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Therapy & Facility Dog Training for Dog Trainers

Training dogs is what you do. Our sister organization, the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP), has developed a new course to help you shape them into trusted therapy and facility dog partners.

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Dog trainer trains Belgian Malinois for work as a therapy dog outdoors
Dog trainer trains Belgian Malinois for work as a therapy dog outdoors

Grow Your Dog Training Business by Offering Therapy & Facility Dog Training

Learn how to train dogs and handlers for success in schools, hospitals, and beyond with our online course. Discover the key to therapy and facility dog work to design the right training programs and guide your clients with confidence. Learn how therapy and facility roles differ from typical obedience work, and how to prepare handlers partnering with dogs for success in professional settings.

This fully online, self-paced course was built with busy trainers in mind. You’ll finish with a 6-week therapy animal training course sample outline, plus additional tips you can apply with your clients immediately. Support your clients and stand out as an expert in this fast-growing niche. This course earns 4 CEUS for trainers certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

Therapy & Facility Dog Training for Dog Trainers Course Details

An older man walks with his therapy dog down a brightly lit hospital hallway, illustrating the outcomes of Therapy & Facility Dog Training. The image highlights how trainers can prepare dogs and handlers for facility work in healthcare, education, and other professional environments through AAAIP’s self-paced online course.
  • Identify suitable therapy animals.
  • Debunk common misconceptions about therapy and facility animals and their training.
  • Understand a handler’s role as an advocate for their therapy or animal.
  • Describe therapy animal settings.
  • Define key training approaches and common cues essential for therapy and facility dogs.

Develop a training curriculum that includes essential team skills, outlined in AAI guiding documents.

  • This 20-question quiz covers all content for Therapy & Facility Dog Training for Dog Trainers.
  • A passing score of 70% is required. You must complete Modules 1-3 before accessing this assessment.
An older man walks with his therapy dog down a brightly lit hospital hallway, illustrating the outcomes of Therapy & Facility Dog Training. The image highlights how trainers can prepare dogs and handlers for facility work in healthcare, education, and other professional environments through AAAIP’s self-paced online course.

Save with AAAIP Membership

Get the best rate for the Therapy & Facility Dog Training for Dog Trainers Course, plus all other animal-assisted intervention coursework, by becoming a member of AAAIP.

Regular Price: $240 | Digital Members: $160
All-Access Members: $120 | Organizational Members: $120

Join Today & Save

Buy Therapy & Facility Dog Training for Dog Trainers Course

Course Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A yellow Labrador Retriever wearing a red therapy dog vest sits on grass, symbolizing the impact of Therapy & Facility Dog Training. This calm and attentive dog represents the skills trainers learn in AAAIP’s online, self-paced course for preparing therapy and facility dogs to work in schools, hospitals, and other settings.

Just like Pet Partners courses, all AAAIP courses are fully self-paced and easy to follow. They are designed for busy professionals like you, those new to working with therapy animals, or those already working with them and looking to do it even better. Lessons are read aloud, and you’ll answer real-world, scenario-based questions (think: multiple choice and drag-and-drop). At the end, there’s a quick knowledge check plus a certificate at the end to show your administrators.

You can go at your own pace—seriously. All AAAIP courses are self-paced, and this one usually takes about 3 hours to complete. You can start, stop, and return whenever your schedule allows—no pressure, just progress.

Yes, it’s designed to be as inclusive as possible. It has accurate closed captions, can be used with screen readers, and includes features like keyboard shortcuts, playback speed controls, and zoom-in options. Whether you’re using a laptop or assistive tech, you’ll be able to access everything you need.

You should see a Buy Course section above the FAQs on this page. Simply enter your email address and click “Next”. You will receive a login code via email, which you can use to log in to the Learning Management System. Follow the instructions on the screen to proceed.

We would love to work with you as you explore evaluator opportunities! This course is an excellent foundation, but becoming a Pet Partners evaluator does require meeting their specific criteria. Licensed evaluators must have either prior volunteer experience with Pet Partners or professional expertise as a dog trainer or related pet professional.

Outside of formal licensure, qualified dog trainers may also be approved to evaluate individual teams on a case-by-case basis in areas where a Pet Partners evaluator is not available.

If you’d like help determining which evaluator pathway is the best fit for you,
reach out to us via our Contact Us form, and we’ll be thrilled to support you!

A yellow Labrador Retriever wearing a red therapy dog vest sits on grass, symbolizing the impact of Therapy & Facility Dog Training. This calm and attentive dog represents the skills trainers learn in AAAIP’s online, self-paced course for preparing therapy and facility dogs to work in schools, hospitals, and other settings.