Excellent question! And best of luck with getting certified!

We like regular on-going visits with facilities/residences, so our UTD vet records are provided on first visit and then renewed annually. Likewise, our training, insurance and membership certs are provided on our orientation visit and also renewed annually. I do not carry them on visits, unless it is a one-time-only, but your list is excellent.

My two TDs wear vests (green and blue respectively, not orange or red, because we are TDs and don't want to appear to be service or working dogs). The TD vests have their TD logo patch and a "please ask to pet me, I'm friendly" patch. In the vest pockets they carry: their business cards (yes they have their own!), poop bags, and anti-bacterial wipes. They also have a collar tag with the TD certification.

We make sure that we arrive 10 minutes before an appointment to do a potty walk. We also arrive well groomed, with teeth freshly brushed and nails at a nice length.

In my back pack I carry paper towels, a towel for muddy paws, more poop bags, more disinfectant stuff and a fluffy throw (translation portable doggy bed), just in case we need to do an extended visit.

In my pocket is a small baggie of my preferred treats, usually including cheese! I don't like to use treats, but if we get a person that just HAS to give the dog a treat, I'd rather use my own than have the client feed chocolate cake. I never carry peanut butter flavored treats, because of potential allergies.

Unused treats and/or 4" of bully stick are used as a reward after the visit.

I don't carry a camera. Usually the facilty staff is taking more pics than I am comfortable with.

I hope this helps.

Thanks gillian, that is very helpful! I'm trying to get certified by two different organizations, but I think they both will provide ID tags. I'm not sure if they provide vests, but I've read about them. I may get a vest for my dog, if I can find one large enough! :)

I don't think I'll have to take treats along, but I probably will anyway. My dog has never accepted a treat when she's away from our house, unless we're at a friend's or camping. She won't take them at the vet or from other people in stores or on the street. (She won't even take them from us sometimes. Makes training difficult!) We joke that "she doesn't take candy from strangers." Even if she did, I don't think I'd allow it. She's a huge dog, and although she's gentle, I don't want to take the chance of her tearing someone's skin with her teeth. At least I won't have to worry about her stealing food from someone's lunch tray! She doesn't even eat her own food until we tell her to, and she's never touched anything on the coffee table (bags of chips, nuts, popcorn). She's so polite!

(I laughed when I read the part "a small baggie of my preferred treats, usually including cheese." It sounds like the cheese is for you! :) )

Thanks again for your response. I'm getting excited about this, and I want us to be prepared so *when* (not if) she gets certified, we can start visiting right away.

The dogs in our organization all sported a blue with logo neckerchief and the volunteers a name badge. Each dog is issued an appropriate length nylon leash. Very short, no longer than 2.5 feet for a mid sized dog standing beside you. Why so short? The dog is to remain close to the handler at all times with no chance of inadvertantly knocking someone over who might be passing by etc in the hallways. All dogs can only wear a dog collar, no choke chains, no gentle leaders around the snout, no harnesses. The dog collar must be just tight enough that your dog cannot slip his head out of it.
Your dog must NEVER be handed over to anyone else, not even another volunteer in your team UNLESS that particular volunteer has been tested with your dog as you were initially so that the organization is satified that your dog will totally obey and be comfomfortable with that person.
There is no risk taking. If you have to go to the bathroom you take your dog with you.

Seniors facilities tend to be kept on the warm side even in the summer, worse in winter so the dogs can getoverly warm. I carried one of those dog water bottles with the fold out drinking tray on my belt. Often as not at facilities where your organization visits regularly they'll have a water bowl somewhere for you all to use.
I would buy those big 5 lb buckets of Milk Bone Flavo Snacks at PetSmart and leave it near reception so we always had acceptable treats that the residents could feed our dogs.
My dog, a Border Collie, is a non stop ball catcher, loves all sorts of toys so I got him a great dog saddlebag backpack to wear with zippered bags on either side to carry his own toys and some stuff in. Everyone always commented on it and seemed to like it. Especially when he reached behind his neck and pulled out a toy by himself to give to someone. LOL I think it also makes the dog less threatening looking especially when you're in a facility where there may be people who are scared of dogs. I can remember a couple of instances where over the course of a few months some residents who at first were terrified of the dogs slowly made their way closer each visit until I finally had them tossing the ball for him and petting him on the head. You never force your dog on a resident and if they say or motion to stay away you stay away. Let them come to you.
Never take your dog to a seniors resident if you have even the slightest hint of a cold. Those virus's wreak havoc in those places and can shut them down to visitors for weeks and/or months.

I know it sounds all so regimental, maybe your organization won't be so demanding, but as strict as it all sounds it really wasn't in practical use and it was a lot of fun.

As to carrying documentation. In our city, facilities such as hospitals, seniors residents, care facilites etc made the request to the organization for volunteers to visit so when they were accepted they were given a list of just who each team comprised of and certification that each volunteer had a police background check done, the dog was trained and copies of the dogs vet info was up to date. We didn't need to carry any documentation.

All that blathering I just did above...forgot to say what I took.
A small roll of those dog poop bags and some paper towels folded in my pocket. And some handwipes. And the previously mentioned belt clip dog water bottle with fold out tray.
In 3 odd years my dog never once peed or pooped in a facility nor did any of the other dogs that I ever saw. If I stayed on longer than than the normal 60 or so minutes I would take him outside for a few minutes for a pee.
You'll probably find like I did that the facility staff are usually just as excited when the dogs & cats come and go out of their way to make sure things are ok.

Thanks for the detailed response, pkguy. I knew about the collar restrictions, but never heard about the short leash. Makes a lot of sense.

I have read about, and experienced myself, the warm temperatures in nursing homes and other facilities. My dog is really furry, even her summer coat. We may have to forego visiting in the summer, if it's too warm for her. Even here at home, where she can be in the shade all day, she wants to come in and lay on the cool slate floors when it's really hot outside. We'll just have to see how that goes. I'm going to get one of those folding water bottles (I didn't know they had a belt clip! Cool!).

That's a great idea about leaving treats at the facility. My dog may take treats if she knows they are there all the time. She usually won't take any from the vet, groomer, feed store, or other places. But she does eat the biscuit that the UPS driver gives her. She didn't at first...it took a while.

Funny about the saddlebag--I made a backpack for my dog way back in 2002, so she could carry her own food (and, as it turned out, a few beers for DH!) when we went on a short backpacking trip. But she was only 8 months old at the time, so I'm sure that backpack won't fit her any more. She's a very "chesty" dog. We had a hard time even finding a harness to fit her. Where did you get your backpack?

Thanks for the tips about approaching people who are afraid of dogs. I'v read about that, and it may be a factor with my dog. She's a rare breed that nobody we encounter (vets included) has ever seen before. That usually works in her favor, as she looks like a teddy bear (some say polar bear). So she is very cuddly looking and approachable, especially when she gets the cropped snowball tail wagging. But it also makes some people wary, just because she's so unusual looking. And, it makes getting her evaluated and tested more difficult, because the people in charge don't know anything about the temperament and behavior of the breed. I always proceed with extreme caution when we're in public, and let her approach only those people who want to pet her. She used to pull hard to get near everyone, but over the past couple weeks, she's gotten much better. We do have a lot more training to do in the next few months.

Thanks again for all the advice.

It's wonderful that you are working with her, but it sounds like she needs more socialization. The fact that she won't take treats from people is an indication of shyness or perhaps fear or lack of confidence.

"And, it makes getting her evaluated and tested more difficult, because the people in charge don't know anything about the temperament and behavior of the breed.

I may have misunderstood that statement. But it doesn't matter what the breed temperment is, a therapy dog has to be rock solid and bullet proof. If someone pulls her tail, or there are loud crashes, she needs to remain calm. Has she had basic obedience and CGC training? Those classes would be good for her before the therapy training. Have fun :)

Thanks for responding, cynthia. You are right, she does need more socialization, but I don't think her not taking treats is related to that. Sometimes she won't take them from us either. We've noticed that if she thinks she needs to be alert and using her senses, she refuses treats. Maybe it dulls her sense of smell?

I guess I should have elaborated about other people not being familiar with the breed, and how it affects their judgement of her. What I meant is that you can't look at her and think, "oh, she's a golden retriever/poodle/basset hound/whatever so I know she'll be good with kids/smart/boisterous/barky/whatever" just based on what you know about that breed. I think sometimes people misunderstand her behavior, because it's not always "typical" dog behavior. It's hard to explain.

But, I agree that a therapy dog has to be rock solid. And she definitely is! She's totally unfazed by loud crashes, tail pulling, and other distractions that may come with being a therapy dog. I had her evaluated once already, and she did really well in those areas. She had three rounds of training as a puppy (kindergarten, beginning obedience, and intermediate obedience), and I'm taking her through intermediate obedience again starting November 1. After that, I'll take her to the CGC test.

I'm hoping that between the obedience classes and working with her on my own, that she'll be ready by January. (And I'm still being realistic that she may not make a good therapy dog. I'm trying not to get my hopes too high. Even if it doesn't work out, she's still a great pet and a wonderful companion.)

"We've noticed that if she thinks she needs to be alert and using her senses, she refuses treats..."

Ahhh. You said she was a working dog in your first post, but that didn't sink in :) what breed is she?

Even if you determine that being a therapy dog isn't workable for her, going through the process will be fun and stimulating for both of you. Stay positive and you will get there. My youngest dog is a therapy dog, and we went through the process so that she could have the socialization of weekly visits and new experiences. She has always been good with people, but needs the constant exercise of new things and new people to stay in balance with the world and grow out of some anxieties she was carrying. The 'therapy' can go in both directions :)

Akayla is a Central Asian Shepherd, technically called a Central Asian Ovtcharka.

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Here's an excerpt from United Kennel Club's breed standard (the breed is not yet recognized by AKC):

History

For thousands of years, large, heavily-built dogs with cropped ears and tails have been used by the nomadic tribes of Central Asia to protect livestock from predators and other property from thieves. The breed developed as a result of rather harsh natural selection. The climate in the countries where the Central Asian Shepherd Dog developed ranges from hot and dry, to bitterly cold and windy. Only the hardiest of pups survived and only those with strong guarding instincts were allowed to stay with the flocks. Working Central Asian Shepherd Dogs are still found today in Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The breed is still very rare in the United States.

General Appearance

The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is a dog of great size with massive bone structure and powerful muscles. The body is slightly longer than tall. The head is massive. Ears are normally cropped close to the head but are naturally small, drop, and set low on the head. The tail is high set and thick at the base, and when undocked, hangs down to the hock with a sickle shape. Two coat lengths are accepted, but all are double-coated and thick. Gender differences are well expressed in this breed. Males are more massive and powerful; females are smaller and lighter in build. Dogs should be presented in hard, muscular condition. The Central Asian Shepherd Dog should be evaluated as a working livestock guardian dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work. Honorable scars resulting from field work are not to be penalized.

And a little from another web site:

Central Asian Shepherd dogs are said to be the oldest known group of dogs in existence today. Dating back over 5,000 years as per artifacts found in native lands. Unlike most breeds today, they are not man made or created by any specific reason or country. They were created by the climate and culture of a uncivilized time long forgot. You will find different breed types depending on the terrain from the mountains of Mongolia to the deserts of the Kara Kum.

Their history is merged with the civilization of man and their timeline can be found by tracing the history of the ancient silk route. To understand their past history you must understand a time when surviving one day against extreme climates, predators now extinct and invading tribes was a goal not easily done.

Today you will find Nomadic tribes using this pedigree groups of dogs to guard what they hold sacred: their family and their ancient form of transportation, be it camel or horses.

Wrongly classified as traditional livestock guardians, they are territorial guardians bred to guard people and their possessions. They seek out human attention, thus bonding with their humans first and the flock second. They guard what ever is placed in their perceived territory.

Superb pack oriented predator control dog; a cat in dog's clothing; X-large not giant but agile; problem solving, smart, attentive and affectionate; naturally protective of all they call their own.
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Thanks for the additional encouragement! So far the process has been fun. I can see what you mean about the therapy going both ways. It's been interesting watching Akayla learn to respond to me instead of my husband. I think I'll take her to the park today and see if she'll take any treats from me. We need to practice "heeling."

Wow! A Central Asian Shepherd. What a lovely dog. I'd never heard of them before and read the breed description with interest.

Uxorial, kudos to you for all the research you are doing on possibly qualifying to become a TD team. You are working very hard. More kudos!

If I can take a moment to acknowledge PKguy and Cynthia's posts: They are both absolutely correct on all points. It takes a rock solid dog and, not always admitted, also a really informed handler. It is essentially a team effort between dog and handler. At this point, you might also want to think about where you want to visit, and where your dog will be happy visiting. My two TDs are very different. One can cope happily with intense medical visits and is wonderful as a Reading Partner. The other excels at social visits with seniors, but would not do as well as her adopted sister at the more intense visits. I am guided by them on where we go.

The *gear* we take with us is less important than the training and ongoing support for both dog and handler.
The group you will (I'm sure) eventually join should aknowledge both of these, and give you the help you need, along with the all important insurance.
I honestly recommend a good obedience training followed by a CGC. Or at least all the skills that a CGC requires should be under your belt. Then do the extra TD training and cert. You are already working on this.

PKguy is right. Different organizations have varying levels of requirements, and some seem very regimented, but they have very good reasons. Keeping those we visit safe is of paramount importance.

Keep all of this in mind as you do your research. Again, I truly appreciate your efforts and wish you luck.