A brief overview of the qualified training of an assistance dog at VITA.
Successful
cooperation and positive interaction between dog and disabled person requires
qualified training of the assistance dog, expert knowledge in the field of
cynology and, last but not least, pedagogical and psychological expertise and a
special empathy.
How
does VITA train assistance dogs?
Selection of puppies
VITA
selects the puppies very carefully, taking into account the temperament and
health of the parents as well as the puppy tests.
Socialising
At
the age of approx. 8 weeks, the puppies come to selected adopters for 12 to 15
months, where they grow up and are playfully introduced to their environment. The
adopters are supervised by a VITA trainer.
Training
The actual
training is divided into two phases and lasts six to ten months. The duration
of the training depends, among other things, on the specific tasks that the dog
is to take on for its adopter.
In the
first phase, all dogs learn the so-called basics, followed by advanced training
in the second phase, in which they are specifically prepared for their
individual tasks.
Matching
The most
suitable human-dog team is determined.
Pairing
Tatjana
Kreidler and/or Dr. Ariane Volpert now take over the pairing of the new
human-dog team which takes about six weeks. During this time, a relationship is
carefully built up between the human and dog team, both learn how to deal with
each other and must now grow together in everyday life.
Aftercare
The teams are regularly supervised and trained by VITA - throughout the dog's life.
