Therapy Dog Training in Pueblo, CO

Therapy dogs bring comfort to people in hospitals, nursing homes, schools and similar places, visiting with their owners as a team. In the Pueblo area three providers include therapy dog preparation in their own services: the kennel club in Pueblo, a long-running trainer in Salida, and a large training facility near Penrose.

This page explains what makes a good therapy dog, how local preparation works, how therapy work differs from service work, and how to tell whether your dog is suited to it. It is written for handlers across the region, from Pueblo to Cañon City, Penrose and Salida.

What a therapy dog needs

A therapy dog must genuinely enjoy strangers, stay relaxed with unusual equipment, smells and noises, accept being touched by many people, and walk calmly on a loose leash. It also needs to ignore food on the floor and settle when asked. The handler’s job is just as important: reading the dog, keeping visits short and ending them before the dog is tired or stressed.

Age and health matter too. Most dogs need to be past the excitable adolescent stage before they are calm enough for visits, and a dog should be healthy, clean and comfortable with being handled on every part of its body, including paws and ears.

Local preparation

The kennel club in Pueblo. Its training center runs therapy dog classes as part of a year-round class schedule that also includes obedience, handling, rally, scentwork, agility and tricks.

A Salida trainer. A trainer who has run classes in Salida since 1999 teaches a therapy dog class, offers free therapy dog evaluations as an evaluator for Alliance of Therapy Dogs, and co-founded a local therapy dog group. The same trainer evaluates for the Canine Good Citizen, S.T.A.R. Puppy and Trick Dog programs.

A facility near Penrose. An 82-acre training facility offers therapy dog foundations alongside board and train, behavioral rehabilitation, service dog foundations and Canine Good Citizen evaluations.

Because the three providers are spread along the river, many handlers combine them: an obedience or Canine Good Citizen class close to home, then a therapy class or evaluation when the dog is ready. Ask each provider what they require before a dog can start.

Therapy, service and emotional support: the difference

A therapy dog visits and comforts other people with its handler. A service dog is trained to perform tasks for one person with a disability and goes where that person goes. An emotional support animal comforts its owner but is not task-trained. If you are not sure which fits your situation, ask; the Penrose facility offers both service and therapy dog foundations, and a Pueblo in-home trainer coaches owners who are training their own service dogs.

What a therapy visit looks like

Visits are usually short and structured. The team checks in with the facility, the dog is clean and groomed and on a short, loose leash, and the handler lets each person choose whether to greet the dog. Handlers watch for signs of stress, such as yawning, turning away, lip licking or trying to leave, and end the visit before the dog is worn out. Good preparation practices exactly these moments: greeting someone in a wheelchair or bed, walking past carts and equipment, and staying calm when someone reaches suddenly or speaks loudly.

Many teams also find that different settings suit different dogs. A dog that is calm in a quiet library may find a busy hospital too much, and the reverse is true for others. It is fine to choose the setting that fits your dog.

Is your dog a good candidate?

• Does your dog seek out strangers, rather than just tolerate them?
• Does it stay calm in new places such as stores, lobbies and busy sidewalks?
• Can it walk past food, carts and other dogs without fuss?
• Does it recover quickly from sudden noises or movements?
• Is it mature and healthy enough for regular visits?

If the answers are mostly yes, a therapy class or an evaluation is a good next step. If not, a basic obedience class and more socialization come first, and some dogs are happier as family companions, which is fine.

Getting ready between classes

Practice calm greetings with friendly strangers, settling on a mat in new places, and walking past distractions on a loose leash. Visit pet-friendly stores and quiet public spaces to build confidence, keeping outings short. The Canine Good Citizen test, which several local trainers and clubs can evaluate, is a useful milestone before therapy visits, since it tests many of the same skills.

Keep notes on how your dog copes with each new setting, and share them with your instructor or evaluator. They help decide when your dog is ready for an evaluation, and they show which situations need more practice. Most of all, keep the work enjoyable for your dog; a therapy dog that loves the job is the whole point.

Reviewed Therapy Dog Training Trainers in Pueblo

These reviewed Pueblo-area trainers from our directory handle therapy dog training. Each links to a full profile with specialties, certified credentials, reviews, and contact info:

• Dirt Road K9and Equine — 5.0★ (18 reviews)
• Laura’s Dog Training — 4.8★ (8 reviews)
• Southern Colorado Kennel Club — 4.4★ (29 reviews)

See all Pueblo therapy dog training trainers →

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: read our complete therapy dog training guide or the full Pueblo dog training overview.