Courtesy photo
HABIC offers courses and certificates through Colorado State University.

By Shelley Widhalm
The Surveyor

Human-Animal Bond in Colorado is seeking up to 27 volunteers who love their dogs and want to share them with others to take the next Therapy Dog Class.
“If you have a really friendly dog and want to give back to the community, this is a really amazing way to do that,” said Kate Miller, HABIC animal trainer and volunteer coordinator and a Berthoud resident.

HABIC’s next training class is the fall hybrid 12-week Therapy Dog Class starting Aug. 7 in Loveland and Aug. 17 in Fort Collins. Therapy dog teams will be certified to travel the Front Range to facilitate the therapeutic process in places like schools, hospitals, nursing homes, respite care facilities, rehab clinics, mental health facilities and Veterans Affairs agencies. There are more than 45 agencies HABIC visits.

“Oftentimes, just seeing the dogs will alleviate stress,” Miller said, adding that petting a dog can decrease heartrate and lower blood pressure. “Even just looking at a dog has been shown to boost oxytocin, that love and feel-good hormone.”

HABIC is a nonprofit center in the Colorado State University School of Social Work that sponsors animal therapy programs, as well as education and research to advance the benefits of the human-animal bond. The center offers training classes three times a year in the fall beginning in August, the spring beginning in January and the summer beginning in May.

The fall training class will meet one hour a week, with the first two classes entirely online. Those classes will cover HABIC’s training philosophy, dog body language and subtle signs of stress.

The remaining classes will be hybrid and consist of prerecorded training videos, then in-person sessions to practice the skills covered in the videos. The skills for the dogs will include basic obedience, manners, waiting for treats and keeping four paws on the floor. The skills for the humans will include navigating sudden environmental changes, keeping the dog’s attention in distracting environments and ensuring the dog doesn’t jump up or paw at people.

Plus, there will be animal-assisted intervention activities, such as selecting treats from upside down cups, waiting for treats placed on a paw and hide-and-seek.
“It’s half training the dog and half training the handler,” Miller said. “The dog and the trainer are learning a lot of skills.”

Before starting the class, the handlers and their dogs will be required to undergo a behavioral pre-screening process, and it’s recommended they have participated in at least one group obedience class. The dog also is required to undergo a medical examination.

Once the therapy dog teams complete the Therapy Dog Class, they are required to sign up for a final evaluation to become a certified HABIC therapy dog team. Currently, there are 120 trained teams.

In addition to the training, therapy dog teams will receive peer support and, once certified, opportunities for continuing education. Currently, the Dog Days of Summer provides one-hour, drop-in classes that cover various animal-assisted intervention activities, such as how to roll fuzzy dice and do a maze blindfolded. The HABIC Pals program also is a way for the handlers to connect with fellow volunteers and to receive guidance.

The therapy dog teams are asked once they complete the training and are placed in a facility to commit to at least one year of service. Most teams volunteer once a week for one hour at a time, and some will volunteer every other week or once a month, Miller said.

The classes for the fall session will start at the following times:
Aug. 7, noon-1 p.m., at Good Samaritan Society in Loveland (for up to seven students).
Aug. 17, 4-5 p.m. or 5:15-6:15 p.m., HABIC Training & Research Center in Fort Collins (for up to 20 students).

HABIC provides training in Denver in partnership with Behavior Vets of Colorado, but the next sessions has not yet been scheduled. There also is a new one-on-one training class for cats—they need to be able to wear a harness and like going to new places.

This year, HABIC, founded in 1993, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

“The founding director (Georgia Granger) had a really sweet story of when she came home one day, her dog was glued onto her,” Miller said, adding that she noticed her stress go down and her overall wellness improve. “It predated a lot of the science. Now, we have studies to go back to see more of the stress-reduction quantifiers.”

For more details about HABIC, visit https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/habic/.