What Is a Therapy Dog?
Therapy dogs are trained to bring comfort and emotional support to people in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and other public settings. Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs are not granted public access under ADA laws, but they must be exceptionally well-behaved, social, and calm in unfamiliar environments.
If you're interested in helping others around KC through animal-assisted therapy, we can help you and your dog become a successful team.
Can My Dog Be a Therapy Dog?
Not every dog is suited for therapy work — and that’s okay! We start with a temperament evaluation to ensure your dog enjoys meeting strangers, being touched, and staying calm in busy environments. If your current dog isn’t the right fit, we can also help you train a new puppy with therapy work in mind.
How Therapy Dog Training Works
THREE STEPS TO HAVE A THERAPY DOG TRAINED
✅ Temperament Evaluation Is Your Dog a Good Fit?
We'll assess your dog’s personality and social tolerance during a KC home or public evaluation session. If your current dog isn’t the right fit, we can help you train a puppy for therapy work from the start.
What we are looking for in a potential Therapy Dog:
Confident and friendly with strangers
Comfortable being touched by unfamiliar people
Calm in unpredictable environments (wheelchairs, children, medical equipment)
Non-reactive to other dogs, loud noises, and distractions
.🐾 Training for Canine Good Citizen (CGC) in Kansas City
The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test is a nationally recognized foundation for therapy dogs. Our trainers will teach your dog the core skills needed to pass the 10-part test and begin visiting public spaces with confidence.
Skills We Train for CGC:
Loose leash walking
Reliable recall
Calm greetings with strangers and other dogs
Staying focused despite distractions
Handling brief separation from the handler
Training is conducted in your home and in real-world locations throughout Kansas City.
🏅 CGC Testing & Therapy Dog Readiness
Once your dog is ready, we’ll administer the Canine Good Citizen test as certified evaluators. This is your official milestone — and the minimum requirement for most therapy dog organizations.
After passing, we’ll continue to support you in preparing for visits to:
Check out our Dog Training Packages for Pricing!
We are here to help
We know training can be overwhelming!
Therapy Dog Training Options
Private In-Home Sessions: Work side-by-side with our trainers in your home or local park
Day Training: We train your dog for you during the day, then transfer the skills to you
Virtual Support: Perfect for follow-up guidance or generalizing skills at a distance
Therapy Dog Training Kansas City
Your dog must be able to pass the Canine Good Citizen exam. Our certified CGC trainers can help train your dog to succeed in passing the CGC test.
Canine Good Citizen Requirements
Newman's Dog Training trainers are certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluators and will be happy to administer the CGC exam when your dog is ready. This test is a great baseline to determine that your dog is very well mannered and polite in public places in the presence of distractions..
The test has 10 skills that your dog must complete. They are the following:
1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and grooming
4. Walking loosely on the leash
5. Walking through a crowd calmly
6. Sit and down on cue and stay in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reaction to distraction
10. Supervised separation
If you believe your current dog is able to pass this test then you are able to skip this training tier after completing the exam. If you dog needs training to reach this point, this is where your training journey will start.
Don't get overwhelmed by the training!
Sign up for the our Day Training option and we can train your dog through CGC testing for you!
Not Sure Where to Start?
We’ll evaluate your dog and create a plan based on your dog’s current skills, temperament, and therapy dog goals. Whether you’re starting with a brand-new puppy or a seasoned companion, we’re here to help.
📍 Serving Kansas City, Brookside, Waldo, Plaza, Westport, and nearby neighborhoods
📞 Call or Text 816-769-3631
Frequently Asked Questions
We know training a puppy or dog to be a Therapy Dog is new for a lot of people. Here are the most common questions we get asked. Feel free to reach out if you still have more questions.
1. Can any dog become a therapy dog?
Not every dog is suited for therapy work. A good therapy dog is confident, friendly with strangers, tolerant of petting, and calm in new environments. We’ll start with a temperament evaluation to help you determine if your dog is a good candidate.
2. How old should my dog be to start therapy dog training?
Your dog can begin foundational training at any age, but we typically recommend they be at least 6 months old for focused preparation. To take the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, your dog should be mature enough to remain calm and focused in public.
3. What is the CGC test and why is it important?
The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test is a 10-part behavioral exam that demonstrates your dog can behave politely in public and follow basic commands. It’s often required by therapy dog organizations and is a great benchmark for readiness.
4. Can you help me train a new puppy to become a therapy dog?
Yes! If your current dog isn’t a good fit, we can help you select and train a puppy with therapy work in mind. Early socialization, confidence-building, and calm behavior foundations make a big difference.
5. Do therapy dogs have public access rights like service dogs?
No — therapy dogs are not covered under the ADA and do not have public access rights like service dogs. However, they are welcomed into many facilities as volunteers once certified and approved for visitation programs.
What People Like You Have to Say!
Loved by People & Dogs all over Kansas City, Northwest Arkansas, and all other locations via online training!
NO GUARANTEE OF RESULTS. We believe it is unethical to guarantee results when working with human and dog behavior. We will do everything we can to help you reach your training goals but because dogs and humans are not robots we will never guarantee results.
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