The school dogs
The School Dogs are highly trained dogs who are of impeccable temperament, have undergone in-depth positive reinforcement training and who then have been rigorously assessed to clarify that they are competent and safe to work in the school environment. All D.H.K. School Dogs will be provided with harnesses, leads, collars and identification to prove that they are certified School Dogs.
The School Dogs are divided into three different groups – visiting, attending and educational
Visiting School Dogs
These dogs ‘visit’ schools as often as they can. This can be as little as a few hours every month, an hour or a few hours each week or a day (sometimes more) a week. They can also visit different schools during the same month.
Attending School Dogs
These dogs are in 'attendance' at the same school most days. They will normally be owned by a member of the school staff or the head teacher. They will be an integral part of the school teaching team and will be highly valued by the school and the children.
Educational School Dogs
These dogs will accompany DHK staff on 'educational' school talks in schools and colleges. They will be able to demonstrate clicker training in action in very busy environments, happy to visit different educational establishments, and will be trained to meet and greet the children after each educational talk.
The roles of the School Dogs in the school environment will be many. Some of the dogs will be able to offer all of the roles, some will have specialised in one role only (the Canine Therapy Dogs are examples of this).
These roles consist of the following:-
Classroom Canines
These dogs will be happy to simply ‘chill out’ in the classroom whilst the children are having their lesson (s). Their very presence will have a calming effect on the children. Research studies in both Britain and America have concluded that having a dog in a school classroom can have many positive benefits – these include help to calm children down, improve academic achievement, motivate those children who are often not that attentive, teach responsibility and encourage children to respect all life. Furthermore it has been shown that when classmates share the affection and care of a ‘class’ dog, a bond forms among the classmates and strengthens their team ethics.
Listening Canines
These dogs will be incredibly calm and happy to have an individual child read to them or join a group of children in the library whilst they are having a book reading session. Dogs give unconditional acceptance, as they are non-judgmental, which is especially crucial to struggling, emerging readers. The listening canines also provide confidence to children as they do not make fun of them when they read, but above all they make amazing listeners, providing the children with a sense of comfort and love. In America, the ‘Read’ Dogs, as they are known, have proved through research that children who read to these dogs show an increase in reading levels, word recognition, a higher desire to read and write, and an increase in intra and interpersonal skills among the children they mix with.
Reward Canines
These dogs will be gentle and loving, but at the same time full of fun and enjoyment for the children. Those children who have performed incredibly well during the week or those who have made progress in a certain subject, or those who have achieved tasks set for them, will be rewarded with spending time during lunch or break to interact with these dogs. Walking, grooming, playing and training are some of the responsibilities the children will be allowed to undertake with the reward dogs. It has been proved that working and playing with a dog improves children’s social skills and self esteem.
Canine Therapy Dogs
These dogs will work with children on a one-one basis only and will especially help those children who have been bullied, abused, going through upsetting/difficult times or even scared/phobic of dogs. These dogs will bring much joy to all those children they meet and are happy to provide plenty of hugs to the children they are spending time with. Children who struggle with social interaction can find a reassuring friend in a canine therapy dog. These dogs will have been training for this role since puppyhood and as such are much specialised in their role as a canine therapist.
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©DHK Dogs Helping Kids, Charitable Trust
Callanish, Eastacombe, Tawstock, Barnstaple,
North Devon, EX31 3NX
