Puppy welfare
Good for people. Good for the puppies.
Puppy Therapy™ follows the puppy socialization guidance of the AVMA and AVSAB. Here is what that means for every puppy, every session.
Looking for the full standard? Our standards
Where they come from
Ethical breeders, approved organizations
- Our puppies come from ethical breeders in good standing with an approved breeding organization, starting with the ALAA, ALCA and WALA.
- An organization qualifies when its code covers daily handling from birth and keeping litters together until eight weeks.
- Socialization starts early, at about three weeks with the breeder, within the AVMA's sensitive period of 3 to 14 weeks.
The litter
Litters stay together
- Puppies are never sold or separated from their litter before eight weeks.
- Before eight weeks, a puppy goes out with a littermate and returns to the litter.
- Litters are never mixed.
Health
A vet-guided plan, and no shortcuts
- Each puppy follows its breeder's veterinarian-guided vaccine and deworming plan.
- No grass, no dog parks, and no places used by dogs of unknown vaccination status.
- A puppy that seems sick or off doesn't work.
- No other dogs in the session space.
The day
Travel, rest, and their own clean surface
- Puppies travel in a pet stroller and never touch grass or areas used by unknown dogs.
- They work on their own clean surface, with their own potty pen.
- Water, a potty break between appointments, and a quiet spot to sleep.
- A sleeping puppy is never woken.
Handling
Reward-based, and the puppy can always opt out
- Reward-based handling only, never force. A puppy can always opt out.
- One Certified Puppy Therapy™ Professional safely manages up to two puppies and eight people. Bigger groups get more sessions, never bigger ones.
- Children hold a puppy seated, with the puppy in their lap. Seniors stay seated, with the puppy on a towel or blanket in their lap.
- A puppy is never loose where someone could trip, and never left alone with a participant.
Who answers for them
The professional, every time
- The Certified Puppy Therapy™ Professional is responsible for every puppy and every person in the session, and can end any session for a puppy’s sake.
- Every professional is trained, certified, and background-checked each year.
- If a puppy nips or scratches, someone reacts to a puppy, or a puppy gets hurt, the professional gives basic first aid, ends that interaction, and reports it to Puppy Therapy™.
Not puppy entertainment
Puppies are not props. Every session is run by a certified professional whose first responsibility is the puppies, and that is what separates Puppy Therapy™ from puppy entertainment.
Puppy Therapy™ is a wellness service. Our puppies are not therapy animals, service animals, or emotional support animals in the legal sense.
Questions about our puppies? Ask us anything.
Planning something bigger? Schedule a consultation