Merlin - PAT dog

MellowYellow

MellowYellow

After all the sadness we've been through in our household lately, I thought I'd post something positive and happy for a change...

I've long wanted to do some kind of volunteer work with Merlin; I always thought he would be very good as a PAT dog as he is so friendly yet calm, but when I was working full time it just wasn't feasible. In November we got the opportunity to join a course with the aim of becoming a visiting human plus dog team for an old people's home near us.

First Merlin had to be assessed to check that he would be the right kind of dog for this sort of work - obedient, calm, friendly, not 'snatchy', not likely to jump up, self-confident but not pushy, etc etc. He and five other dogs were accepted onto the course, which consists of three full days training, as well as four accompanied visits, followed by a final exam. We have now completed two of the three days training (mostly theory but with some hands-on activities too), and we have also completed the accompanied visits. We still have one full day training, and then the exam is in April, after which we will be able to do visits on our own! It's a little daunting, as most of the inhabitants have at least some degree of dementia, but I feel relatively confident now, especially after the visit we did on Saturday where Merly really shone; I was so proud of him. The lady we visited absolutely loved him - she was especially charmed that he would spin in a circle on command, and she also loved his Duck Trick 🦆🦆🦆 that I taught him - it made her laugh out loud, which was lovely. :happy: Good boy Merlin!
 
Candy

Candy

Biscuit Tin Guardian
Location
West Yorkshire, UK
Well done you and Merlin, not only will you make other people very happy and bring back memories of dogs they've had in the past and loved, I think you'll find you enjoy it too. When I worked in a day hospital for older people with mental health problems, including dementia, I sometimes used to take Barley (Yellow Lab, very calm and placid) to work with me, with some lovely results, people's faces used to light up when they met her, and she enjoyed going because she got so many treats.
 
Atemas

Atemas

UK Tour Guide
Location
North Cambridgeshire
Great thing to be doing ❤.

When I retired, I wanted to do some voluntary work, so Sky became a PAT dog. We visited visually and aurally impaired people in a day setting. They absolutely loved her and she was so good at bringing happiness to all. I did consider it for Red but felt I personally had done what I wanted to do and then we started travelling and it would have been hard to commit.
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

Selina27 said:
This is fantastic to read, what a wonderful and worthwhile thing to be doing with Merlin, especially after your disappointment around his hips and the gundog work you wanted to do and your recent heartbreak. It must be really lovely to be able to work with him and share the joy with others.
Terrific !
Click to expand...
Thank you! And exactly - in addition to being in a good cause, I believe dogs shine when they have a 'job' to do; and I really loved the strong bond and mutual understanding that came about as a result of all the training I did with Poppy for so many years. (Of course, I also have done gun dog training with Merlin, but not to the same extent or level - it would not have been good for his joints at all.) So I am hoping that he will really enjoy his new-found 'career', and that it is something we can do together for years to come, without putting undue pressure on his hips.

The duck trick... 🦆 🦆 🦆 - It was suggested that, though not mandatory, it does help when visiting if the dog can do some simple tricks, and better still if the person being visited can be involved in that. I wanted to work out a trick using things Merlin can already do (apart from the usual things like sit, down, stay, paw etc). So the idea behind the duck trick is that I have a nest (a small basket) with three ducklings (plastic bath ducks), and I hide them in the room of the person being visited. I explain that the ducklings have got lost and can't find their way back to the nest. Then on command (and this can be given by the person being visited) Merlin goes and finds them one by one, and brings them back and drops them into the 'nest' on the person's lap... It's very charming, and I am sure we can use it in group settings as well, and also extend it so that he maybe puts the ducklings into the basket on the floor, and then picks the basket up and brings it to the person being visited... but that is something for the future. Right now I'm just thrilled that he has something we can show off which is also somewhat interactive. :happy:
 
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