Canine Organisations
YKC members are very fortunate in being given exclusive tours to the canine organisations that we work with, which allows them to go and find out more about their work and more importantly, see and learn from the dogs. We have previously visited Battersea Dog and Cats Home in London and the Dogs for the Disabled centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire and we have lots more planned for this year.
YKC members between the ages of 8 and 24 years were given the opportunity to visit the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People centre in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire for the day.
Members that were lucky enough to gain a place spent the day learning all about the charity, taking part in games & activities and meeting some of the hearing dogs in training. Hearing Dogs also offered our members the chance to try and train the dogs themselves and all of them did a great job.
Hearing Dogs offers volunteering opportunities and hold events to raise money for the charity, if you would like to support Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and to find out more about them please visit their website www.hearingdogs.org.uk
Young Kennel Club members aged between seven and seventeen took part in the first Dogs for the Disabled interactive dog training day last year at their national training centre in Banbury. Members were introduced to the world of training assistance dogs starting with a display by assistance dog Pepsi and her trainer where they highlighted the techniques used by the charity to develop a range of skills and task work with Labradors and golden retrievers, who will one day, give independence to a disabled child or adult.
Then, working with the charity’s specialist trainers, all the members were then given an exclusive opportunity to train one of the charity’s assistance dogs to perform a new task. The tasks ranged from teaching a dog to stand still on a bench so that it can be groomed, to training a dog to place their head on a person’s lap so that medication can be applied to the ears or teeth checked. To help train the dogs to complete their task, the children used a reward-based method to encourage the dogs to learn.
"I have learned so much about how having a trained assistance dog can change a disabled person’s life dramatically. We also had a tour around the centre’s kennels, and saw their special grooming room and adapted show room which makes it simple for owners to groom their dogs. The day was fab and consequently I am planning to become a trainer for the charity as a career" – Bea Benton (Dogs for the Disabled Visit)
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have opened their doors in the past for Young Kennel Club (YKC) members aged 14 years and above to attend a tour of the centre and facilities.
YKC members were given talks from members of staff from different areas within Battersea and then a tour of the Home including areas such as the dog sales blocks, cattery sales, and their exercise areas. Members were then given the opportunity on the day to ask any questions they may have to Battersea staff.
"We really appreciate all the effort Battersea has gone to for our Young Kennel Club members. It’s a great opportunity for them and will give them the chance to get a feel for how a dog and cats home works behind the scenes." – Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary
