Therapy begins at home

Till a month ago Pearl would suffer sleepless nights because of the traffic outside her Louis Wadi neighbourhood in Thane The antics of the children in her colony would equally terrorise her says parent Satish Kelkar a former banker But all thatrsquos changed since the sixmonthold Golden Retriever was enrolled at the Animal Angels Foundation which trains animals in assisted therapyAkash Lonkar training sixmonthold Pearl Once she completes obedience classes she will start with advanced therapy training which will involve being desensitised to loud noise including crackers and learning to be calm in strange environments PicSwarali PurohitNot just does she sleep through traffic she also allows the children to play with her If a guest comes home Pearl gives them a warm nobark welcome instantly putting them at ease says Kelkar who struck by his poochrsquos incorrigible love for human company and her innate ability to comfort a person low in spirits felt that enrolling her in therapy school could sharpen her talent But he doesnrsquot see her working as a therapy dog as of now Not professionally at leastThe 59yearold who noticed a sharp dip in his sugar levels in the time that Pearl has been with him is happy having her help him and his wife Neeta and play with the colony kidsHe joins a growing breed mdashpun intended mdash of pet parents who are increasingly seeking therapy training for their pooches not to employ but better the experienceAkash Lonkar director of Animal Angels and a dog trainer for 10 years is among the few trainers in India to trains dogs in animalassisted therapy Therapy animals work in schools hospitals and nursing homes with children with special needs and patients Taught to remain calm under pressing circumstances their presence encourages the children and patients to stand up to challengesMinal Kavishwar a certified animalassisted therapist has trained her cat Cookie in methods of positive reinforcement using treatsLonkar says the difference between a pet trained in basic etiquette and one trained to be a therapy animal lies in the way they behave with family members and outsiders While a regular pet will obey commands from family members he might not necessarily do the same with outsiders He might not like it if a child came and pulled his tail or raised his ear and screamed into it However a therapy dog is trained to deal with this He is even trained to be desensitised to crackers Till date Lonkar has trained 50 dogs to be therapy animals While the cost of a session depends on number of classes and the place where the therapy is conducted on an average the cost for training ranges from R20000 to R30000 All training begins with obedience classes and lasts six to eight months while advanced therapy training takes place over two to four months After that the pet is taken to the field in a real setting to test its abilityLonkar visits the Kelkar residence twice a week training Pearl in both indoor and outdoor activities While indoor activities include obedience and agility training outside Pearl learns to bear the sound of passing vehicles the shriek of children in the vicinity and strangersNot for all dogsMumbaibased dog behavourist Shireen Merchant says she gets 20 calls a week from pet parents keen to have their dogs trained She however advices caution Ask yourself she says if your pet tolerates human company or enjoys it Only if the dog enjoys the company of people thoroughly and actively seeks it can it work as therapy animal If the dog is simply tolerating people and you sign up for therapy yoursquore unwittingly increasing the dogrsquos stress levelsEvey dog will first be put through a screening test to check if it is eligibleIts traits mdash confidence shyness friendliness aggressiveness protectiveness prey instincts play drive and selfdefense instincts and ability to distinguish between threatening and no threatening situations mdash are measured For a dog to be eligible for training it should not jump at new people or bark at strangers It should maintain composure in new environments say at a school or hospitalPearl for instance is a natural with therapy dogs for biological parents That her pet parents are caring parents helps all the more says Lonkar Because working dogs belong to a family even after they retire from professional life they continue to work as therapy dogs in their own family settingIn most homes therersquoll be moments of discord arguments fights and depression While therersquos a chance that a pet might get affected by this a therapy dog helps salvage the situation and comfort members says LonkarHelping out at homePunebased psychology student Aditi Bodas who is parent to a 10yearold therapy trained Labrador says Ella has helped her tide through rough timesMy mum remarried a couple of years ago and shuttles between her new home and this one She is often stressed in the process Having a therapy dog in the house is comforting says Bodas While all dogs can sense emotional highs and lows Ellarsquos training helps her judge the situation and act accordinglyOn occasions when I and my mother argue instead of getting upset Ella stays silent gives us a look and walks away As if shersquos telling us to get over it laughs Bodas adding that the Lab snuggles up to her when shersquos low If Irsquom very upset shersquoll sit near me and nudge me with her paw till I feel comfortable enough to let her come closer On some occasions I place my head on my dogrsquos back because thatrsquos supposed to be therapeutic says the 24yearold who lives with her mother younger sister Ella and a catYour feline can help tooYes you read it right It seems even cats with their seeming nonchalance work well as therapy animals Minal Kavishwar a certified Animal Assisted Therapist from the University of North Texas and Delta Society often uses cats as cotherapists in her practice Contrary to popular belief cats can be trained in therapy They work especially well in the field of relationships Cats have a unique ability to purr and when they do they emit vibrations that have a frequency to heal internally she saysKavishwar has a sixyearold cat Cookie who she has trained through the methods of positive reinforcement and treats to be a therapy cat Obviously not all cats make good therapy cats Those who are calm confident friendly and okay with unpredictable or new situations do well