I have My Jack Russle terrier. (Molly) she is very friendly. i want to start using her as a therapy dog

Hello. I am a Therapy Dog Handler. First step is you want to go to AKC.ORG and look for approved Animal Assisted Therapy Programs in your area. You absolutely have to go about it in a professional manner. Bringing animals who aren’t certified and protected under insurance is a big liability issue. Therapy organizations have insurance coverage for their volunteers and accreditation for the facilities to entrust this animal is truly ready. I recommend passing the Canine Good Citizen test first as a good baseline for obedience training, Another good thing is the Community Canine test. (You can find more information on the AKC website about these) These tests are good preparation for true Therapy Dog work. Each organization/foundation will have their own therapy dog test. Not all are the same, but I’m sure have similar requirements from the dog. Things such as the dog can not take food even when tempted by food. The dog can not lick people. The dog can not be startled by canes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. It goes on and on. My exam was like a mock visit to a hospital with “obstacles” set up to try and distract the dog. I’m all the way up in Massachusetts so my organization wouldn’t work for you, but if you have questions let me know.