Young offenders are teaming up with assistance dogs of the future in a unique rehabilitation scheme that gives them qualifications and a fresh start.
Inmates at HMYOI Werrington are taking part in the Restart Dog Project, where assistance dogs in training go into prison to meet offenders, who learn how to get the dogs them ready for work.
The offenders recently worked with veterinary nurse Rachel Bean and a litter of four young dogs. Rachel led the iPET Network Level Three training course in Canine First Aid on the day, which means the offenders now have an industry-standard qualification.
A spokesperson for Restart Dog, a pilot scheme which is soon going to be rolled out to adult prisons too, said: “The boys will be setting the dogs up for success by shaping their behaviour in a proactive and positive manner, training the dogs alternative behaviours and reinforcing the desired behaviours that the dogs perform…
“When the dogs are ready for their new homes, the young people will help to write their homing criteria using all of the knowledge they have acquired about their partnered dogs. Through the bonds that they have developed, the dogs will now have the skills to become welcome members of a new family and the young people will be able to pass on the dog’s learnt behaviours, setting them up for success in their adoptive homes.”
During the project, there are a minimum of two behaviourists, as well as a co-ordinator, trained education officers from HMYOI Werrington and other HMYOI staff members.
