Disclaimer: I am not a professional dog trainer. I am a professional human occupational therapist, with a background in psychology and behavior modification. I feel like dogs are similar to humans in a lot of ways, and I have done oodles of research to help me train Chloe, however there are true professional canine behaviorists and they know quite a bit more than I do. Cheers!
You did it. You decided you want to get a puppy to accompany you on your traveling adventures. You went to the Humane Society Fundraiser yesterday and the most perfect pup stole your heart. Now you are wondering, what on earth can I do to make this a successful endeavor?
My first piece of advise is to NEVER underestimate how enormous this decision is. Puppies are like babies on steroids. They grow SEVEN times faster than human children, and their perception of time is completely different from yours and mine. That does not mean it isn’t possible to be successful with this new adventure, but it does mean you need to prepare yourself. That means reading, research, and the implementation of research.
The following are resources I used to raise Chloe Rue. All of the resources listed use positive reinforcement training. As with people, this is the best way to teach. If you punish your dog, he or she will learn to be aggressive. Dogs reflect their human’s behavior, therefore NEVER punish your dog. However, I also believe that dogs differ as humans do, and the options below give a variety of techniques/strategies you can implement based on your dog’s temperament and what works best for them.
When it comes to traveling therapy, I would prioritize the introduction to a huge variety of people, places, and animals, play time in the vehicle, and working toward a very adaptable, social animal. The following resources can help!
I recommend Zak George on youtube. He may advertise products a bit too much for my taste, but it is nice to hear of all the options out there, and to collect on the discounts he offers! It is also great to see his use of patience, examples of positive reinforcement training, and how to assess puppy temperament. There is a series of pre-puppy videos that I highly recommend!
I also suggest joining the Facebook Page called Dog Training Advice and Support. The articles on this group are incredible and extremely helpful! It is also an amazing resource for keeping up to date on potential puppy problems and strategies to address them.
Chloe having fun during training 
long-leash training for recalls
I read the book called the Puppy Primer by Patricia B. McConnell and Brenda Scidmore, that is available on amazon! If you are a therapist who travels, you will LOVE this. It is basically a book full treatment strategies for training your pup! I refer to it today as Chloe and I progress with training. It is a 6 week training program, but honestly you can play these training games forever.
I listened to How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Milan and Melissa Jo Peltier. I disagree with Cesar’s concept of alpha/beta/blah blah whatever. However, I love how he emphasizes the psychosocial wellbeing of animals. It was a very insightful read, but I caught myself saying- So what do I do about that Cesar?! For example, he talked about when a dog whines in the car, that saying, “its okay, its okay” is a bad thing to do. What is the right thing to do?!
Chloe looking very annoyed with me
Last, I recommend everyone reading this to look over reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement means, when something good happens, it is rewarded. For dogs this means verbal rewards, play, or treats. This strategy is huge for training. Negative reinforcement is NOT PUNISHMENT. It is taking away the reward. If a dog is whining and you wish to negate this behavior, it must be aggressively ignored (just like a child throwing a temper tantrum should be ignored- the attention is reinforcing the behavior).
Once you have your puppy, feel free to start looking into training classes! As Chloe and I are working toward Therapy Dog certification, we started with the American Kennel Club- STAR puppy training. We are working toward the Certified Good Dog Citizen Classes (CGC), and have taken different classes focused on ignoring other dogs, reliable recalls and prolonged stays, to help us prepare. The American Kennel Club is amazing and all over the country! You can partake in any class, but be sure to look immediately at the start of a travel therapy assignment, because the classes are typically 6 weeks, and it is not fun to have to be cut short.
If you research thoroughly and prepare yourself for your puppy’s involvement in your life, the companionship on this traveling adventure is an incredible experience. Chloe and I love our training time, as we get to spend extra time bonding, communicating together, within our traveling adventures. What have you all found helpful for training your therapy pet? Check out the resource column in the menu for links! Happy Trails and Happy Tails to you all.
