Would you and your dog enjoy being part of “PJ’s Pals” TEAM??

Important Skills for You —
Are you a good, confident reader? Do you love to read?…to hang out with young children?…
to relax, sit on the floor and escape life for awhile? Are you patient? Do you not mind hearing the same story repeated often? Are you willing to practice your skills at supporting a child who’s learning to read, and perhaps teach your dog a few new commands? Then the PJ’s Pals program is definitely for you!

Important Skills for your Dog —
This is a perfect therapy job for a dog who just loves to lie around and snuggle, who is a
good listener, calm, focused, and peaceful, and who loves to be touched and stroked. A true couch potato! It could also be appropriate for therapy animals who are beginning to slow down . . . a nice transition to a less active environment. On the other hand, your dog must be OK with sudden bursts of confusion and activity and crowding—always a possibility with young children. Sometimes seeing the dogs in school is what causes the excitement, noise and crowding. And there are those school bells—OUCH! to a dog’s ears. As with other therapy venues, it is essential for PJ’s Pals dogs to have solid obedience skills under collars—the more the better!

Special Training for your Dog —
Get your dog used to the blanket it will be using on it’s visits. This should be it’s comfortable place.

Practice Reading to your Dog using an old children’s book where you have put treats (liver, etc.) on the pages, and use a word like “Look” or “See” to have the dog look at the pages.

Teach your Dog the “Paw Stay” Command. Put it’s paw on the book page and say “Stay”. Use treats, clicker, or any positive training reinforcement. Once mastered, you can use this technique when the child comes in and you’re greeting them. Example: “Look, PJ is waiting for you to read this book to him.”

Practice using the Dog’s Paw as a pointer to break words into syllables.

Practice inking the Dog’s Paw with a non-toxic stamp pad to “paw-a-graph” books.