What Sort of Dogs ARE Therapy Dogs...
So, I lurk here a lot. A lot. Mostly because I don't actually have an NK yet... but also because I really like reading everyone's voice on different threads like some creeper in the background. ANYWAY, now I have... something to post. This probably fits here since there isn't a "wordy whining and emotional binging" section. 
Let's start with good things: London is the laziest, happiest, most easy-going Malamute I have ever come across. He's a bit of a goofball while running around off-leash at the park with his buddies and we usually poke fun at him for being socially awkward while in play groups.
Then we'll go to the bad: London has been blind since he was 6 months, he hates the restriction of the lead, and he can be deceptively obedient for me while being a bit of a jerk when other people try to lead him.
Going to the problem:
Ever since I went to one obedience class with him (which was meant purely to get him socialized with other dogs), my trainer has put it in my head that he'd be an excellent therapy dog. I believe her, really--he loves the attention, he's good with all sorts, and he's very unobtrusive as far as Mals go. I think he'd love it and people really love him. They like learning about him, they like how he gives them attention as much as they give him attention. Overall, he's a very "people" kind of dog.
However, he IS a Mal and he DOES NOT listen to other people as readily as he listens to me. More than that, we're still working on his reaction to other dogs while on the lead. If London doesn't flat-out ignore other dogs, it's about a 50/50 chance that he'll react aggressively or friendly. Off the leash he's pretty much fine (though it's taken us two years to get this far) and he's generally pleasant if he's not challenged. IF. If he's not challenged. Like, say, by the stranger's Basenji walking up the path. If my coworker's Shiba tries to take a chunk out of him, though, it's like London laughs and shrugs it off (I think he likes the NK as much as I do).
I've been working with him and he has come strides from where he was when he was a more rowdy "teenager", but recently we went for a sort of pretest where my former trainer did everything the evaluator would have during his CGC and I was very alarmed when she said he would have passed at the end of everything because, well, she flat-out told me he didn't listen to her during the supervised separation portion of the test AND he did his lazy snarly-grumble at at Bordeaux that he came across while we were walking around.
He aced everything else but I'm worried that she said he would have passed as-is (even if she DID recommend a little more socialization with other dogs on-lead). Honestly, I think London did absolutely rubbish... but I may be judging him too harshly. I just hate the feeling that if he meets granny's French Bulldog in a nursing home while I'm in the bathroom, there may be a bloodbath (though London's never actually hurt another dog) with a dozen crying ladies when I get out.
I see how happy he makes anyone and everyone he comes across... but now I think I may be trying to make him into something he's just NOT. On the other hand, the trainer wasn't very concerned about his behavior which makes me wonder if I'm overreacting. I didn't know if anyone would have an opinion to put in on this.
Let's start with good things: London is the laziest, happiest, most easy-going Malamute I have ever come across. He's a bit of a goofball while running around off-leash at the park with his buddies and we usually poke fun at him for being socially awkward while in play groups.
Then we'll go to the bad: London has been blind since he was 6 months, he hates the restriction of the lead, and he can be deceptively obedient for me while being a bit of a jerk when other people try to lead him.
Going to the problem:
Ever since I went to one obedience class with him (which was meant purely to get him socialized with other dogs), my trainer has put it in my head that he'd be an excellent therapy dog. I believe her, really--he loves the attention, he's good with all sorts, and he's very unobtrusive as far as Mals go. I think he'd love it and people really love him. They like learning about him, they like how he gives them attention as much as they give him attention. Overall, he's a very "people" kind of dog.
However, he IS a Mal and he DOES NOT listen to other people as readily as he listens to me. More than that, we're still working on his reaction to other dogs while on the lead. If London doesn't flat-out ignore other dogs, it's about a 50/50 chance that he'll react aggressively or friendly. Off the leash he's pretty much fine (though it's taken us two years to get this far) and he's generally pleasant if he's not challenged. IF. If he's not challenged. Like, say, by the stranger's Basenji walking up the path. If my coworker's Shiba tries to take a chunk out of him, though, it's like London laughs and shrugs it off (I think he likes the NK as much as I do).
I've been working with him and he has come strides from where he was when he was a more rowdy "teenager", but recently we went for a sort of pretest where my former trainer did everything the evaluator would have during his CGC and I was very alarmed when she said he would have passed at the end of everything because, well, she flat-out told me he didn't listen to her during the supervised separation portion of the test AND he did his lazy snarly-grumble at at Bordeaux that he came across while we were walking around.
He aced everything else but I'm worried that she said he would have passed as-is (even if she DID recommend a little more socialization with other dogs on-lead). Honestly, I think London did absolutely rubbish... but I may be judging him too harshly. I just hate the feeling that if he meets granny's French Bulldog in a nursing home while I'm in the bathroom, there may be a bloodbath (though London's never actually hurt another dog) with a dozen crying ladies when I get out.
I see how happy he makes anyone and everyone he comes across... but now I think I may be trying to make him into something he's just NOT. On the other hand, the trainer wasn't very concerned about his behavior which makes me wonder if I'm overreacting. I didn't know if anyone would have an opinion to put in on this.
and we'll end on a good note because I really don't think my dog is a complete monster
Comments
Psh they've been trying to get me to shut up for the past 3 years and I don't even have a dog :P
As for the therapy part..maybe get him evaluated by someone else? If they say he would be fine as well, then maybe he would be ok. I'm completely ignorant when it comes to therapy dogs.
Is Londona full Malamute or a mix? Maybe talking is just part of the breed? It's kind've difficult to evaluate London with just a post, however I would be concerned with your doubt/concerns about him. When going into therapy work, you have to be 100% confident in your ability to handle him and guide him into proper behavior. If you have any doubts, then maybe you should do some work on training yourself to be more confident in working with him.
His blindness concerns me because he will lack some ability to read people. I'm also not sure if this adds to his reactiveness. If in fact he is truly "reactive" or just talking.
A couple good books to read are:
Therapy Dogs Today by Kris Butler.
Therapy Dogs, Compassionate Modalities by Kris Butler
There are also series of DVD's that you can watch.
Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others by Kathy Diamond Davis
The Healing Power of Dogs by Sharon Sakson
The Canine Good Citizen: Every Dog Can Be One by Jack Volhard
@sukoshi's mom thank you for the suggestion! I actually... hadn't thought of that yet.
@tjbart17 London's a full Mal and it's not really the talking that concerns me. He's very trusting of people and he's never minded people even though he's blind. He lets them run up, walk up, crawl up, do whatever - other dogs, while on lead, are really his weakness. He can be aggressive with them while on lead - which I think stems from the blindness and general distrust of strange dogs more than the domineering Mal tendencies. I'M confident in training my dog and I'm confident handling him (I don't think I could have raised a Mal if I weren't)... I'm just worried about leaving him with other people, because I know he has the capacity to be very stubborn.
Thank you for all the books, though! I'll have to look into them and see what they have to say.
I'll give you a scenario that happened to Koda and I a month ago for you to decide how London wouldve done in this type of situation.
Koda and I visited a Level 8-14 mental health facility here in town. While walking down a hall in the ward I noticed a door open with a doggy gate in the doorway. This was a patient's room who has two Maltese that live with him. They are therapy dogs and Koda and I had to pass by the room without any reaction from the little dogs, which I was more worried about, and no reaction from Koda. When you're in a facility with schotzophrentics it's important that the dog doesn't make them nervous. We passed by with no problem.
My statement to you wasn't that you can't handle your dog but that incidences like these shouldn't worry you at all. I know for a 100% fact that Koda wasn't going to react. It's not a thought in my head. But these reactions, or lack there of, are taught.