{"id":1789,"date":"2011-08-25T10:17:20","date_gmt":"2011-08-25T09:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/?p=1789"},"modified":"2011-08-26T21:57:17","modified_gmt":"2011-08-26T20:57:17","slug":"o-jednym-z-naszych-psow-w-prasie-holenderskiej-pies-pracujacy-z-dziecmi-autystycznymi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/news\/about-one-of-our-dogs-in-the-dutch-press-a-dog-working-with-autistic-children\/","title":{"rendered":"About one of our dogs in the Dutch press (dog working with autistic children)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, an article appeared in the local press in the Netherlands about one of our pupils, who today officially acts as an assistance dog in a semi-open institution for people with autism.<\/p>\n

Here is the article:<\/p>\n

\u201cTherapist dog \u2013 Hairy Pasja Mazzel Tov reflects trust.<\/p>\n

Light brown, long-haired, curly with a cheerful face. Australian Labradoodle Mazzel Tov is a favorite of the Spectrum group, a semi-open facility for people with autism. Orthopedist Helmine Poleij uses a specially trained dog to positively influence the comfort of patients suffering from autism spectrum disorders. Successfully.<\/p>\n

Author: TIMO VAN DE KASTEELE<\/p>\n

People with autism often have trouble interacting socially and expressing their feelings. \u201cWell-trained dogs can help improve interaction with other people,\u201d says Helmine Poleij. \u201cIn many cases, confidence also increases when a dog listens to its master.\u201d Helmine Poleij took Mazzel Tov home first for her six-year-old foster son. He suffers from a form of autism and various anxiety disorders. \u201cOne of these anxiety disorders is the fear of large dogs,\u201d Helmine continues. \u201cFirst of all, I wanted to overcome this fear. And I did. Besides, Mazzel had a positive effect on his self-confidence. Based on this experience, I proposed the introduction of "dog therapy" in the ward.<\/p>\n

Confidence<\/p>\n

The idea of introducing "dog therapy" was welcomed by the Spectrum team with open arms. Thus, the one-year-old Mazzel Tov now comes to the ward every Tuesday. Helmine uses the dog in one-on-one sessions with patients suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder. \u201cOne of my clients goes for a walk with me and her dog every week. Together, we are developing a module that will allow Mazzel Tov to be used as a therapy dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

The purpose of the walk is to build self-confidence in the client. \u201cPeople with any form of autism have a low self-esteem and therefore low self-confidence,\u201d explains Helmine. \u201cWalking your dog is a very appropriate tool for building self-confidence. Along the way, we encounter countless unexpected situations. Situations that need to be responded to. As an example, Helmine gives an untethered dog that is approaching us at great speed. \u201cIn this situation, you have to let the dog know that you have power over him. And that is what is very difficult for people with autism. The dog listens only when spoken directly to him and clearly. If this is successful, self-confidence increases. And the tension drops."<\/p>\n

Criteria<\/p>\n

Not every dog is a therapy dog. Helmine has established criteria that a dog should meet. \u201cFirst of all, it had to be an anti-allergic dog,\u201d says Helmine. \u201cMy partner is allergic, so that was the first condition to be met. Besides, it had to be a big, smart dog with a sensitive nature.\u201d The search for an animal that met all the criteria was not easy. Finally the Australian Labradoodle was chosen. \u201cMazzel has the size and character of a Labrador, and the coat and intelligence of a Poodle. Contrary to popular opinion, Poodles are very intelligent.\u201d <\/p>\n

Training<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, finding the right times is not enough. Training a therapy dog takes a lot of time and energy. That's why Helmine and Mazzel Tov often visit the HOGZ dog behavior specialist - Zeeland Dog Behavior and Training Centre. \u201cMazzel learned socialization there and from puppyhood he was used to all stimuli. For example, various sounds were played in his playpen. Mazzel is currently being trained to respond to gestures. This requires increased effort. Already manages to calm the dog down on command." Calmness is a very important quality for a therapy dog. Patients suffering from autism spectrum disorders are very sensitive to any stimuli. \u201cA young Australian Labradoodle can be very calm when needed, but when its owner opens the door and shows it's time to play, Mazzel doesn't know how to get outside quickly. He jumps around like a young puppy. \u201cAnd that's what's beautiful about this dog. By nature he is cheerful and full of energy, but he can also be very calm when needed,\u201d says Helmine.<\/p>\n

Helmine had some success with Mazzel. One of her clients was afraid to leave her room alone. \u201cThe fear of crossing the threshold is a common condition of people with autism. Mazzel helps them overcome this fear. At such a moment, customers forget about all their problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Author: TIMO VAN DE KASTEELE<\/p>\n

\"Australian<\/a>

Australian Labradoodle Mazzel Tow<\/p><\/div>\n

Below are three pages of the original article:<\/p>\n

Australian Labradoodle article 1<\/a>
\nAustralian Labradoodle article 2<\/a>
\nAustralian Labradoodle article 3<\/a><\/p>\n

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————<\/p>\n

Hairy Passion <\/p>\n

Australian Labradoodle Kennel
\nThe first kennel of Australian Labradoodles in Poland<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, the local press in the Netherlands published an article about one of our pupils, who today officially serves as an assistance dog in a semi-open facility for people with autism. Here is the article: \u201cTherapy Dog \u2013 Hairy Passion Mazzel Tov reflects trust. Light brown, long-haired, curly with a cheerful face. Australian Labradoodle Mazzel Tov is a favorite of the Spectrum group, a semi-open [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlochata-pasja.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}