Mentorships
Program introduction
Dogs Playing for Life Mentorships continue to cultivate the next generation of animal welfare caretakers, armed with the latest and greatest skills to serve dogs in shelters and prevent them from falling through the cracks! There are two levels of Mentorships:
- Level 1: Four days of immersion training in canine playgroups. Mentees work with the host shelter’s canine population in playgroups twice per day and get to observe and work with a variety of canine behaviors they may encounter at their own shelter.
- Level 2: Four days of immersion training learning how to utilize playgroups for more selective dogs and an introduction to our next level routines for kenneled dogs. Level 2 Mentorships are more advanced, take place at our very own Canine Center Florida, and are only available to those who have attended a Level 1 Mentorship OR currently participate in DPFL-style playgroups.
PROGRAM Purpose
Animal welfare is ever changing. Currently, fewer dogs are being adopted and lengths of stay are increasing nationwide.
We can no longer care for shelter animals “the way we’ve always done it” because long-term kenneling is leading to emotional suffering and behavioral deterioration. Large dogs and dogs with challenging behaviors are often subjected to the longest shelter stays, making it more important than ever to do all we can to prioritize quality of life, to learn about the dogs in our care, and to prevent decompensation. It is time for shelter caregivers to expand their skills and adopt best practices to help animals cope and thrive.
To teach shelters to combat the problems caused by long-term kenneling, Dogs Playing for Life has directly served more than 370 animal welfare organizations internationally through playgroup seminars, with many more benefiting from participating in our mentorship programs. Our programming has contributed to the industry-leading, lifesaving performance of multiple open-admission shelters maintaining positive outcomes for over 95% of their animals! Supporting shelter dogs in becoming safe and beloved companions is our purpose.
“[After the mentorship,] we started a playgroup program and went from saving 200 dogs a year to 700, and that was the piece that really changed things for the dogs and for [local] rescues.” – Kirsten Tourville, Next Stop Home Chicago
Program Overview: Level 1
Level 1 Mentorships are held by Jacksonville Humane Society in Jacksonville, Florida and Williamson County Animal Center in Franklin, Tennessee. Both have run successful DPFL programming for many years, from playgroup management to more advanced training.
Dogs Playing for Life and host shelters use a balanced training approach and all four quadrants of learning theory to help dogs reach rewardable behavior. The mentorships provide mentees with an unparalleled view of the shelter and behavior operations at these shelters.
In addition to learning how to run playgroups, mentees will learn “Fancy Footwork,” which includes:
- Kennel Routines
- Door Routines
- Loose Leash Walking
- Basic Obedience
Mentorships are open to any shelter staff or volunteers interested in expanding their knowledge. Mentees of all experience levels benefit from the intensive four days of practical training. For those looking to learn the fundamentals of playgroups to those looking to refresh their playgroup skills, mentorships offer something for everyone. After the mentorship, mentees are provided continued support by our staff to help implement newly acquired skills and ideas at their home shelter.
Level 1 Mentorship Inquiry
“The mentorship was fantastic! I loved hearing folks ‘speak our language’ and seeing the same issues we face at our shelter being faced by the mentors. The instructors were terrific. They used just the right amount of gentle guidance for us. They had so many neat tips and tricks to address any variation of problem…I found watching the instructors be calm and let the dogs talk to each other so helpful. I’m excited to be able to give our shelter dogs a chance to PLAY!” – Kay Fellows, Volunteer at SAFE Pet Rescue
Program Overview: Level 2
Level 2 Mentorship offers an opportunity for handlers to experience four immersive days learning how to incorporate behavior modification techniques into playgroups and learning advanced leash work and handling.
Level 2 is more advanced, takes place at our very own Canine Center Florida, and is only available to those who have attended a Level 1 Mentorship OR have attended a DPFL Playgroup Seminar and currently participate in DPFL-style playgroups.
This mentorship benefits handlers and trainers who want to expand their knowledge and ability working in dog-to-dog social situations as well as leash handling techniques to support the dog in offering well-mannered behavior.
Level 2 mentees can expect to take part in:
- Advancing dog-to-dog social skills outside of large playgroup sessions
- Focused individual work with dogs exhibiting inappropriate social interactions
- Techniques for obtaining steering and responsiveness to the handler
- Leash handling skills
- To advance beyond Loose Leash Walking and incorporate Working Walk, similar to heel position
- To decrease the practice of on-leash reactivity
- To decrease the practice of redirection
- To increase well-mannered behavior on leash
- Teaching basic obedience with distance, distraction, and duration
- Opportunities for behavior modification techniques
Level 2 Mentorship Inquiry
Dogs live to play, now let them play to live.
Consider supporting Dogs Playing for Life today to help the dogs that need it the most.
