Toby The Therapy Dog

Last Thursday we started a new Goal Directed Therapy Dog program at a middle school with special needs children. It was a very rainy day here in California. So there were only two students there. We worked with a severely autistic child. The goal was for her to walk with Toby using a second leash. I am always holding the main leash. At first we had a tough time getting the child and Toby to go in the same direction. But finally we got going. Toby is good at gaging his gait to the gait of the child. She kind of lurches forward then starts to lean. The therapist has a belt around the child, and helps her get upright and move forward again. After that exercise we had the child sit down in a chair and pet Toby. The idea here is to get her to focus on something instead of just looking all around the room. She did seem to focus on Toby for a few seconds. It will be fun to watch her progress each week.

Toby sounds like a wonderful dog, and you two must make quite a team! I was a nanny for years, caring primarily for special needs children, and we always seemed to wind up in the pool instead of working with the therapy dog! I imagine a squeaking contest in the pool would be more of a burbling contest....

Today Im going to get some props to teach Toby the new skills we learned at the trick class yesterday. There is a big button that you put on the floor and have the dog poke it with his nose until it dings or beeps or says something funny depending on the button. Im also going to get some light weight rings that he can put around his neck by walking into it while the child holds the ring. I will get a simple bicycle horn for Toby to squeek. He loves sqeeky things. Im thinking I will have two horns, one for the child and one for Toby. They can have squeeking contests.

We are about to open a new program at a middle school in their class for medically fragile children. I think I can incorporate some of these tricks into the program.

Toby and I had a great time at the trick class! He learns really fast. The instructor barely showed him something one time and he got it! For example, the dog demonstrates his ability to read by 'reading' a card that the handler is holding. He had to go up to the card and touch his nose to it like he is reading it. (the card says, 'sit!')And then he sits. It took him one try to figure that out.

He loves to work for treats, any treat.. even a little piece of kibble.

Another trick is to push something on the floor, like a soccer ball. Once he learns how to do that he can play soccer with a child. We started by putting a treat under a bowl. He pushes the bowl to get at the treat. Then we put a treat under a soccer ball. It didnt take him long to figure out that if he kept pushing the soccer ball he would get more treats.

Today Toby and I are going to a tricks class to learn more tricks. This should be fun!