Facility Dogs

May 6

A woman and a young boy sit on a hay bale in a barn, with the boy resting his head on the lap of a service dog lying beside him. The dog, wearing a blue vest, provides comfort and companionship to the child.

What are Facility Dogs?

Facility dogs are expertly trained dogs who partner with a facilitator and work in a healthcare, visitation, or education setting.

A Canine Companions Facility Dog is trained to perform service dog commands including picking up items, opening doors and providing calming pressure across the client’s lap or body. Their trained skills can be utilized to enhance therapies, promote participation, and reduce anxiety for clients in professional environments. A Canine Companions facility dog is bred to be calm, reliable, and affectionate in order to assist in the development of independent living skills.

Additionally, the handler can integrate a professional dog into a variety of structured therapies and utilize it to facilitate social interactions.

Examples of settings in which professional dogs can assist:

Occupation, speech, and physical therapy
Special Education settings
Child Life Specialists
Criminal justice placements such as child advocacy, forensic interviewers, and prosecutors

Facilitators are working professionals responsible for handling and caring for the professional dog. Additionally, facilitators are committed to long-term employment where they directly serve clients with special needs a minimum of twenty hours per week.
One of the most valued qualities of the facility dog is the unconditional love and attention it gives to the clients and patients with whom it interacts. In an educational setting, a facility dog helps engage students in schools and special education classes.

In a healthcare environment, activities such as grooming, feeding, and playing fetch with a facility dog can aid patients in medical rehabilitation and psychiatric programs. A well-mannered and highly trained facility dog encourages feelings of calm and security for clients in a courtroom setting for situations such as witness interviews and testifying. ]

Learn more about Canine Companions’ Facility Dogs at Canine.org.

The process to receive a Canine Companions assistance dog includes multiple steps. Find out if an assistance dog is right for you and start the process to receive more information.

Please note: Canine Companions does not train or place dogs for the following; to do guide work for the blind, to do seizure or diabetic alert/response, to anticipate or detect medical symptoms, for the primary benefit of emotional comfort or social support, to recognize and/or manage undesirable human behavior, to provide supervision, navigation, or safety from environmental hazards, to respond aggressively, to provide personal protection, to assist with the management of mental illness as a primary condition.