Dog School’s in Session
Why should I choose a Paw Pause team?
Are you a principal or wellbeing coordinator considering a wellbeing dog or facility dog? Or maybe your school already has a dog belonging to a staff member who pops in for visits.
Let’s talk about how Paw Pause teams can complement your existing canine companions or be your regular dog visitor instead of the responsibility of a full-time wellbeing dog.
It’s more than just the dog
At Paw Pause, we like to say we deliver therapy by stealth. For our clients, our beautiful, trained therapy dogs are the real drawcards – and we’re totally on board with this! However, all of our handlers are also allied health professionals, so our handlers use their dog as partner to help with the therapy we provide.
We specialise in understanding the developmental, social and emotional needs of our clients and we use our dogs for support with emotional regulation, building resilience and even a bit of distraction when needed. But we also work to build up our clients, helping with focus and stability in the classroom or taking a well-deserved break when needed.
A Paw Pause dog and handler operate completely differently to a facility dog bounding into a classroom. Our focus is on our individual student and we reflect a calm and quiet energy.
We also aim to work seamlessly with the rest of the class – when a Paw Pause team is working well with their client, it looks like nothing’s happening at all, because our student is calm and learning with the rest of their peers.
All of our handlers are members of Animal Therapies Ltd and abide by the Code of Conduct.
Paw Pause adds to your staff cohort
When a teacher or member of leadership brings in their own dog, that takes that staff member out of their regular job and into the role of dog handler. Which is great! But is it really the most effective use of their time?
Individual students can book a Paw Pause team to work with them 1:1 at school for their goals. That means school staff are free to get on with their regular work.
During our three-hour weekly sessions, we can meet the student at the beginning of the day and be with them for morning classes and through recess – this is great for students who have anxiety about arriving at school and getting started. Or we can meet students just before lunch for afternoon sessions and stay until the end of the day.
Otherwise, schools can book a Paw Pause team to work with the community for a three-hour session. You might wish to have us there for a regular school day or we can attend sports days, colour runs, photo days – our dogs take the CUTEST school pics – whatever works for your school.
Paw Pause takes care of everything
When you bring on a full-time wellbeing dog, your school is responsible for:
- Training and qualifications for the dog
- Insurance
- Food
- Vet bills
- Ongoing handling
When you welcome a Paw Pause team, we take care of all those responsibilities. That means we come in, bring the dog magic and then leave again – which is a worry-free experience for your school. It couldn’t be easier!
Paw Pause dogs are highly-trained
Paw Pause dogs are all trained therapy dogs, with at least two-years’ worth of obedience training and specialist therapy dog training. Having said that, our handlers are responsible for the dog and ensure healthy boundaries are respected both ways – so that the dog and client are both safe. Paw Pause dogs are also able to cope with a range of environments and experiences.
This means our dogs can cope with big emotions, loud noises, changes in routine – like sports days and assemblies – and all the unpredictability of working in schools.
Visiting pet dogs and wellbeing dogs don’t have the same level of training as a Paw Pause therapy dog.
We’re here to work as part of the team
At Paw Pause, we experience the positive effect that dogs can have on students – we see this as part of our work in every single session.
So it stands to reason that we are very pro-dogs-in-schools. It’s not an us vs them argument for us – the more positive interactions students can have with dogs, the better!
We’re here to complement the programs you have in your school and support your individual students and the whole community to love being at school.
We’ll work in partnership with your staff, fitting in with the classroom where possible and working independently so we don’t add to teachers’ mental loads or real workloads.
After all, we’re all here to work on the same goals – and that’s positive experiences for your students, our clients.
Want to understand more about welcoming a Paw Pause team to your school? Contact us.
