Penn Vet Working Dog Center moves educational opportunities online this summer

Since 2013, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center has been running their Canine Handler Academy, an annual summer program for middle school students, on site at their Pennovation Works facility. With the pandemic circumstances this summer, however, they had to make the quick decision to move the program online. Led by Sarah Kane, the Canine Handler Academy Program Coordinator, their team of counselors created four weeks of engaging and informative virtual lessons from elements of the in-person curriculum. Each week included two activities that take approximately 15-20 minutes, using materials, worksheets, and videos that are all open access. Sharing these lessons across their newsletter and public Facebook page, the Canine Handler Academy became available for free to students everywhere to do at home with their own pet. The online curriculum provided a unique opportunity to expand their educational reach, and teach students across the country about working dogs and their training.

In fact, as a core part of their mission, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center provides many educational opportunities for students, professionals, peer institutions, and the community to learn about working dogs. In addition to their Canine Handler Academy, they also transitioned their Working Dog Conference online, originally scheduled for April. The conference, 20/20: A clear vision for training the K9 team, offers on demand virtual speaker sessions, video footage from fieldwork, as well as online community building opportunities through discussion forums and a Facebook group -- making it accessible to many who might not have been able to join in person.

In case you missed it, the four-week Canine Handler Academy series can be found here:

Week 1: Canine Body Language and Greeting New Dogs
Week 2: What is a Working Dog?
Week 3: Positive Reinforcement Dog Training and Marker Training
Week 4: Working Dog Medicine

To learn more about the Penn Vet Working Dog Center’s educational programs, check out their website!
 

 

Penn Vet Working Dog Center takes canine handler academy virtual