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ABOUT DELTA

The Delta Pet Partners Program. Animal Assisted Interventions

 

We know that companion animals bring joy to the lives of more than twelve million Australians. Now there is evidence that they are also literally good for your health and well being. The beneficial effects range across the full human life span... enhanced social skills in childhood; reduction and better management of hypertension, heart attacks and strokes; improved mental health and well being in the frail aged. Five hundred Delta Pet Partners (trained volunteers and their Delta accredited pet dogs) visit a very wide range of health and community facilities, including children's and adult hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, physical rehabilitation and mental health units, children with special needs and adult day care centres.

 

The Delta Dog Safe™ Program

 

Delta Dog Safe™ teaches positive, proactive ways to reduce the incidence of dog bites in children. The program is conducted statewide in South Australia and Tasmania and funded by the state governments in those states. Coordinators in the program recruit volunteers who are trained by behaviourists to present ‘dog friendly’ school and parent education programs The program teaches pre-school and junior primary school children (and their parents) about safe and sensible behaviour around dogs, including how to read dogs’ body language.

 

The Dog Safe kit consists of:

Delta's Canine Good Citizens

The national Canine Good Citizen™ program is designed to produce well behaved, socialised pet dogs and informed, competent, responsible owners - good citizens on both ends of the leash.

The Delta-CGC™ Instructors course (Certificate IV Companion Animal Services) is a world class “train the trainer” course that teaches students humane, positive reinforcement dog training methods. There are two intensive five-day residential training periods (during which students live-in with their own dogs) at the beginning and towards the end of the eighteen month course and 500 to 600 hours of distance education. This involves written and practical assignments based on the comprehensive course notes and field exercises in which, among other things, trainees are required to submit two videos, one of themselves training a class of owners and their adult dogs.

 

Delta-accredited instructors around Australia conduct CGC™ Dog Training Programs for pet dogs and their owners.

 

The Canine Good Citizen™ Test and Award

 

Owners who consider that their dogs meet the standard may present them for assessment for the award of Canine Good Citizen™. Dogs must be over twelve months of age and have completed a minimum six week training program with an accredited CGC™ Instructor prior to being invited to undertake the CGC™ test.

 

Details of the test procedures are available from Delta-accredited CGC™ Instructors listed on this website.

 

When a dog and owner have successfully completed the requirements for the award the instructor sends the ‘Dog Registration: Canine Good Citizen Test’ form and the marking sheet for the test to Delta’s national office with a colour photo of the dog and owner. At the same time the client sends in the relevant form to apply for national accreditation and registration on Delta’s ‘CGC Award’ database. When the dog and owner have been entered on the database the Society sends a colour certificate (and an exclusive CGC collar and lead if requested) to the owner.

 

A Canine Good Citizen™ Dog should be friendly and outgoing but not so exuberant that it is a nuisance.  The owner must have control of the dog in all situations and be well informed on all aspects of dog care and responsible ownership. Assessors Guide for Delta Accredited Instructors. January 2006

Apart from basic tests of obedience such as sit, down and walk loosely on a lead, the CGC™ test embodies a number of challenges including, accepting a stranger, walking through a crowd and being left alone out of sight of the owner for five minutes. Critically, also it includes an assessment of the dog’s reaction to another dog and distractions. These are designed to demonstrate that the dog is confident at all times when faced with distracting conditions. Dr Paul McGreavey October 2006

 

The Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association (ASAVA) Awards

 

Delta has an agreement with the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association and the Australian National Kennel Council to introduce an award for show dogs that have achieved certification as Canine Good Citizens. Owners of show dogs that have achieved national accreditation as Canine Good Citizens will be invited to nominate for this award. Nominees will be required to include a certified copy of the CGC certificate with their entry form. Following the normal judging of dogs entered for the show, the highest scoring dog in each group which has been nominated would win 'the ASAVA award'. There will be an award available in each of the seven groups at each capital city Royal Show (56 awards in total). The ASAVA, in conjunction with the ANKC, plans to launch the award scheme at the Sydney Easter Show in 2007.