Therapy Dogs


Mental health providers can benefit from having a therapy dog in their practice. Integrating a therapy dog into your professional practice can be a transformative step toward enhancing client care and creating a calming, welcoming environment. Here’s why many therapists are choosing to incorporate therapy dogs into their sessions:

1.Enhances Client Comfort and Trust
A therapy dog can serve as a non-judgmental presence that helps clients feel more at ease. The gentle nature of a trained therapy dog can reduce anxiety, foster openness, and help clients relax during difficult or emotionally charged conversations.

 2.Supports Emotional Regulation
Therapy dogs are known to provide emotional support, helping clients manage feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety. Their presence can act as a grounding force, encouraging mindfulness and emotional regulation throughout sessions.

3.Facilitates Deeper Engagement
Dogs can act as social catalysts, breaking down barriers between clients and therapists. They can promote engagement, especially with children, adolescents, or clients who may find it challenging to express themselves verbally.

4.Creates a Safe and Calming Environment
A therapy dog can help set a peaceful tone within the therapy space. Their soothing presence can make environments feel safer and more inviting, encouraging clients to open up and participate actively in their healing process.

5.Supports Specific Therapeutic Goals
For clients working through trauma, grief, or social anxieties, therapy dogs can be instrumental in achieving therapeutic objectives. They can assist in exposure therapy, social skills training, and building trust.

6.Provides Therapist Well-being Benefits
Caring for a therapy dog can also benefit therapists by reducing burnout and stress. It creates a more joyful work environment and offers a sense of companionship that can enhance the overall therapy experience.

7. Demonstrates a Commitment to Holistic Care
Having a therapy dog signals a dedication to comprehensive, client-centered treatment. It reflects an understanding of the importance of the therapeutic environment and the role of human-animal bonds in mental health.


**Considering a therapy dog for your practice?**
This can be a powerful addition to your therapeutic toolkit, fostering healing and connection in ways words alone cannot.

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 FAQs

  • Service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks to assist individuals with disabilities and have legal access to public spaces. Therapy dogs are trained to provide emotional support and visit people in various settings but do not have the same legal access rights.


  • Breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Beagles, and smaller breeds like Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are often suited, but individual temperament matters most. We often recommend smaller dogs that can accompany patients on their laps or comfortably on the couch next to them.

  • We recommend dogs are 1 years old before starting therapy work.

  • Training duration depends on the dog and the training required from the handler/owner. It typically takes 9-12 months to become a therapy dog.

  • Fully trained therapy dogs cost anywhere between $12,000 and $16,000. This price includes the purchase price of the dog.

  • Our payments are split into three nonrefundable portions. The first 1/3 is due at signing of the contract. The second 1/3 is due in the middle of the training program, and the last 1/3 is due at the day before delivery. We also offer a discount for paying in full at the time of singing the training contract.

Get in touch.

If you have read through all of our information, and you’d like to speak to us further regarding your future therapy dog, please call, text or email us a message, and we will be happy to talk to you about your specific needs.