Playgroups are the single most important enrichment activity we can give to dogs in our care. As the Dogs Playing For Life (DPFL) manual states, “in addition to exercise and social interactions, play groups provide opportunities for enrichment, assessment, training, and behavior modification.” It lets dogs be dogs.
Thanks to Animal Farm Foundation, Safe Humane Chicago is once again hosting in-lot playgroup training for leads and back-ups. Contractor Angela Tomasino will be the lead trainer for this three-day training event. Angela will be joined by an experienced playgroup lead/ trainer Ashley Pastor from Animal Farm Foundation running playgroups and training at CACC all day Saturday - Monday with lunch provided and debrief from 1p to 2p (schedule adjustments will be posted and emailed to participants).
WHO CAN SIGN UP FOR IN-LOT TRAINING? CACC-approved Dog Walkers who can commit to playgroups generally once a week and are interested in starting the process to become playgroup leads or back-ups. Please sign up for whatever you can do, but of course preferably for all three days. (Trainees from recent past trainings -- May of this year with training lead Aaron and August with Angela and Ashley are encouraged to join in, whether for more experience or to observe, all contributing toward the time when they too can and are comfortable with in-lot volunteering.)
We will have a limit on in-lot participants (but not on observers, from which a lot can be learned!) and focus on those who can become leads or back-up leads as soon as possible, including getting some experience in the lots after this training. How soon leads and back-up leads are developed depends on skill and ability and comfort and interest in addition to some days in training. We will have a tiered training plan in place to move folks along toward becoming leads and back-ups. More to come.
RUNNERS? WHO WANTS TO HELP WITH HANDLING THE DOGS GOING TO AND LEAVING THE PLAYLOT? Yes, that's what is commonly termed "runners," which does not convey the importance of these handlers. You are essential, and not "just" to support the in-lot team with dogs to play. We need volunteers to get the dogs out of their kennels and to the playlot gates to go in with their playmates; to let them shake off their play time and go back to the kennels -- all to make sure the playgroup team in the lot can simply supervise the playtime for the dogs to be together in the best ways possible. MOREOVER, THE DOGS NEED THESE HANDLERS TO PROVIDE OBSERVATIONS ON NEEDS OR CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THE DOG IS DOING -- AT KENNEL, WALKING, AND SO FORTH. Learn a bit about this during this 3-day training. Sign up on the "runners and observers" opportunity.
Questions / Concerns: email Cynthia Bathurst at cbathurst@safehumane.org.
