Camp Doggone Pawsitive proudly announces that it will offer a new course in 2011 to prepare owners to take their pet into hospitals, nursing homes and schools for visitation work. After taking the course, and some supplemental work, suitable dogs and handlers should be ready to take their certification.

Our head instructor, Shelley Hunter, founded and was head trainer and coordinator for a pet therapy/animal assisted therapy program in Moncton called Project Pawsitive for Kids, in partnership with the Moncton Boys & Girls Club. This was Atlantic Canada’s first pet therapy program for at risk youth.

Shelley has presented at a national and regional workshops on pet therapy programs and dog behaviour.  She has been recruited by the United Way to speak to various local community and business groups about the benefits of pet therapy programs such as Project Pawsitive. Shelley has also attended various workshops on teaching therapy dogs and on animal assisted therapy.

In addition to her passion for this area - Shelley has 14 years of experience teaching various levels of dog training classes and working with dogs and behaviour issues. Shelley feels very strongly that owners need more education about how to prepare themselves and their dogs on a behaviourial level for therapeutic work. There is much more to animal assisted therapy than taking a simple test. You need to also make sure the work you are choosing for your dog is enjoyable to you and the dog. You can certainly train a dog to comply with cues in various environments - but that in itself does not make a good therapy dog team. The work should ultimately be rewarding to both dog and handler.

Watch our website in Fall 2011 for details.