  They'll play and romp in those areas, but they won't toilet out there, no matter how long they're outside, or how much you cajole or bribe them.  Then, you'll bring them indoors and within minutes they'll void on the rug by the door or the laundry you are sorting.  Why? Because their breeder trained them to do so! If, instead, your breeder introduces several different toileting surfaces, especially adding in those surfaces outdoors, rewarding the puppies for using them all, they won't develop a specific surface preference, instead developing a preference for going outdoors, whatever surface is available there. That way, no matter what your yard situation is, your puppy is primed to toilet appropriately.

Back to my client's puppy.  He had come from a breeder who exclusively used puppy pads for toileting.  The pads were always inside her house and always inside an xpen.  When the puppy came to live with my client, she was instructed by the breeder to continue to use these pads as they "made house training so convenient with a little dog."  My client knew she didn't want a dog who toileted indoors for its entire life, so she reached out to me days after bringing that new puppy home. I quickly debunked what her breeder had told her.  What we did instead was begin with a pad on top of a piece of fake turf inside an xpen near the backdoor.  We gradually keep cutting that pad smaller and smaller until the puppy was toileting on the piece of fake turf religiously.  We then moved the xpen and fake turf just outside the backdoor and gradually moved it further and further from the house until it was out on the larger fake lawn.  As the puppy grew and could be safe in the larger yard, we removed the xpen but left the piece of fake turf in place.  The puppy continued to toilet there as he'd learned that was his bathroom.  We were then able to remove that smaller piece and he continued toileting in that spot regularly up until they made the recent move. 

Her new home has hardscape, stamped concrete winding paths, with a combination of ground cover and bark.  She tried getting him to toilet on any of those surfaces and he wouldn't go, choosing to hold it until she walked him, at which point he'd go on a neighbor's fake front lawn!  I reminded her that he's got a preference now for fake turf and she needs to accommodate that preference, rather than trying to retrain him to a surface he's never had experience with in the past.  Per my instructions, she bought him one of those turf kits with the tray underneath for ease of cleaning. She began with the fake grass inside of an xpen again, just outside her back door on the hardscape surface.  He immediately used the fake grass!  I told her to reward him just as she'd done when he was a puppy (a treat, a good boy verbal reward, and then some free time in the yard).  Over the course of a week, she gradually moved the pen further from the backdoor, toward the corner where she wanted him to toilet going forward.  He continued to use the fake grass in each new location.  So now, no more xpen and he's using his fake grass religiously, not her green bathroom rugs, kitchen floor, or the neighbor's fake lawn.  Yes, she does have to clean that fake grass porta potty for her dog, but it's a huge improvement over the way things had been going for the last four months. Problem solved, to my client's relief!

My wish is always that breeders won't solely rely on puppy pads for teaching toileting habits to puppies. By introducing multiple novel and appropriate surfaces for toileting, experienced breeders know that they will be setting their puppies up for success wherever they go and whatever bathroom area is provided for them in their new home. And if you, like my client move to a new home with a different toileting surface for your dog, know that you now have the tools to make this work right from the get go.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Here's ten week old Henley getting some free time on the grass after using the bathroom outside. He looks pretty happy about it as well.

The Zoomies!

I love watching dogs with the zoomies.  People always assume that zoomies are just something that puppies or young dogs do to blow off extra energy, but that's not entirely true.  Senior dogs get the zoomies too, they just look a bit different.  And zoomies are about much more than just blowing off steam.  They serve a purpose in reducing anxiety as well.  Let's explore zoomies a bit further!

First, the science.  The technical term for the zoomies is "Frenetic Random Activity Periods" or FRAP's, for short. They are characterized by sudden bursts of energy and manifest as spinning in place, darting around, or running in circles.  FRAP's generally last a few minutes, though the age of the dog will definitely affect the duration of a FRAP.  These frenetic bursts are completely normal dog behavior and can be about anything from excitement to happiness to a need to release some pent up stress or anxiety. Thus, a dog might get the zoomies when they see their best friend and want to initiate play (happiness FRAP), when their owner comes home (excitement FRAP), or following a bath (stress-relieving FRAP).  Puppies often engage in FRAP's in the evening because they are over-tired, over-stimulated, and in desperate need of quiet time and a nap.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I should try to catch my dog before he hurts himself!" while he's doing the zoomies? Resist the urge.  Don't chase a dog with the zoomies, and if you think they might hurt themselves try to move objects out of the way rather than trying to curb their enthusiasm.  Interrupting a FRAP can cause more tension and frustration in a dog whose sole purpose for doing the behavior in the first place was to regulate their own nervous system.

If your dog engages in frequent bouts of FRAP's, it might be time to look at their daily routine.  Are they getting enough exercise?  Regularly scheduled walks and play times help reduce built up energy and release it appropriately.  Aim for two walks a day that involve a lot of sniffing and exploring.  If your dog likes to play fetch, that's great, but you can also use a flirt pole for exercise or set up a parkour course in your backyard with lawn furniture, soccer cones, and bricks or yoga blocks.  While addressing their physical exercise requirements is important, don't forget about mental exercise!  Those puzzles, snuffle mats, empty boxes, egg cartons, and lick mats all serve an important function in stimulating their brains to solve problems, reducing boredom and stress.

For puppies, definitely look at their nap schedule. First off, do they even have a nap schedule?  In addition to their physical exercise and mental stimulation needs, puppies must get an adequate amount of sleep every day for proper brain development.  My suggestion for puppy owners is to aim for four naps a day, each nap two hours in length, every single day.  These naps are in addition to their night time sleep and meant to be taken in a quiet room all by themselves, ideally in a crate, or a pen if your puppy isn't crate trained.  Why a quiet room? Because you want your puppy to reach REM sleep and deep sleep; puppies who cat-nap throughout the day wherever they happen to lay down are puppies who are never going to get any refreshing sleep during the daytime.  They will be sleep deprived, mouthy, and yes, prone to evening bouts of zoomies.

Now, it's true that I've met more than one dog over the years who engaged in excessively frequent episodes of FRAP's.  The bouts would occur multiple times a day, characterized by not just frenetic physical behavior, but high-pitched barking and whining as well. These dogs were clearly experiencing mental distress and extreme anxiety.  Treatment involved balancing basic exercise with mental stimulation, teaching calm behavioral alternatives (like chewing on a meaty bone in a comfy crate), a lower protein diet, and encouraged and enforced rest time (again, in a crate).  Most of these dogs also needed daily anti-anxiety medication long term in order to balance their brain chemistry and reduce the pressure they felt that was resulting in the FRAP's in the first place.

Henley rarely gets the zoomies, but when he does, it involves him zipping from one end of the yard to the other, at full speed, like a wrecking ball.  Luckily for my garden, these bouts are few and far between.  Ozzie actually gets them more often and always in response to Henley playing with a toy or Henley and Zelly roughhousing. He'll trot over and begin bouncing in circles, yipping happily to himself, near to where Henley is playing,  or the two younger dogs.  Henley will often respond with a woof and then offer Ozzie a toy. Zelly always bounces his way and bops him on the nose, stopping the circling behavior and resulting in a short chase around the room.  I love watching this all unfold as both Henley and Zelly are gentle with Ozzie, seemingly understanding that his advanced age and fragile physical status means that his brief FRAP's are about all he can muster, though he still wants to join in the fun.  So, Ozzie's zoomies are about happiness and excitement.  Good things to still have when you are an almost 11.5 year old dog.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

This is Westley post zoomies.  His zoomies always involved tight circles and always ended with ears back and a little, sassy bark.  I miss that goofy boy.

My Dog Can't Hold His Licker!

I'm sure you've heard it somewhere that the reason dogs lick you is that they are being submissive.  Or maybe you heard that they lick you because you have something on your skin that interests them. While it may be true that your dog licks you submissively, or that the fact that you just ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich leads your dog to lick your hands and face, those simplistic answers don't tell the whole story.  As the devoted owner of a dog who can't hold his licker (that's you, Henley!), I'd like to talk a bit more in depth about dogs who lick their people.

First and foremost, licking is a bonding behavior.  Dogs lick each other, they will lick cats in their household, and yes, they lick us as we are family too.  This licking induces a sense of calm in your dog with the release of endorphins and oxytocin, "the love hormone" that accompanies the licking behavior. Licking promotes a sense of affiliation and belonging and is an instinctual behavior with deep roots in comfort.  Think of a mother dog licking her puppies to clean them, stimulate them to nurse or to defecate, those steady knowing licks by their mothers remain rooted in their brains enhancing their sense of well-being. They lick themselves and us much the same way, to calm, to soothe, to belong.

An often debated, but nonetheless important reason dogs lick is to promote healing, not just for themselves, but for each other and us as well. Dog saliva has some antibacterial properties due to the presence of enzymes such as lysozyme and proteins like histatins which can promote faster healing and prevent infection.  Now don't take this the wrong way. I'm not saying dog saliva is all you or they need for wound treatment and care. On the contrary, excessive licking can introduce harmful bacteria, which is why veterinarians encourage the use of cones, donuts, or surgisuits as a regular part of wound management for your dog.  Nonetheless, I have absolutely let my dogs lick a scrape on a hike as a preemptive form of wound care until I can get home and wash the wound with antiseptic.

Dogs licking people is by no means random or meaningless. The connection we have with dogs precedes our development of language.  Early humans relied on body language cues with each other and with the canids sharing their community. I'm certain that the licking behavior of these early canids enhanced our desire to form an affiliative bond with them as it deepened the connection and the sense of trust. 

So, licks aren't just kisses, they represent a more complex behavior than mere affection, though affection does play a part. Licking is a way for your dog to connect with you; they connect with their people through body language, smell, touch, and instinct. Thus, when they lick you, their owner, they are showing you affection AND communicating about your shared bond, which has history and an emotional component to it, as well as a biological connection.  Our bodies carry silent signals in our sweat and other bodily secretions.  Dogs can smell and taste not just the salt in our tears and sweat, but our stress, sadness, fear, and excitement.  Dogs are experts at sensing what's not said; we may be able to fool ourselves that we aren't stressed out by that looming deadline, but our dogs know differently. They can literally smell the apprehension and if your dog is a licker, like Henley, they will respond accordingly.

I've never had a collie that licked as much as Henley does. Honestly, other than a cattle dog we had years ago, Henley licks more than any other dog we've ever had.  Ozzie will lick me gently, usually on the nose or hand, but Henley will lick my hands, arms, legs, and face rhythmically and repeatedly.  We joke that he thinks we are filthy little puppies that need attention, but the truth of the matter is this:  When I watch Henley more closely his licking is tied to my behavior.  He loves to lick me post workout, but I'm certain that's about the sweat and endorphins coming off of me. In the evenings, he'll wait to be invited on the couch and then proceed to lick my arm or my leg just before he falls asleep.  Affiliative behavior at it's finest.  And if I'm upset or distressed, he'll trot over, drop a toy at my feet or in my lap and then lick my hands or my face until my mood changes. Interestingly enough, Henley doesn't lick people very often on therapy visits and those he does look suspiciously like they have food on them. He saves his licking behavior for family and friends.  I suppose that's a good thing since not everyone likes being licked by a dog, especially one they don't know!

For me, I don't mind the licking.  It used to bug me at first because it seemed so excessive, but now I realize that Henley's love language is touch. He'll drop a toy in your lap, boop your arm or hand to get you to scratch or rub him, and yep, he licks. I don't think I'd have him any other way.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Here's Henley draped across my legs on the couch happily licking my ankle. Considering the fact he weighs 75 lbs, this is also a weight training exercise for me!

The Makings Of A Successful Therapy Dog

I was recently asked about what it takes to be a good therapy dog.  The person asking has always been interested in pet therapy, but neither of her previous dogs ever seemed suitable; one didn't like strangers and the other was terrified of unexpected noises. Definitely not suited to pet therapy, but they were wonderful companions to her nonetheless. So, of course, you know, this just got me thinking.  If someone was trying to find the perfect dog for pet therapy work, what should they look for?  

First and foremost, you need a dog that loves meeting new people.  If your dog is fearful (or aggressive) toward strangers, then pet therapy isn't for you.  I've turned away many a prospective pet therapy volunteer whose dog was afraid when meeting me.  Dogs that back away from friendly new people or hide behind their owners, avoiding contact, just aren't going to warm to pet therapy.  In addition, dogs who shy away or hide from a new person will often elicit a response such as, "Oh...your dog doesn't like me!" We certainly never want someone to feel this way on a pet therapy visit!

While loving new people is great, they need to not be overly enthusiastic about it. Meaning successful pet therapy dogs show joy when meeting new people, but they don't jump up on them, paw for attention, bark for attention, or move too quickly.  The best pet therapy dogs I know amble or trot up to new people with a loose tail wag, and often a grin on their face as if to say, "Hi! Nice to meet you!" They position themselves for scratches and pats and wait to see if the human wants more.  If they do, the dog moves around and makes another pass at the person for attention and love.  Yes, dogs can be taught to approach people calmly without barking or jumping up, but it does take time. If your dog is already a mellow, people-lover, there is less you need to do on the front end in terms of training on this skill.

Your dog will also need to have really good on leash manners.  That means that they don't pull you, gasping for air as they go.  They should walk at your side, or slightly in front of you, but your arm should not be fully extended, nor should you have to ball up the leash to keep good control.  Therapy dogs should be able to walk nicely on leash with a flat collar, harness, or head halter; they shouldn't need choke chains or pinch collars for control. You will want to work with your dog to be able to pass by other pet therapy teams in tight spaces without the dogs tangling leashes or getting underfoot.

If you are getting a puppy to train for pet therapy work, start from the get-go!  Expose your puppy to friendly strangers even before you can let their feet touch the ground.  Take them in a pack, a stroller, or simply carry them in your arms to places where people congregate.  Encourage people to pet and engage your puppy and reward your puppy for accepting friendly strangers with interest and joy.  Pet therapy visits are chock full of new smells and new noises, so expose your puppies to busy situations that incorporate smells and sounds like hardware stores, department stores, playgrounds, and shopping malls.  You should also plan to start working on cooperative care exercises with your puppy so that handling at the vet is optimized, but also so that your puppy will be tolerant of handling (or perhaps a bit of mishandling) on their therapy visits.  Therapy dogs need to tolerate having their feet, ears, noses, and tails touched, fur rubbed the wrong way, and an occasional tail pull.  Especially if you want to work with patients in memory support, having your pet therapy dog tolerate all forms of handling is a must.

It's important for pet therapy dogs to not be afraid of medical equipment.  Take your dog outside hospitals or nursing homes and work with them around folks in wheelchairs or using walkers and canes.  You can also take your dog to areas frequented by people pushing strollers or shopping carts.  Get your prospective therapy dogs used to wheeled contraptions that have people attached to them.

While it isn't talked about frequently, it is just as important to train your prospective pet therapy dog to leave items they see, smell, or find on the ground.  And if they do pick something up, to drop it for you when asked.  It doesn't happen a lot on therapy visits, but it happens enough that I've always taught my dogs from the time they were puppies to leave it and drop it on command.  That way, if there is medicine on the floor, a needle, or a latex glove, for example, your dog will know to leave it alone when asked, not to mention leaving any food crumbs they find on the floor behind as well.

Lastly, I think that the best pet therapy dogs can tolerate being around other dogs without becoming scared, agitated, or overly enthusiastic. I'm not saying your dog has to love other dogs to do pet therapy; on the contrary, I'm saying they just need to be able to work in proximity to other pets to be successful.  I actually prefer dogs who are kind of aloof or indifferent with other dogs on leash because I know that they are always going to choose to interact with the people rather than with the other dogs on a pet therapy visit.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of what I look for in a potential therapy dog, but it's a good start.  Breed of the dog, age, sex, etc. are less important to me; a young, intact male, pit bull can still be an amazing pet therapy dog, for example.  And, yes, I've met Golden Retrievers and Labradors that weren't suitable, at least not until they matured past the stage where they were no longer body slamming everyone they meet, stepping on feet and jumping up for attention.  They'll likely be great pet therapy dogs someday, once they've grown up a bit and settled down, so never give up hope!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Desi was a natural at pet therapy.  He would amble toward people, big smile on his face and tail wagging.  He would put his sweet, soft face on their lap or in their hand.  He never jumped up, pawed, or barked for attention, but would wait patiently for his turn.  He could spot someone who needed him a mile away.  Agitated dementia patients didn't scare him, neither did crying babies, or fire alarms going off.  He was a rock through it all, offering unconditional love and soft collie fluff to bury your hands or face in if you needed to.  I miss him every single day.