Our workshops

Our workshops are specially designed to provide parents of autistic children with the advice and long-term support needed for choosing and training a dog to benefit the whole family.

The Family Dog Service’s Virtual Workshops consist of pre-recorded Webinars, housed on an online platform called SharePoint. These Webinars are divided into 3 main Workshops, with an additional Workshop on ‘Selecting the right dog’.

What the workshops cover

Workshop 1

• About the Family Dog Service
• What to expect from your dog
• How to get your children involved in looking after a dog
• Developing the child-dog bond

Workshop 2

• How dogs communicate with us
• How a dog can help your family
• How dogs learn
• Problem solving

Workshop 3

• Setting up a training session
• Different training styles
• Advanced training
• Goal setting
• Fundraising

Additional workshop

• Selecting the right dog

How the virtual workshops work

After watching each pre-recorded Workshop on Sharepoint, you will attend a live video chat via Microsoft Teams (these will be on the dates that you book on to):

• ‘Intro Live’ (the first date you are booked on to), which is for you to meet the other people in the group, meet the Instructors, and for the team to check everyone is ok with the technical aspect of the Virtual Workshops. The Intro Live will last around 45 minutes.
• ‘Workshop Lives’ (the subsequent dates you book on to), which last around 1 – 1.5 hours. Between each Workshop Live, you will have 2 weeks to view the required pre-recorded Workshop, and you will be sent an email detailing when it is time to watch them.
• You must attend all dates in order to qualify for ongoing support from the Family Dog team.

Am I eligible to attend?

These workshops and live chats are open to parents of children aged between 3-16 years, with a clinical diagnosis of autism.

Parents are welcome whether they already have a pet dog or not.

Family dog, not assistance dog

Please note that the Family Dog service is different from the Autism Assistance Dogs also offered by Dogs for Good.  This work led us to realise that whilst for some children there will be a clear need for a fully trained assistance dog, a well trained pet dog can also have a massive impact. Pet dogs will not have assistance dog status i.e. entry into shopping centres etc. You can find places that welcome dogs on the Dog Friendly website.