How do you get started you ask?

There are several ways to become involved with therapy dog work...
any of which is acceptable.

There are three major national organizations that support therapy dog
work.

They are:

1) Delta Pet Partners (www.deltasociety. org)

2) Therapy Dogs, Incorporated (TDInc) (www.therapydogs. com) 

3)Therapy Dogs International Incorporated (TDI) (http://www.tdi-dog.org).

Warning: don't get #2 and #3 mixed up... they are two different organizations. Belonging to one of these three is important because membership carries with it liability protection.

A good beginning point for you and your pooch is to get a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certificate through a local obedience group in your area, but a CGC certificate is not a requirement for membership in one of the "big three". It is just that the CGC skills are very similar to the skills required to pass the Delta or TDInc evaluation and so it gives you a solid preparation.

You can go to the AKC website (www.akc.org) , enter CGC in the search line, then go to training/testing in the drop down menu on the left. A good way to find a class that will prepare you for the CGC testing is through the CGC evaluators.

There are also two excellent books on therapy dogs. One is "Therapy
Dogs, Training Your Dog to Reach Others" by Kathy Diamond Davis and
the other is "Therapy Dogs Today, Their Gift, Our Obligation" by
Kris Butler.

Both are available through Amazon. Kris Butler has another book out named "Therapy Dogs Compassionate Modalities" that includes a CD so you can actually see good therapy dog practices in action.

Finally, you can get a "Team Training Course Manual" from Delta. It is very, very thorough, and costs $37.50. The information is applicable no matter which organization you choose to join.