Hi,
Im new to this site. I have 9 dogs, 5 huskies, one black lab, one blacklab/rottie mix, 1 german shephard and a bishion.
This is my question: My black lab is a therapy dog. She goes to work with me in a nursing home. the patients love her. I have taught her to not enter patient rooms, or the dinning room and various other rooms. she will sit and stay when told. she can also sense when a patient doesn't want to be bothered by a dog. Alot of patients fall. she does rounds up and down the hallway. Now I want to advance her learning. If a patient falls and she sees it, how to I teach her to sit there and bark until help gets there. she is a very quiet dog. any advise would be helpful
thanks sue

Wow what a wonderful person you are and your dog.
I work in a Nursing home where we have a pat dog who visits and it makes a difference.
I have been thinking hard who could help you and guide dogs for the blind might be able to help as I would think this type of training might be used.

How about contacting these for help.

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/

They would be able to help you with special training needs hopefully.

Hi and Welcome,

If a patient falls and she sees it, how to I teach her to sit there and bark until help gets there.

I didn't think that even PAT dogs were left alone at least without the owner or a nurse/carer being within sight distance? Is your dog likely to be left to wander around going where she likes without anyone checking in?  Surely all residents should have a nurse within reach of a button press or around the home/ward?  A dog should not be left to alert of an accident surely.

Doesn't answer your question I know, I just wouldn't have thought your dog needed that kind of training. :-)

Sadly falls do happen and many care homes run on min staff levels. it might be 4 carers and a nurse for example to 16 residents. The morning shift has the nurse doing various jobs and the 4 carers work in pairs to help get the residents dressed and hoisted if needed. Now all residents want to get up so you work hard doing your best but for example Mary who is dressed is walking around the lounge and falls in the middle. There are no carers about as they are in residents rooms and the nurse is busy too in another residents room. Only when someone comes out do they see the resident on the floor.
Call buttons are placed on walls in most homes and so can't be reached by the resident on the floor. If the resident has dementia then a call button will not help in some cases as they will not know what they are for.
Where I work the pat dog is always with the owner (health and safety). Other homes have there own policy and procedures.

Its a sad fact that this wonderful country suffers from the lack of carers, its not a job for all and so in the whole many do the best they can. I'm the only permanent male carer in the home I work for. Its not easy and its damn hard work but I do find it rewarding.
Oh even if I were in the lounge and saw the resident falling I still would not attempt to stop them falling.