Save both Veterans and Rescued Dogs today!

May was “Mental Health Month”. Operation Freedom Paws service dog handlers are taught to train their dogs to support both the physical and psychological injuries they have experienced.

We also train therapy dogs and their handlers to help people in our communities who are experiencing stressful situations. Whether it’s in a hospital, care home, school, or courtroom, a visit from a knowledgeable therapy dog team can reduce anxiety in everyone it encounters. Recent studies are adding statistical weight to the benefits many have known for years: even brief interactions with dogs can help create a healing environment for people of all ages by lowering stress hormones, decreasing heart rates, and overall improving their moods.

The key difference between a service dog and therapy dog is that a service dog is trained to perform tasks for one person's medical issues, while a therapy dog is trained to help its handler recognize OTHER people who need help. The dog and/or handler then are able to focus on that individual to provide appropriate support. Support may take the form of conversation with the handler, time interacting with the dog, or both. Currently several OFP-trained therapy dog teams are making regular visits in our area, as well as supporting folks in stressful work places.

Last week therapy team Dustin & Maui completed testing to become an OFP-Certified Therapy Team. Dustin is currently a School Resource Officer with the Gilroy Police Department. Maui was rescued from a local shelter. This duo spent the past year training with Operation Freedom Paws. Dustin is known as "Maui's Dad" throughout our community. These two are having a positive impact on all the schools they visit, from elementary through high school. As we stood on the street after testing, a car drove by and 2 girls waved and shouted, "HI MAUI!!" We are extremely proud of the part OFP has played in providing training for this team!

When Operation Freedom Paws conducts training sessions with both pet owners and service dog handlers, we emphasize the importance of “nose work”. As each new six-week training session starts for pet owners, we meet dogs that lack confidence. This makes them more likely to be startled and reactive to other dogs, to people, and to their environment. Usually these dogs are carrying their mouths open, which is something we can easily point out to their owners. Dogs that use their eyes to learn about their surroundings are not relying on their amazing sense of smell. They usually close their mouths and use their noses to “read pee-mail” when they’re looking for that perfect potty spot, but most of the remaining time they are scanning with their eyes. This goes back to dogs communicating via body language. Domestic dogs copy people’s body movements, and begin turning their heads to watch things like we do. Sixty percent of a dog’s brain is devoted to processing smells; sight is their weakest sense. Their daytime vision is estimated at only about 20:70. One of the most rewarding results of training is watching a dog begin to use its nose is to process the surroundings, and stop being startled by movement. It can be a lot of fun to play nose games with dogs, like the “which hand has the treat” or hiding treats and having them find them. By watching your dogs’ body language you’ll start to learn when they are identifying scents, either close up (nose down) or farther away (nose up air-scenting). Using---and depending---on their sense of smell gives dogs more confidence and brings them into balance. They can determine from a distance whether another dog is a threat by smelling hormones and chemistry. Humans domesticated dogs to take advantage of their amazing sense of smell and hearing, so bringing your canine partner’s senses into balance benefits you both.