SAVING DOGS AND HELPING TROUBLED TEENS
I recently read articles that described programs for helping shelter dogs headed for euthanizing and teenagers in trouble. One article was about a program at the University of Tennessee that was looking for volunteers to help adolescent student trainers teach basic obedience commands to dogs.
The student trainers are teens in trouble. They are chosen from a residential treatment center for those sexually or physically abused. They also treat those who have substance abuse problems or behavioral problems. They are committed to one four week training course.
The dogs are selected from a local animal shelter. They are medically and behaviorally screened as part of the selection process.
The trainer and the dog meet twice a week and receive six hours of quality attention and training. Upon completion of the training the dogs are put up for adoption.
In additon, the trainers gain a sense of ownership and the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing a good deed.
Another article helped me to understand a little of the training process and how it helps both the dog and the trainer. The author indicated that a lack of punishment during training makes it especially effective with at-risk youth. The training allows troubled teens to escape from their daily lives which are often filled with mistrust. No one criticizes if a mistake is made.
Good training involves being generous and learning patience. The trainer must learn to time the reward perfectly when the desired behavior is happening, not after. This requires that the trainer pay close attention to the dog’s behavior. However, messing up the timing of the reward is okay. Whereas messing up the timing of punishment can hurt the relationship between the trainer and the dog. So training from a positive aspect and without any punishment builds a strong relationship between the trainer and the dog.
While teaching impulse control the teenager is monitoring their own impulses and learning to control them. The results of the program have been beneficial for both the trainer and the dog. It seems like a fantastic program and one that might be of interest to some of you.
For more information you may want to buy a book entitled “Teaching Empathy: Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs for Children and Families Exposed to Violence” by Dr. Lynn Loar and Dr. Libby Coleman or go online to www.pryorfoundation.org.
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