Therapy Dogs Australia Incursion

3/4 Psychology Incursion

Dear JMSS Community,

 

On Friday the 28th of March, Dr Brad Rundle and his working dog Radar came to John Monash Science School to demonstrate to 3/4 psychology students how different types of conditioning can be applied when training animals. Dr Brad is the founder of Therapy Dogs Australia, an organisation that focuses on assisting those in need with service/therapy animals of a variety of species,  specialising in dogs, but also extending their training to parrots and rabbits. It is home to many extraordinary animals, including Bailey “The Chief”, who has been recognised by parliament as the top therapy dog in Australia, as well as the lovely Radar who came to visit us and show off his skills.

 

Radar impressed us as he demonstrated his ability to precisely and efficiently perform tasks like sit, drop, heel, and fetch, responding to both clear audible commands as well as more subtle physical cues like Dr Brad changing which foot he stepped forwards with to indicate whether Radar needed to stay or follow. Dr Brad explained how he used both classical and operant conditioning to train Radar, reinforcing behaviours through rewards and associations. An example of this is his conditioning Radar to recognise the phrase “Are you ready?” or the sight of gloves as a sign that it's time to start working, which led to lots of excited barking whenever Dr Brad put his gloves on.

 

In addition to being a pro at these more simple skills, Radar is also a scent detection dog trained to locate money and differentiate it from counterfeit or fake money, a skill valuable in security and law enforcement. He exhibited his ability and excitement in this area, easily being able to identify and draw attention to the real money when exposed to it amongst a variety of fakes all hidden in plastic containers.

 

Radar’s other area of expertise is in assisting individuals with PTSD. He is trained to detect signs of anxiety, such as fidgeting and restlessness, which can indicate a fight or flight response. By recognizing these subtle cues, Radar is able to help comfort affected individuals and intervene before the situation escalates. This highlights Radar's multiple talents, as he is able to easily switch between hunting down illegal items to being a calming and reassuring presence with ease.

 

Despite unfortunately not being able to pet Radar as he was on duty, the incursion was still really enjoyable, and witnessing the amazing connection between the dog and his handler stemming from the large amount of work done between them was very interesting and a helpful way to apply what we’ve been learning in class. We are very grateful for Radar and Dr Brad coming out to our school, and hope to see them return in future years! Big thanks as well to the psych teachers M. Perry and Mr Chittleborough for organising.

 

 

~ Clover Lazzaro

 

 

 

 


View Archive