Therapy dog training prepares a friendly, calm dog to comfort people in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes. OLK9 DFW's 10-session program ($1,000) covers public manners, gentle greetings, and medical-equipment neutrality, then evaluates and certifies your dog. Therapy dogs differ from service dogs (task-trained for one handler) and ESAs (owner support only).
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Certify Your Dog to Bring Healing, Hope & Joy to Hospitals, Nursing Homes & Schools
✨ 8-Session Certification Program | $1,000 | Certified In House by OLK9 DFW
A child who hasn't spoken in weeks lights up when your dog enters the hospital room. Their tiny hand reaches out to pet soft fur, and they whisper their first words in days: "Good dog."
An elderly woman with Alzheimer's who doesn't recognize her own children anymore suddenly smiles—really smiles—when your dog rests their head on her lap. For those five minutes, she's present. She's happy. She remembers what love feels like.
A scared first-grader struggling to read stumbles through a book while your dog listens patiently, without judgment, tail wagging encouragement. The child's confidence grows. Reading becomes less scary.
This is what therapy dogs do. They heal without medicine. They comfort without words. They make impossible days a little more bearable.
And your friendly, gentle, people-loving dog? They could be doing this work.
Therapy dog training in Dallas prepares friendly dogs to visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and community centers to provide comfort and companionship. Our 8-Session Certification Program ($1,000) teaches public manners, gentle greetings, medical equipment neutrality, and therapy visit protocols. Upon completion, we evaluate your dog in house, and when your dog passes every test, you receive a certificate from OLK9 showing that you and your dog completed the therapy dog program. Unlike service dogs (task training) or emotional support animals (owner support only), therapy dogs are trained to comfort strangers in community settings.
Let's clear up the confusion. There are three types of working dogs, and they're very different:
What they do: Perform specific tasks for ONE disabled handler (guide blind person, alert to seizures, retrieve items, provide mobility support)
Legal rights: Full public access everywhere (restaurants, stores, planes) under ADA
Who they help: Their handler only
Training required: 1-13+ years intensive task training
What they do: Provide comfort through presence (no specific tasks)
Legal rights: Housing accommodation only (no public access)
Who they help: Their owner only
Training required: None (just need to be well-behaved at home)
What they do: Visit strangers in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, libraries to provide comfort, reduce stress, encourage social interaction
Legal rights: None (they're only welcome in facilities that invite them - no ADA rights)
Who they help: The community - sick kids, elderly patients, stressed students, trauma survivors
Training required: Public manners, gentle greetings, neutrality to medical equipment, calm behavior in chaotic environments
Important: Therapy dogs do NOT have public access rights. They can't go to restaurants or stores like service dogs. They're invited guests at specific facilities. This is volunteer work - you and your dog visit facilities to bring joy, not to support your own needs.
Therapy dogs aren't just "nice to have." The science shows they create measurable improvements in physical and mental health. Here's what PhD research tells us:
PhD in Psychology (Animal Learning & Behavior)
Why This Matters for Therapy Dog Training:
Key Takeaway: Therapy dog training isn't about tricks—it's about creating a dog who's so reliably calm and gentle that they can be trusted around vulnerable populations. The science shows us how to build this reliability through systematic training.
PhD in Zoology | Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
Why This Matters for Therapy Dog Training:
Key Takeaway: A therapy dog's well-being depends on their handler's ability to read them and protect them from overwork. Dogs can't tell us when they're overwhelmed—we have to watch for subtle signals and act on them.
PhD Anthrozoologist | Human-Animal Interaction Researcher
Why This Matters for Therapy Dog Training:
Key Takeaway: Therapy dogs aren't made—they're discovered. You can't force a shy or excitable dog into therapy work. The best therapy dogs naturally love people, stay calm in chaos, and enjoy gentle interactions. Our job is to enhance what's already there.
PhD in Psychology | Dog Welfare Researcher
Why This Matters for Therapy Dog Training:
Key Takeaway: Good therapy work creates joy for both the dog and the people they visit. If your dog doesn't genuinely enjoy the work—if they show stress signals, reluctance, or avoidance—they're not a good fit for therapy work, and that's okay. Not every friendly dog should be a therapy dog.
Beyond the joy of seeing your dog bring comfort to others, therapy dog work offers profound benefits:
Your dog's visits reduce anxiety in hospital patients, lower blood pressure in nursing home residents, and help traumatized children feel safe. This isn't abstract—it's measurable, life-changing impact.
Dogs thrive with meaningful work. Therapy visits give your friendly, people-loving dog a job they were born to do. Many therapy dog handlers say their dogs seem happiest on visit days.
If you have children, therapy dog work teaches compassion, empathy, and community service. Kids learn that helping others feels good—and that animals can be healers.
Therapy visits are mentally enriching. New environments, new people, problem-solving (how to greet someone in a wheelchair), and calm-settling work tire dogs' brains in the best way.
Therapy dog handlers form close bonds. You'll meet like-minded people who share your values of service and compassion. Many teams become lifelong friends.
Therapy dog certification is a training milestone. It's more advanced than basic obedience—your dog will achieve an elite level of public manners and reliability.
Our program is designed to take your friendly dog from "loves people" to "certified therapy dog" across 8 structured sessions:
Building the Basics
What We Teach:
Why It Matters: Therapy dogs must ignore distractions (dropped food, other animals, medical equipment) and stay focused on their handler. This foundation is critical.
The Heart of Therapy Work
What We Teach:
Why It Matters: Vulnerable populations (children, elderly, patients) need dogs who are predictably gentle. One jump or nip ends your therapy dog career.
Real-World Skills
What We Teach:
Why It Matters: Therapy visits often involve long hallways, crowded waiting rooms, and unpredictable environments. Your dog must navigate all of it calmly.
The "Scary Stuff"
What We Teach:
Why It Matters: Hospitals and nursing homes have equipment dogs have never seen. Therapy dogs can't react with fear or excitement—they must ignore it all.
Building Reliability
What We Teach:
Why It Matters: Therapy environments are unpredictable. Your dog will encounter food, other animals, loud noises, and chaos. They must stay calm and focused through all of it.
Mock Scenarios
What We Teach:
Why It Matters: Therapy visits have specific etiquette. Your dog needs to approach gently, stay calm during interaction, and leave gracefully when time is up.
Final Polishing
What We Teach:
The Final Test
What We Do:
Outcome: If you pass our mock evaluation, you're ready for the official OLK9 DFW evaluation. Most teams pass on their first attempt.
Not sure? We'll assess your dog during Lesson 1. If therapy work isn't a good fit for their temperament, we'll be honest. It's better to know early than to force a dog into work that stresses them.
8-10 weeks (depending on your practice schedule)
We evaluate and certify therapy dog teams in house at OLK9 DFW. Here's how it works:
Work through our curriculum over 8-10 weeks. Practice daily at home between lessons. We'll coach you through any challenges.
Before your official test, we run a full evaluation simulation. This ensures test day feels familiar and you're fully prepared. We test:
We conduct the official OLK9 DFW evaluation. If your dog passes every test (most of our teams do on the first attempt), you receive:
We help you find your first facility placement. We provide coaching on:
Most dogs should be at least 1 year old before starting therapy-specific training. Puppies' brains aren't fully developed, and therapy work requires maturity and focus. We can assess younger dogs (6-12 months) for readiness, but most will need to wait. There's no upper age limit—we've certified 8-year-old dogs who are still healthy and enthusiastic!
ANY breed can be a therapy dog if they have the right temperament. We've certified Golden Retrievers, Labs, Poodles, Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas, German Shepherds, mixed breeds—size and breed don't matter. Temperament matters. Calm, confident, people-loving dogs excel. High-energy, reactive, or anxious dogs struggle.
No. Therapy dogs have ZERO legal public access rights. They cannot go to restaurants, stores, or other public places unless specifically invited. They're only welcome at facilities that have therapy dog programs. Don't try to pass your therapy dog off as a service dog—it's illegal and harms people with real service dogs.
Typically 8-10 weeks depending on your practice schedule. Lessons are weekly, and you practice at home between sessions. Some teams move faster, some need more time. We customize pacing to your dog's learning speed.
We'll identify weak areas and provide additional training. Most dogs who complete our program pass on their first attempt because we run a mock evaluation first. If your dog genuinely isn't suited for therapy work (too anxious, reactive, or excitable), we'll have an honest conversation. Not every friendly dog should be a therapy dog, and that's okay.
That's up to you! Some teams visit weekly, some monthly. Most facilities ask for a minimum commitment (often 2 visits/month). Visits typically last 1-2 hours. You control your schedule—this is volunteer work, not a job.
Yes, when done properly. We teach you to read your dog's stress signals and advocate for breaks. Good therapy work should be enjoyable for your dog. If your dog shows signs of stress (panting, lip licking, whale eye, avoidance), you end the visit. Dogs who genuinely love people and enjoy new experiences typically LOVE therapy work. It's mentally stimulating and purposeful.
Eight 1-hour private lessons, complete curriculum, medical equipment exposure, therapy visit role-play, mock evaluation, the official OLK9 DFW evaluation and certificate (upon passing), facility recommendation letters, first-visit coaching, and lifetime support for questions about therapy work.
Probably not. Reactivity (barking, lunging at other dogs or people) disqualifies dogs from therapy work. Therapy dogs must be calm and neutral around all triggers. If your dog is reactive, we recommend our behavior modification program first. Once reactivity is resolved and your dog has been stable for 6+ months, we can assess for therapy work.
Not during training. After certification, we'll guide you on appropriate gear for visits.
Yes! If you want your children involved in therapy work, they're welcome to attend lessons (age 8+). We'll teach them how to handle the dog during visits, read stress signals, and practice good therapy visit etiquette. Many families do therapy work together—it's a wonderful service project for kids.
Shy or nervous dogs are NOT good candidates for therapy work. Therapy visits are stimulating and unpredictable. If your dog gets anxious in new environments or around strangers, therapy work will stress them out. We won't certify anxious dogs—it's not fair to them. Consider other activities that match your dog's temperament better (hiking, dog sports, etc.).
Therapy dog teams visit places such as hospitals, nursing homes and memory care facilities, schools and libraries (reading programs), crisis centers, veteran organizations, and community events. Once certified, we'll help you find placement that fits your interests and schedule.
Therapy dogs are trained to comfort STRANGERS in community settings (hospitals, schools). Emotional support animals (ESAs) provide comfort to THEIR OWNER only and have no special training or public access rights (only housing accommodation). Therapy dogs require certification. ESAs require only a letter from a medical provider. They serve completely different purposes.
Yes — Therapy Dog Development is an 8-session program ($1,000) preparing your dog for official testing. Justin Rie is a certified therapy dog evaluator and AKC Evaluator who can evaluate and certify your dog. Dogs must have solid obedience and appropriate temperament. Trainer Misty leads our therapy dog work.
Therapy dog work is one of the most rewarding experiences you and your dog can share. You'll bring joy to sick children, comfort to dying patients, hope to trauma survivors, and confidence to struggling readers.
Your friendly, gentle, people-loving dog was born for this work. Let's certify them.
Enroll in 8-Session Program Call (972) 372-9225📍 Address: 101 S Railroad St #7, Lewisville, TX 75057
📞 Phone: (972) 372-9225
✉️ Email: [email protected]
🕒 Hours: Mon-Fri 8AM-6PM | Sat 9AM-5PM | Sun 10AM-5PM
8-Session Program | $1,000
