Hi! I've been doing animal assisted therapy for 7 yrs, starting with my bichon Cosita, and now with Liberty. I also teach, evaluate, and mentor new teams. We've visited at care centers, rehab clinics, a lockdown facility for teens, hospice, and now a children's hospital. I totally agree with Vibrant. The temperament of the dog is soooo important. That's the part they're really born with, that can't really be trained. Do they like people? Are they comfortable around people with disabilities? You can train and desensitize, and expose them to all sorts of people and situations so that they're confident and social, but really when it comes down to it, some dogs are just born for this work.
Just as important, the handler really needs to support them. It's really the difference between "using" the dog and helping the dog do what he loves. It involves getting down on the animal's level, being right there with him, watching for stress signals, then figuring out what's causing the stress and changing the situation. You are your animal's advocate, and if he's uncomfortable in a situation, such as a client getting right in his face and talking loudly, then you need to be able to change the situation, for example, saying, "He really likes to be scratched right here (pointing to the lower back)," and changing the position of the animal so he can see you, and the client can't get into his face. Then you'll see the dog relax, and the client most likely will relax too. Often it's helpful to have another person there to help the client interact safely if they're having a hard time with that. This is especially important when working with people who have developmental disabilities, particularly adults, because often they're impulsive and strong. The same thing applies to kids. If you have a great bond with your animal, and he totally trusts you to take care of him and protect him, he'll really relax with clients, and that's when the true therapy happens because he can really enjoy the interaction. Poodles are so intuitive that when they focus, they really can tell what the client needs. Liberty continues to amaze me with how she senses and responds to the people we meet. When a dog feels like he's out there on his own however, he'll feel like he has to protect himself, and that's when they get burned out and stop enjoying interacting with people, including people who are disabled.
I could go on and on forever about AAT. It's my passion. I swear little miracles happen every time we go. I actually just published a book about 101 Ideas for Animal Assisted Therapy. It isn't a training manual, more of a book of activities/interventions that help you utilize AAT to help clients reach their goals.
101 Creative Ideas For Animal Assisted Therapy - Home
Way to go for thinking of these things ahead of time...you've already got a head start! I'm sure you and your poodle will help make a lot of people very happy!
