Training a therapy animal in collaboration with our organization requires a substantial investment, initially from you as a student, but also from your environment. During the process, on the one hand, a lot of time goes into training the therapy animal: your daily life becomes a succession of learning moments and goals to make you and your therapy animal a perfectly cooperating team. On the other hand, we also expect you to further your education and take a number of mandatory training modules so that you can properly support your therapy animal at all times.
What is unique about the operations of our non-profit organization Therapiedier?
The non-profit organization Therapiedier distinguishes itself from many other organizations by training animals together with the owner rather than training them first and placing them with the owner only after a period of two years. Our organization also has no preference or restriction regarding breed, gender, or age.
Intake
The process itself always starts with an initial intake interview that takes place at Toscanzahoeve in 3201 Langdorp (Aarschot), Milisstichel 3. During that first introductory meeting, we mainly want to hear from you what you expect from the process, what you expect from your therapy animal, whether you already have your own therapy animal (often a dog) that you would like to train, whether you wish to adopt or purchase an animal, and whether you have a specific preference yourself?
Of course it is important that the future therapy animal is suited for the work that awaits it, but it is also very important that the animal enjoys the work as a therapy animal.
If there is no suitable animal yet, we will look at which animal best fits the request, and then we can optionally see if we can find an animal within our network.
Learner's journey
Depending on your wishes as a candidate therapy animal handler, you will have to take at least the ‘ethology” and ‘first aid” modules. If you want to actively deploy your animal in a professional manner as a therapy animal in your own private practice, in a school, in residential care centers, and the like, you will have to complete an intensive training program.
If you want to work as a volunteer with your own animal, the training will be more limited for you.
Even if you wish to use a therapy animal to increase your own self-reliance and to support you with certain tasks in your daily life, the training will be slightly less intensive for you.
Journey of the therapy animal (typically the therapy dog)
During the first few months, the focus is mainly on building a solid foundation and preparing for the tasks that the dog will later need to perform for you. This is done primarily through group training sessions at the Toscanzahoeve dog school or at a dog school that operates in the same positive, reward-based manner as the instructors of the Toscanzahoeve dog school do.
The group training sessions are very quickly supplemented with private training sessions focused on the tasks that the dog will later have to perform as a therapy dog for you. Private training sessions are provided by one of the therapy animal trainers of the non-profit organization Therapiedier in Langdorp. Depending on where you live, private training sessions can also take place online or at your home. Progress depends on the difficulty of the tasks, the development of the dog, and the intensity of your collaboration as a team (handler/dog).
Official therapy dog
Every therapy dog must pass a MAG test before it can be officially deployed as a therapy dog. “MAG” stands for “societally acceptable behavior” (maatschappelijk aanvaardbaar gedrag). This test can be taken from the age of 6 months and must be repeated annually. The MAG test is administered by a recognized behavior judge and is valid in court cases. The test takes place on the grounds of Toscanzahoeve.
Once your dog passes the MAG test, it will receive a ‘MAG test passed’ certificate and a ‘therapy dog in training’ card. The dog only officially passes as a therapy dog once it has also passed the three agreed-upon tasks. The tasks are filmed and evaluated.
Once you too have successfully completed your program, your team has graduated!
