Participants in this therapy dog training class are ready to move on to their individual evaluations after successfully completing the Bright Spot Therapy Dog Training course.
Have you been thinking about doing therapy dog work with your friendly, well-trained dog? If so, now is the time to get started.
After our summer break, Bright Spot Therapy Dogs is poised for a busy fall season with our first Therapy Dog Training Class starting on September 10, 2017. Bright Spot serves volunteers and facilities throughout New England. Our training classes are held at Animal Alliances conveniently located on Damon Road, right off the exit from I-91 in Northampton. The training course is completed in two, 2-hour sessions held on Sunday mornings from 9:30-11:30.
Our classes are kept small to enhance each team’s hands-on experience learning the skills and techniques necessary for making meaningful therapy dog visits. Upon successful completion of the course, the perspective team moves on to their one-on-one evaluation held in an actual nursing home setting where the twosome demonstrates to the evaluator their ability to interact with those they are visiting. Along the way, the evaluator offers tips and suggestions to improve the visiting experience for both the recipient and and team.
Class participants take turns role-playing as patients using some of the equipment they might encounter visiting in a nursing home or other healthcare setting.
Here’s what Bright Spot volunteer Linda Abrams had to say after she and her dog Zuri completed their training…
Zuni and I passed our evaluation and are now volunteering at a nursing home in Sunderland. We both want to thank you for your excellent training sessions. They gave us the skills and confidence to begin as volunteers.
Therapy Dog teams learn the skills and techniques to use when visiting a patient in bed.
Now is a good time to sign up while there is still space left in the September class.
For details on our therapy dog training and the process involved to become a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog team, check-out our website today! We look forward to meeting you and your dog in September.