/ Therapy Dog Certification: What’s Involved in the Dog Obedience & Temperament Test?

Therapy Dog Certification: What’s Involved in the Dog Obedience & Temperament Test?

Published: June 27th, 2025

Becoming a certified therapy dog team is a deeply rewarding journey – one that starts with making sure your dog is ready to safely and calmly support others. At Paws for Support, our assessment process is based on the government-regulated 5F Dog Obedience Test, designed to evaluate whether your dog is suitable for therapeutic settings like schools, clinics, aged care, or community centres.

Here’s what’s involved:

Key Components of the 5F Therapy Dog Assessment

1. Walking to Heel
Your dog should walk calmly on lead beside you without excessive pulling. You’re welcome to use any gentle anti-pulling device except a choke chain.

2. Sit and Stay
Your dog must respond to a verbal or hand cue to sit. You’ll then take a few steps away, and your dog should remain calmly in place.

3. Recall With Distraction
From a distance of at least 6 metres, your dog should come when called- even with distractions such as food or other dogs nearby. This shows reliability under real-world conditions.

4. Temperament Test
A third-party assessor will gently handle your dog in an exaggerated way to simulate situations common in therapy settings. This includes touching ears, paws, tail, and giving hugs or pats. Dogs must stay calm and non-aggressive.

5. Separation Test
Your dog will be briefly left with someone else or tethered while you walk out of sight. The goal is to observe your dog’s ability to stay composed when you’re not immediately nearby.

Additional Behavioural Checks

Gentle Treat Taking: Dogs must accept treats softly – no snatching!
Stranger Approach: Dogs should remain calm when approached by unfamiliar people, including those wearing hats or moving unusually.
Distraction Test: Items like toys or food will be scattered across the floor. Your dog may sniff but should not pick anything up unless given permission.
Noise and Movement Reactions: Dogs will be exposed to unexpected noises (like slamming doors or raised voices) and moving objects (e.g., wheelchairs, umbrellas) to gauge their ability to self-regulate under pressure.

Facilities Test (On-Site or Video Submission)

In real-world settings, dogs may be swarmed with pats, approached suddenly, or asked to lie calmly for periods of time. The facilities test simulates this with:

At least three people petting the dog simultaneously
Relaxed lying down in a calm space (like an office) for 1 minute
Demonstrated comfort with unexpected attention

For Online Assessments

If you’re completing the certification remotely, you’ll be asked to:

Submit video clips of each test element via Google Drive or WhatsApp
Include footage of your dog walking past other people and animals
Complete a short follow-up video call to finalise assessment

We understand every dog is different, and we’re here to support you through the process. Our focus is on creating safe, positive environments – and helping more people benefit from the calm and comfort that therapy dogs bring.