Skills 1-11 represent general obedience skills for dogs.  Cats and rabbits will also participate in these exercises, but will be carried in your arms or be in an assistant’s lap for each skill and are required to stay in place and remain calm during each exercise and handling.

Skills 11-20 evaluate the aptitude that you and your pet have for common situations encountered during a therapy visit.

During the evaluation, we are looking to see that you and your pet work as a team.  The human portion of the team (you!) should be proactive in guiding the pet to be successful during each exercise, including positive feedback for a correct response.  Your dog should be looking to you for guidance during the exercises and readily and confidently executing your gentle commands.  Your pet’s behavior should reflect a trust and confidence in your guidance and responses to them.

All teams must be reliable, predictable and inspire confidence in the clients we visit.

Evaluation Skills:

1. Greeting of Handler only - no interaction with pet; pet remains in place.
2. Greeting of Handler and Pet - pet smells assistant and quietly accepts limited amount of light petting.
3. Light Exam of Pet - assistant uses pet's brush lightly on pet, short exam of both ears and picks up each front foot separately.
4. Controlled Heel - you and pet walk a 15' x 20' L-shaped pattern to demonstrate loose leash control and stop.
5. Walking Through a Crowd - 3 quiet assistants in hallway, no equipment, you and your pet demonstrate control and navigate to end of hall.
6. Visual & Auditory Distractions - same hallway, visual distraction of equipment added, unexpected sharp noise 10 feet behind you and your pet.
7. Sit - your pet should sit on the first command, and must hold that position for a minimum of 3 seconds.
8. Down - your pet should down on the first command, and must hold that position for a minimum of 3 seconds.
9. Stay in Place - your pet remains in place while you walk to a position 10 feet away and then return to the pet.
10. Come When Called - your pet remains in place while you walk to a position 10 feet away, remains in place while being petted by an assistant, and then comes to you when called.
11. Neutral Dog - you and your pet demonstrate control and obedience while greeting another handler with neutral dog.  Your pet cannot touch or be overly excited by the presence of the neutral dog.
12. Overall Exam of Pet - you support and encourage your pet while an assistant touches all parts of your pet (4 feet, tail, back, stomach, shoulders, haunches, ears, teeth).
13. Exuberant Petting - your pet accepts an assistant using light elbows and fists (instead of usual open palm) to touch them, assistant uses high squeaky voice as well as low, rumbling voice.
14. Hugging - your pet accepts a gentle, full-body hug from an assistant.
15. Staggering Person - your pet remains calm while an assistant staggers toward you with an uneven gait, waving arms and a loud, guttural enthusiastic approach.  Pet must be willing to calmly approach the assistant when the behavior stops.
16. Angry Yelling - While visiting with staggering assistant from previous exercise, pet hears angry yelling from 2 additional assistants and must willingly approach to visit when yelling stops.
17. Bump from Behind - While pleasantly visiting with assistants who yelled in previous exercise, pet is surprised with a gentle bump from behind.
18. Behind Petted in a Crowd - you and your pet visit with an assistant in a wheelchair and two additional assistants simultaneously.
19. Leave It - you demonstrate that your pet will follow your signal to ignore an enticing toy on the floor.
20. Taking a Treat - your pet demonstrates the ability to either gently take an offered treat, or refuse the treat on your command not to take it while offered.