THERAPY DOGS IN SCHOOLS
Therapy Dogs in Schools London
The Dog Mentor Programme is a specialist school dog training programme. Since 2013, the Dog Mentor Programme has been implemented in over 500 schools across the UK, with more than 600 'Dog Mentor dogs' providing invaluable wellbeing, stress-reduction and social support to students and staff alike.
We have dog mentors in several schools in London in both Primary and Secondary schools. Therapy dogs in schools improve wellbeing, providing enormous emotional and mental health benefits for both pupils and staff. A mutually beneficial relationship must be formed between the dogs and students, which is where the Dog Mentor training comes in - to help train comfort dogs in schools. We've enjoyed hearing the impact our dog mentor training has had throughout London.
Countless times, staff at the schools we've worked in have emphasised how integral their 'Dog Mentor dogs' have become to their teaching environment, filling a vital role as therapy dogs in schools.
"While the mental health benefits for students is clear, it's imperative the dogs benefit from the relationship too, which is why the Dog Mentor Programme prioritises the wellbeing of the dogs and how they should be treated, which ultimately improves empathy and understanding."
What is The Dog Mentor Programme?
Since 2013, The Dog Mentor Programme has shown significant benefits in Primary and Secondary schools across the UK: not only improving communication, emotional and behavioural skills, but also helping pupils learn to effectively manage their mental health, wellbeing and empathy. This is why we're collaborating with the University of Lincoln to explore the benefits of school dogs in educational settings.
Watch our helpful video with Bella and Ruby to find out more about the Dog Mentor Programme.
Dog Welfare - Our Top Priority
Bringing a dog into your school is a big decision and takes commitment which should be carefully understood and planned. At the heart is the safety and wellbeing of the dog. We prioritise a mutually beneficial dynamic for both the dogs and pupils. When pupils understand the importance of caring for the school dog and are engaged in the dog's happiness and welfare, we have seen immense benefits for all parties.
As part of our programme, we carry out thorough assessments to gain insight into each dog’s personality. This helps us determine the best ways to support their well-being in dynamic, often unpredictable environments. These insights feed into a tailored risk assessment, complete with clear controls and mitigation strategies, created specifically for each Dog Mentor team.
With years of experience behind us, we’ve built a deep understanding of how to protect and promote dog welfare and we’re here to help you do the same.
Meet our Founder Jenny
Jenny has been running the Dog Mentor Programme since 2013. She comes from a teaching background alongside running a youth centre and PRU programmes, before taking the leap to re-educate as a dog trainer.
After studying Neuro-linguistic programming, she used her unique combined skills to create the highly effective Dog Mentor Training Programme with the goal to suit all needs for dogs, staff, children and parents.
With her trusted friend Jock at her side, she implemented the Dog Mentor Programme training in schools throughout the UK and into Europe with transformative results. Although Jock is now retired, there are a new batch of Dog Mentors following in his footsteps to bring the Dog Mentor Programme into even more schools across the UK.
What's Included in the Dog Mentor Programme?
The Dog Mentor Programme provides all the necessary training, guidance and support to embed this programme in your school. In the cost of the course, we supply a full risk assessment for your school, teacher resources, ten Dog Mentor pupil booklets, collar, lead and printed coat for your dog. After a full dog assessment and one day course, you and your team will get access to our SharePoint Resources site along with full support from a member of our team for one year. The SharePoint contains parental consent letter templates, pupil exercises, dog training tools and lots more! If you'd like to find out more, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Some of our Dog Mentors in
London
Dog Mentor at St Andrews C of E Primary School in Islington
We had a great day - many thanks to the Richard from the school for hosting us for the day - it's a lovely school.
University College School London and Basil!
Please give a huge Dog Mentor welcome to Basil, the new dog mentor at the Junior branch of University College School in London 🧡
Dog Mentor Training at Northbridge House School, Regent's Park
The day was hosted by Northbridge House School in Regent's Park - many thanks to Richard for opening up your school for us to run dog mentor training 🥳
Our Dog Mentor Schools in
London
Pickhurst Infant Academy, West Wickham
Cherry Orchard Primary School, Marlborough Lane
Endeavour Academy Bexley, Orpington
Horizons Bexley Academy (London South East Academies Trust), Orpington
Kilburn Grange School, North Maida Vale
St James Hatcham CE School, New Cross
Willow Brook Primary School, Leyton
Kilmorie Primary School, London
Woodhill Primary School, London
Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys, London
Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls, London
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Wembley
Beavers Community Primary School, Hounslow
Belvedere Junior School, Belvedere
Clifton Primary School Southall
St Mary's Catholic High School, Croydon
Bromley Trust Academy, Bromley
Drew Primary School, Silvertown
Bickley Primary School, Bromley
University College School, Hampstead
Explore all our Dog Mentor Schools
This map shows the current list of Dog Mentor affiliated schools - we are all over the UK!
The Latest From our Blog
We've been busy implementing the Dog Mentor Programme in new schools, as well as visiting over 500+ Dog Mentor Programme Schools who are already seeing the benefits from having a school dog. Have a look at some of the exciting work we've been doing!
