Dog Apprehension Class Application

Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy's Dog Apprehension Class is geared toward children who have an excessive fear of dogs. The class allows participants to develop skills and confidence in safe interactions with dogs and to learn techniques that enable children to overcome their fears and control the situation.

The purpose of this class is to create an environment where children feel acknowledged and supported so they can develop tools to feel safe in the presence of dogs. This is accomplished by:

• Helping children articulate fears
• Tailoring the therapy to the needs of each child
• Giving opportunity to interact (or not) with a dog
• Teaching children ways to control their fear

Overcoming a fear of dogs is a long learning process which varies in length from participant to participant. Goals often include dealing with the fear of dogs and controlling that fear, not necessarily changing attitudes to liking dogs.

Additional Information

• Our Rainbow volunteers are dedicated to providing pet therapy to your child in a small group or in individual sessions. Our expectation is that you will have a commitment to attending these sessions. Please notify us 24 hours in advance if you are unable to attend.
• We require that a parent or guardian remain during each class in the session. 
• Rainbow therapy teams are specially trained to work with children who are afraid of dogs. Handlers and dogs have experience working with those who are fearful.
• Rainbow therapy dogs meet nationally recognized standards for temperament and behavior. In order to maintain membership and the ability to work programs, yearly re-evaluations are required for each therapy team.
• Handlers must pass a criminal background check in order to volunteer.
• Dogs must have a rabies vaccination.