“I’ve Got You” Supportive Handling Skills in Animal-Assisted Services

Therapy dogs provide comfort and connection to countless people—but they need support, too! Being a successful therapy dog handler is more than simply holding onto one end of the leash. This engaging workshop focuses on how handlers can promote their therapy dog’s well-being through supportive handling skills. Therapy dogs deserve to feel supported in their work rather than left alone to deal with what’s being directed toward them.
Participants will explore their dog’s relationship with them and their relationship with their dog, considering how both relationships can affect their visits with clients. Participants will consider ways of handling that give their dogs greater self-confidence during sessions. Join us to learn five principles of supportive handling that are applicable in all visiting situations and can be applied in individual ways to fit your style. Discover how to unobtrusively yet consistently promote your dog’s well-being in every visit.
We will also explore the Therapy Animal’s Bill of Rights, a framework that recognizes every therapy animal’s right to respect. Learn how to integrate those rights into everyday life, not solely visiting. The workshop covers how to create experiences that protect both the animal’s welfare and the quality of interactions with clients.
Whether you are a new handler or an experienced handler, this session will provide practical tools, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to help your canine partner thrive. Because successful therapy-dog work begins with a dog who feels safe, respected, and supported.
Ideal for: Therapy-dog handlers, volunteers, program coordinators, and anyone interested in canine welfare in animal-assisted services.
Ann began her life by being friends with the animals on the ranch where she grew up. As an adult, she found ways to incorporate animals into her psychotherapy practice and to advocate for the dog’s perspective as a dog trainer, CARAT Assessor, and canine fitness trainer. Ann has worked in the field of animal-assisted services for more than 35 years. She helped develop the first practice definitions and Standards of Practice in the field, and she contributed to the first competency definitions for psychotherapists working with animals. She has written books and textbooks for both volunteers and professionals, including Teaming with Your Therapy Dog and Assessing Handlers for Competence. She continues to develop and teach curricula on-line and in-person. Kindness is central to her way of being, toward both humans and the animals with whom we share this planet.
Register Now: https://foryourk9.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/events.aspx?event=24238