Therapy Dog Question

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

I've had Mojo for a little over a year now and had him registered with Therapy Dogs Inc. before he was even officially adopted. We go to a local nursing home every Sunday and I switch between my hounds every two weeks. The last couple of weeks Mojo has not been interested in letting any of the residents pet him. He will go up to them and as soon as they reach out to pet him, he'll back up out of reach. He's fine with the staff - he only does this with the residents. He's never had a bad experience that I know of and since he's always by my side, I think I would know. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience with their hounds and if so, what did you do?

 

I don't want to continue taking him if he doesn't enjoy it. He has plenty of other opportunities to do his therapy dog 'work' - he LOVES having the kids read to him. I'm just kind of afraid that Miri will get burned out having to go to the nursing home every week (and she loves to go to the library too). I would take a break for awhile, but we are the only therapy dogs that visit there and so many of the residents look forward to seeing the dogs, so I hate to disappoint them.

[silverfish]

I would stop taking him. He is telling you that he doesn't want to be there, in his own way. He may like the staff members for themselves, or just because he finds them less stressful - dogs pick up so easily on emotions, and he may not be able to deal with the residents for some reason.

 

Perhaps after a break, you could try taking him again. I'd give him three months, if he were mine.

 

As to Miri getting burned out, well, she may or she may not. Renie used to go to her assignments weekly and didn't mind at all. But I'm having to make the same hard choice as you, with my Sid, for different reasons: He has had to stop visiting the nursing home because of schedule changes (of theirs, not mine) but I'm going to have to stop taking him to the hospital soon, too, I think, because he's very stiff in the back. He's a tripod and gets cramps, and I have to lift his legs to put non-slip boots on when we go to the ward. It's just not fair on him. I'm going to try to get him a placement with a school reading scheme so that he can just go in, lie down, and be read to. It'll be much easier on him.

 

Here in England, the Pets As Therapy people stress that it's a two way street. You have to make a commitment to the place you visit, but equally, you must make sure you protect your dog - and that means from pain, stress, fear, or simply overstepping their comfort levels.

[cleptogrey]

I would stop taking him. He is telling you that he doesn't want to be there, in his own way. He may like the staff members for themselves, or just because he finds them less stressful - dogs pick up so easily on emotions, and he may not be able to deal with the residents for some reason.

 

Perhaps after a break, you could try taking him again. I'd give him three months, if he were mine.

 

As to Miri getting burned out, well, she may or she may not. Renie used to go to her assignments weekly and didn't mind at all. But I'm having to make the same hard choice as you, with my Sid, for different reasons: He has had to stop visiting the nursing home because of schedule changes (of theirs, not mine) but I'm going to have to stop taking him to the hospital soon, too, I think, because he's very stiff in the back. He's a tripod and gets cramps, and I have to lift his legs to put non-slip boots on when we go to the ward. It's just not fair on him. I'm going to try to get him a placement with a school reading scheme so that he can just go in, lie down, and be read to. It'll be much easier on him.

 

Here in England, the Pets As Therapy people stress that it's a two way street. You have to make a commitment to the place you visit, but equally, you must make sure you protect your dog - and that means from pain, stress, fear, or simply overstepping their comfort levels.

 

well said, i used to keep the visits short and sweet- 30 min. max. when emily didn't repond well to a site i declined from returning. let your dog do the talking in this situation. you might enjoy visiting and reading/chatting at the home w/o the pup- nothing wrong w/ that.

[Laur]

I'd take a break.

One of mine was a therapy dog for 5 years.

Sometimes a resident can be unintentionally rougher than you'd think..a pull of the collar, twist of the neck fur.. sometimes the dog feels a bit trapped once it steps up to be petted, whereas the staff will brush it and move along, the resident may prefer to linger longer than the dog likes.

Sometimes the dog is repelled by certain hand creams or can smell other medication the handler cannot.

[FountainLady]

With all therapy dog activities, you need to keep in mind what the dog enjoys the best. They need to be happy with the interaction with the people they come in contact with.

 

My first Therapy dog, Rainy - absolutely LOVED anything to do with children. She spent four years enjoying the children's reading programs at the Libraries. She wasn't so much into Nursing home and Hospice visits, so we only did them a few times a year. She was great working at public events for the Therapy dog group, and doing stress relief at the Special Olympics.

 

Gus - on the other hand - is new to all the Therapy dog stuff. He just received his certification in October. He loves going to the Nursing home, so we go weekly. He is a bit impatient waiting for the children to finish reading to him at the Library (he wants to get up and leave half way through their stories ... LOL ). But with a treat and coaxing, he will lay back down and let them finish. Gus prefers active one-on-one interaction with people, where Rainy loved to snuggle up next to the children and enjoy the quiet time together as they read to her.

 

For me, the Therapy dog activities are a special time I spend with my greyhounds. I want them to have a good time and enjoy the day out with me.

We try to do many different types of therapy dog activities over the year, so things stay fun and interesting.

 

This weekend Gus will be at a large community health and wellness fair - manning the Therapy Dogs International booth. We are bringing our books and reading mat. I'm sure after an hour or so on his feet meeting and greeting the public and being hugged on by countless children, he'll be happy to lay down and let the kids read to him.

 

Sometimes you need to take a break if your dog shuts down and doesn't want to interact with the people - regroup, relax and try something new.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I think we will take a break from the nursing home, for Mojo at least. My first hound, Aaron, preferred the nursing home to being around children, so I understand that they have their likes and dislikes, and special gifts. I never thought about hand creams or meds that they may be able to smell. I wish we could keep our visits shorter at the nursing home. I've told the volunteer coordinator that the hounds tend to shut down after an hour, but she just keeps adding residents' names to the list. I've gotten to the point where we just skip the ones who are sleeping even though they tell us to wake them, so that helps shorten our time there. And if I'm visiting longer with a resident, the hounds just lie down and take a nap. The residents are always amazed that they are so relaxed, which I think is funny since we all know these dogs will nap at the drop of a hat as long as there is a soft place to lie.

 

We are attending a sensory fair this weekend at a facility in town that works with the developmentally disabled, so that will be new and interesting for him and Miri. It's all day, so I will take them separately and just watch each one closely to see when they 'tell' me they need to take a break, or if they're uncomfortable in the situation. I'm not exactly sure what is involved in this, but hopefully it will be fun for all.

[Guest june]

I try to never go longer than an hour at a therapy visit. If we go an hour Jazzy climbs in the van and goes to sleep. 45 minutes seems to be ideal for her. I just tell the staff that it is important for her to enjoy the visit as much as the residents and they agree.

 

Edited to add: We never wake residents and always knock and ask if we may enter their rooms.

Edited April 19, 2012 by june

[silverfish]

It's a very rare therapy dog who will happily do more than an hour on an ongoing basis. Even if they are simply lying down, they're mentally very alert and on their best behaviour, and it gets very tiring for them. Add in any stress from unusual noises and smells, people who don't behave normally, or just too many hands petting them in a short time and they really need you to intervene on their behalf and protect them.

 

It's possible that the staff of the nursing home simply don't understand how dogs work - that they're not clockwork, but living, breathing creatures who have their own sensitivities and who do get tired. You may have to lay it on the line and say 'look, I'm very sorry, but if we can't keep the visits down to an hour, and do so pretty much every single time we come, I'm going to have to stop bringing them'.

 

I've told people in the past that I can't take on whatever they want me to do, and it's clear they're disappointed, but I say (with a smile) 'well, I'm sorry, but if I don't keep this manageable for him, he's simply going to refuse to come, and we don't want that, do we?'

[rschultz]

I understand about disappointing the residents. If I miss one week (been going three years) I never hear the end of it Maybe cut back to twice a month and 30-40 minutes, then to once a month. Lexie has always been shy so I know sometimes she doesn't like going. We still go because it really has helped socialize her. Each dog is different. Lexie is the opposite and won't let the nurses pet her. She probably figures she is suppose to be there for the residents so why should the nurses and staff pet her

Edited April 20, 2012 by rschultz

[Wonder]

I work in a nursing home and bring my dogs Fri and Sat. Some times they won't get up to greet people and the people get upset but I just tell them they are tired