Hero the therapy dog helps children at school

Hero’s trainer, Vicky Skinner, said the presence of a dog helps children focus on activities such as reading

A therapy dog hailed “exceptional” by its trainer has been helping children feel calmer and more focused at school.

Hero, an Italian Spinone, inspired a new course that guided schools through the process of introducing therapy canines into Northamptonshire classrooms.

Developed by qualified teachers and animal behaviourists, the online course covers topics such understanding animal behaviour and how to structure a dog therapy session.

"Our experience with Hero has shown us just how powerful the presence of a therapy dog can be in a school setting," said Hero’s trainer Vicky Skinner.

Vicky Skinner launched a course that helped schools introduce therapy dogs into classrooms

Ms Skinner, the founder of Animal Focused, a pet therapy consultancy, said: "The demand for therapy dogs is growing at an incredible rate but there’s only one of Hero, so the course is designed to provide schools with the knowledge and tools they need to successfully introduce their own therapy dog.

"As a handler for a therapy dog your job is to monitor the dog’s welfare as well as the interaction with the learner.

"You have to think about whether the environment is dog friendly. Children often have chocolate and raisins in schools which are highly toxic to dogs."

She explained that size, age and temperament should also be considered when choosing a suitable therapy dog and they should provide reassurance to the pupils.

"A good therapy dog has to be chilled out, they have to be affectionate, they have to want to be around people and they have to be confident," she added.

"Lots of children will read out loud to a dog because the dog’s not judging them."

'A loving dog'

Isaac Thompson said being with Hero helped him feel calm and more focused

Isaac, 10, who has been having sessions with Hero, said therapy dogs are good for "keeping calm and focusing on stuff because there’s something you like nearby."

Isaac described Hero, as a "playful, silly and loving dog."

He added: "I love animals more than people."