The first steps to take?

[elisabeth_00117]

As some of you know I am bringing home my 8 week old male puppy on the 5th of June.

I recently graduated with a BSc. in Psychology and have plans to continue my education this fall (graduate school). My long term goal is to work with 'hard to handle children' and their families.

I have always thought (and still do) that animals are a great way to open those lines of communication and easy to relate too. I would love to have my dog work with me in the future.

What types of things do I need to do to put me in the right direction?

I would like him to become a certified therapy dog here in Canada... any advice?

[Liesje]

I would see if there's any local groups that can help. I put my female through a training course and evaluation with our local therapy group. They said she would make a great Ruff Reader or "secrets" dog. the Ruff Readers are dogs that are very calm and patient, they basically sit still looking towards a book while kids read to them. The idea is that some kids might be embarrassed to read to another person but not to a dog. The "secrets" dog is a dog that goes to a battered women's shelter. The kids are told by their abusers that "if you tell, I'll kill you!" so they are encouraged to share their secrets with the dog. They see that the dog does nothing, no one hurts them, and hopefully are encouraged to share their secret with a person (therapist, law enforcement, case worker...). The therapy group had the right people to say which dogs were good for what and also the connections to get you started in those programs.

[Quinnsmom]

Check to see which therapy dog organizations are active in K-W. Two possibles are St. John Ambulance (Therapy Dog division) and Theraputic Paws. I am active with St. John and can give you some pointers. If Theraputic Paws is your local, contact them by phone or email to find out their requirements re: age, preparation, etc. Generally speaking, a dog that can pass the Canine Good Neighbour Certificate can also pass the therapy dog evalution, but the dog also has to enjoy and seek out the canine /human interaction.
Look up the threads here on socializing puppies and on puppy kindergarten training - all invaluable advice for raising a confident and well-adjusted pup. Good luck with your new boy! Post pics ASAP!