I love teaching my Therapy Dog Training Workshops to people with great dogs who are interested in learning the skills and techniques used in therapy dog visiting. These are folks who want to be well-prepared before they apply to have their dog evaluated to become a certified therapy dog.
Today’s group was composed of people and dogs that had taken my Beginners Workshop. In the beginning “review” portion of the Workshop, they demonstrated that they had learned their lessons well in the Beginners and were ready to move on to more advanced skills.
Our workshops are held at True Blue Dog Training in Haydenville, Massachusetts. We deliberately keep classes small – usually 6 dogs and handlers, enabling everyone involved to have plenty of practice time and opportunity to ask questions. I employ an interactive format with attendees standing in as model patients using equipment that would be encountered in a therapeutic setting. The two-hour session moves rapidly and everyone – dogs and handlers – have lots of fun, as well as a good learning experience. Attendees leave with a comprehensive handout detailing everything covered in class.
The demand for Therapy Dog Training has increased rapidly in the past few years. I am delighted to see this and enjoy sharing my 20 years of experience in the field with people eager to learn. Our schedule of workshops is always posted on the Bright Spot Therapy Dogs website and can be found, as well, by going directly to the True Blue Dog Training website. If interested, please check it out for a complete description of the workshops and registration information. I am always happy to answer questions about therapy dog training and therapy dog certification and can be contacted directly by email at bright-spot@comcast.net.
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