Assistance Dog Training Minor

Dr. Hawkins (program coordinator)

The School of Health and Applied Human Sciences offers an interdisciplinary minor in assistance dog training. The minor is designed to prepare students to be assistance dog trainers and to use animal assisted interventions in a variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals, and long-term facilities. Course work requires field experience working with assistance dogs in-training and individuals with disabilities. Students are accepted into the minor after successfully completing RTH 378  Advanced Assistance Dog Training I. Students should contact the coordinator for more information.

Total hours for the minor: 18 credit hours.

Students completing the Assistance Dog Training Minor are expected to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the various roles, responsibilities, and laws related to assistance dogs and animal assisted-interventions, including animal-assisted activities, animal-assisted education, and animal-assisted therapy;
2. Demonstrate the ability to apply animal behavior theories to training assistance dogs;
3. Demonstrate the ability to train an assistance dog to perform public access skills;
4. Demonstrate the ability to apply the concepts used in the classroom to train an assistance dog, appropriately place an assistance dog with a client, and train an assistance dog recipient to handle his or her assistance dog.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to use a facility dog (or other animal) to work with individuals or groups in a healthcare facility or school to accomplish client/student-centered goals.