DOG THERAPISTS
Dogs trained to improve people's quality of life
DOG THERAPISTS
The Dog Therapist is a dog that is trained to provide assistance to people with some sort of disability in everyday activities, both inside and outside the home. This dog is trained to assist the user, based on their special specific needs. It takes part in family routines, so the entire family benefits, improving the family dynamic.
Dog therapists available
What is a dog therapist?
A dog therapist is a dog that acts both as a therapy and as an assistance dog. There are many families who have a member with special needs, which may be physical, psycho-social, cognitive and/or sensory, which greatly condition their everyday life. It has been proven that dogs can be a huge help. This is why we have dog-assisted therapy, where a technician in animal-assisted interventions conducts sessions with their dog to work on certain skills for the person (cognitive or physical exercises). On the other hand, there are assistance dogs that live with the individual and help them to carry out certain day-to-day tasks. Our dogs combine the traits of both therapy and assistance dogs. These are dogs that live with the families to make their daily tasks easier. They can accompany the individual with special needs wherever they may go, to keep them safe and improve their social relationships. Moreover, the dog trainer and ethologist can attend sessions with the professionals treating the individual (physiotherapists, psychologists, pedagogues, etc.) to give them key tips on how to add the dog to their therapies, like with a therapy dog. This way, the user can benefit from the advantages of having a dog in their therapy sessions, and also enjoy the assistance and emotional support provided by an assistance dog.
For the family with special needs
Dog therapist training aims to help resolve difficulties caused by the user's pathology in the home. This means that, within the home, the dog has been trained to help improve family routines and dynamics that are conditioned by the user's pathology. This way, not only the user's needs, but the entire family is taken into consideration. The new routines seek to benefit the entire family unit.
For users with special needs
Beyond the home, the dog is ready to help the user with the other environments they move in. In this way, the dog's job is to help the user both with their daily tasks at the home, and in public settings where they may need support. Depending on the student's needs and when deemed suitable to do so, the dog can help them at school or at work, with occupational or extracurricular activities, with therapies the user participates in, or in their daily routines.