Teaming Up with Therapy Dogs" Skills to Build Healing Partnerships

Teaming Up With Therapy Dogs: Skills to Build Healing Partnerships explores the powerful, often life-changing connection between humans and therapy dogs—and what it really takes to build a partnership that can bring comfort, stability, and healing in real-world settings.

Drawing on more than two decades of experience as a therapy dog handler, Susan Hartzler offers an inside look at the evolving field of animal-assisted therapy. This book goes beyond heartwarming stories to provide a grounded, practical guide for those interested in working with therapy dogs in hospitals, schools, crisis response, and community environments.

Through personal stories, real-life case examples, and step-by-step guidance, readers learn how therapy dog teams are trained, evaluated, and deployed. The book also explores the science behind the human–animal bond, including how dogs help regulate emotions, reduce stress, and create a sense of safety for people in vulnerable situations.

Hartzler introduces her unique training approach, including creative techniques such as “Fairy Tales,” where dogs perform simple, structured behaviors to engage and comfort audiences. She also addresses the realities of the work—what makes a good therapy dog, how to recognize stress in your dog, and how to build a partnership based on trust, communication, and respect.

Whether you are considering becoming a therapy dog team, working in healthcare or education, or simply interested in the deeper role dogs play in human well-being, Teaming Up With Therapy Dogs offers both inspiration and practical tools.

At its core, this book is about more than training—it is about connection. It shows how dogs, when properly prepared and supported, can become steady partners in helping people navigate some of life’s most difficult moments.