AFT: Animal Training Tips

Linda Hume, LPN, AFT Specialist
Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital

Adapting Your Dog's Training for Therapy Work - The "Recall"

• Get your dog used to responding to both verbal commands and gestures "to come";
  • Use lots of encouragement
  • Make gestures very obvious and enthusiastic in the beginning

• Practice having your dog come to you while you are seated --insisting that they come close enough so that you can easily reach out to touch -- use 'treats' as needed;

• Do not allow the dog to jump on you. Have the animal sit when they approach you;

• Work at different distances. Many dogs are not used to doing a recall with a person seated close to them;

• Recruit someone to help with that person acting as "patient" so that the dog (and you) can get used to working with another person;

• Help your dog to learn to respond to another. Have the "patient" give the initial command, then wait to give the dog a chance to respond. If the dog does not respond to the "patient", help out by giving a signal or 'Backup' command, routing the dog over to the "patient";

• Have the person who is playing "patient" praise the dog and give a treat (the 'treats' can be weaned as you progress).

Tips for Teaching Your Dog to Retrieve in Therapy Sessions

• Practice having your dog bring things to you while you are seated;
• Insist that the animal bring objects directly to you and then hold them until the dog releases (remember that a patient may need extra time to grasp an object);
• Get your dog accustomed to retrieving lots of different objects --objects of various texture, size, weight, color, shape;
• Place or throw the objects different distances away. Place some of them on chairs, boxes, etc. to get the animal used to retrieving from a variety of locations;
• Do not allow the dog to get "mouthy" when bringing the object back -- especially when you reach for it!
• If you use a ball and the dog gets very excited with this game, it may be a good idea to substitute another object while they are learning to work with patients;
• Ask the dog to "Wait!" while the patient gets ready to throw. Often a person may take extra time to throw or release a toy in a therapy situation;
• Choose objects or toys that do not get too saturated from dog saliva -- tennis balls, stuffed toys and some rubber toys are better than other objects. If necessary, have a towel handy. [Objects used in therapy sessions should be washed at least weekly. Most can go through a gentle wash cycle in the washer. ]
• It is a good idea to remove the 'squeakers' from toys to two reasons. First, it may be distracting to the patient (especially if they persevere on making the noise). Second, it removes the danger of a dog accidentally swallowing;
• Be careful that the dog does not 'paw' at a patient in playful excitement.

Games You Can Teach For Use In A.F.T.

"Find the Ball (or other toy)"

• Have the dog hide their eyes (use helper to take the dog out of site of where you are hiding the object or use a blindfold);
  • {In a therapy situation, you would have the patient help decide where to hide the object};

• If the dog is in another area while you hide the toy, have the person acting as patient call the animal back when ready;

• The "patient" can tell the dog to "find the ....(whatever)";

• You then decide with the patient if the animal is 'hot' or 'cold' as it searches;

• Encourage the patient to make a fuss over the dog when the object is found. If the dog is having trouble finding the hidden toy, get the patient to help.

The "Shell Game"

• Use 3 or 4 brightly covered cups (Tupperware cups are ideal);

• Have the patient choose which colored cup to place the treat under;

• Have the dog hide their eyes (as described above);

• Place the treat under one of the cups and move them around on the floor to place them in a random location - but within the view of the patient;

• Have the patient call the dog back (if the dog was moved out of sight during set-up);

• The patient instructs the animal to "Find the Treat" {Few dogs have difficulty with this one}