I really enjoy training people and their dogs to become therapy dog teams. I get to meet such terrific dogs and wonderful people who love their dogs dearly and want to share them with others.
Today’s class was lots of fun. We had a very interactive group role-playing scenarios they would be up against when visiting in a facility. We got to laughing pretty hard at some of the acting. I added plenty of distractions – like freeze-dried liver for the dogs to practice the Leave It command (that liver is pretty hard to resist!). This command is a must when visiting. All kinds of things can be accidentally dropped on the floor and quickly consumed by an eager dog’s mouth. Handlers must have a watchful eye at all times when visiting.
Clearly, the participants had practiced the skills taught in Part 1 of this workshop-style therapy dog training class and used those as the foundation for the more advanced techniques covered in class today. How do you position your dog when visiting a patient in bed? There are many ways to set the stage for maximum interaction between the dog and patient. I was amazed at the ideas people came up with. Every visiting situation is different and handlers need to act quickly and thoughtfully when presenting their dogs to patients.
Questions and concerns were addressed as we went along. We discussed what the [dreaded] evaluation would be like and how best to prepare for the evaluation. These dogs and handlers left well-prepared for this test – and for visiting in one (or more) of the 70+ facilities requesting the volunteer services of our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams.
Our next Therapy Dog Training course at True Blue Dog Training in Haydenville, Massachusetts, is scheduled to run April 14 & 28. Available spots are filling quickly. I can’t wait to meet our next group!