Dog Therapy for Children

You don’t have to have a specialized breed of dog like you would need to train a guide dog. Any kind of dog will be able to be assist. They come in all shapes and sizes.

The first step is to find an animal-assisted therapy organization in your area that can provide you with a training program which is going to be right for you. You will be able to find a lot of these online as well as offline so you can be sure to find somewhere to go, no matter where you s

How dog therapy programs can help a child

• It increases the feeling of empathy
• Communication skills through play are developed
• Confidence is build up to another level
• In forming a relationship with a dog they have a stronger chance of developing healthy relationships in their life.
• The love for animals is increased. Kids who have been abused have been known to let their rage out on other animals.

Training for dog therapy programs

There are a couple of options if you have a child or know of a child that could benefit from pet therapy. You could train your own dog or you could take the child to a counsellor who has a trained dog working with them. There are special programs designed for this. If you are going to train your own dog then you have to also realize that it is something that takes time and dedication.

 

We all know the affect that dogs can have on us. Their affection goes really deep. It brings a smile to your face when they start to wag their tail when they see you at the front door. It is no wonder they man’s best friend. Dogs have been performing wondrous jobs for ages.

They are not just our loyal, trusted pets, but you will see dogs guiding the blind in total confidence. Dogs are able to solve crimes like sniff out drugs, which to my mind is absolutely incredible.

Search and rescue dogs are able to save lives and now we come to dogs that can save children’s lives on the emotional level. There is nothing better than having a fury friend comforting a child after an abusive patch in their lives or something which is mighty tough for them to deal with like neglect.

Dogs take on the role as therapists in a case like this. Dog therapy has grown over the last couple of years. There are many cases where kids would be fostered after an unhappy time in their lives and to cope with that they would be sent to all sorts of therapies, which were traditionally known to help.

Therapies, such as drawing in art therapy, play therapy as well as a one-on-one counselling session are usually the order of the day in cases like these. You may see a mild improvement with activities like these, but they are not guaranteed. Since pet therapy was introduced, counsellors have found the results to be astounding.

You may find that if the child is not used to dogs that they may become a little timid or scared, but animals like these are trained and sooner than later they are going to fall in love with the little dog. Some people have found that life with the dogs have caused kids to calm down with more predictable behaviour. They also learn to become more confident.

Play is a hugely important part of every child’s life, but it is just more difficult for some kids who have been abused or neglected to socialize as their peers would. They often become more withdrawn and will stand to one side. Dog therapy programs enable children to play because they won’t want to resist playing with a cute little dog. This helps with the developmental and psychological well being of the child.