Welcome to Canine Assisted Health and Wellbeing
Enhancing health & wellbeing through canine interactions
Canine Assisted Health and Wellbeing is dedicated to providing people with opportunities to experience the healing power of dogs. We offer a range of services that facilitate meaningful canine interactions, to positively impact physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.
Benefits of Canine Assisted Therapy
Emotional support
Interacting with dogs can provide comfort and help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. A calm, friendly dog can boost mood and provide a sense of companionship.
Social connectedness
For those who find social interactions challenging, dogs are great at helping make those experiences easier. They can make people feel more at ease, support engagement, improve communication skills, and help to build confidence in social settings.
Stress reduction
Spending time with dogs has been shown to lower heart rate, reduce blood pressure, lower cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and increase the release of endorphins (the feel good hormones), which can help reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Emotional regulation
Therapy dogs can help us learn to manage our emotions more effectively by providing a calming presence and encouraging positive emotional responses.
Mental health
Interacting with specially trained therapy dogs can lead to improved mental health, especially for people who experience depression and anxiety.
Cognitive functioning
Engaging with therapy dogs can improve how we think, focus and process. Activities such as dog training exercises and training a dog to do tricks, can enhance our cognitive functioning.
Our services
Mental Health First Aid Training
This training is for anyone wanting to build skills and knowledge to be able to identify, understand, and respond to someone developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis.
Whether you're a caregiver, educator, manager, student or community member, mental health first aid training prepares you to provide support in that moment and help people seek professional support.
We are licensed to deliver the following courses:
- Standard & Older Person
- Youth & Teen
- Blended Youth, Community, Workplace & Tertiary
- Standard & Youth Refresher
- Conversations about Gambling
- Conversations about Suicide
Come and make a positive difference in people's lives by learning these skills in a supportive environment, with our therapy dogs on site to provide emotional support.
Canine Assisted Wellbeing Programs
Our group programs are designed to enhance emotional and mental wellbeing, foster social connections, and promote holistic health, through structured activities with specially trained therapy dogs.
Through these supportive group programs, you can experience the therapeutic benefits of meaningful interactions with our therapy dogs and work towards your health and wellbeing goals.
These programs cover topics such as stress management and mindfulness & relaxation, and can be delivered to workplaces, within schools and universities or community settings.
Canine Assisted Emotional Support
Are you planning an event and want to provide the comforting presence of therapy dogs? Want to boost staff wellbeing through workplace wellbeing visits?
Or are you a mental health professional working with a client who would benefit from the addition of canine assisted support? We're here to assist!
Our canine assisted emotional support services offer compassionate emotional support, helping with stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, and other emotional challenges. Whether you need a single visit or ongoing sessions, we can customise a package to suit your needs.
Canine Life Skills Workshop
COMING SOON Can't make weekly dog training classes? We’ve got you covered! The Canine Life Skills workshop provides a fun and supportive environment for your dog to gain invaluable life skills such as impulse control, listening skills, relaxation skills, regulation skills and decision-making skills.
Please note this workshop does not focus only on formal obedience but rather covers a range of topics such as warm welcomes, meaningful manners, cooperative care and canine enrichment, to equip dogs with essential life skills and foster a harmonious relationship between dogs and their owners.
Whether you’re a new dog owner or looking to refine your dog's skills, this workshop offers practical training to enhance your dog's overall quality of life and daily interactions. Get in touch to register your interest today!
Keen to find out more?
Meet the Team
Cayley
Certified Therapy Dog (Advanced). Cayley is a 4 year old Golden Mountain Dog who first certified as a therapy dog in 2021.
Denise
Canine Assisted Therapist, Credentialed Mental Health Nurse, Licensed Principal Master MHFA Instructor, Certified Dog Trainer (Cert IV Animal Training & Behaviour)
Bailey
Certified Therapy Dog. Latest recruit Bailey is a 2 year old Golden Aussie who first certified as a therapy dog in 2023.
Contact Us
Frequently Asked Questions
The Standard Mental Health First Aid course is a 2 day face to face training course, for adults seeking to support another adult who is experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis.
The 2 day face to face Youth Mental Health First Aid course equips adults with the knowledge and skills they need to offer appropriate support to a young person, experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis.
The Teen Mental Health First Aid course teaches secondary school aged young people how to recognise and respond to a friend in crisis or experiencing a mental health problem.
The 2 day face to face Older Person Mental Health First Aid course teaches adults how to provide appropriate initial support to adults 65+ experiencing a crisis situation or mental health problem.
Blended refers to the course delivery method.
Blended versions of the Mental Health First Aid course have an eLearning component and an Instructor-led component.
Course participants complete the eLearning component (self-paced online modules), prior to the session facilitated by the Instructor.
Principal Master Mental Health First Aid Instructor Denise Warmington is a multi-licensed instructor who has delivered over 300 mental health first aid courses since becoming an instructor in 2012.
Denise is a passionate and enthusiastic Instructor who has a warm, engaging and inclusive teaching style.
Denise is a Consultant Trainer of Mental Health First Aid Instructors and has worked within the curriculum team at Mental Health First Aid Australia, so has an intimate knowledge of course content and course processes.
Depending on your training requirements we may also engage other Principal Master Mental Health First Aid Instructors to support in course delivery.
We can tailor a wellbeing workshop / group program to meet your needs or you can choose from some of our established programs such as stress management, mindfulness & relaxation, paws for wellbeing.
We can conduct 2 hr sessions, half day workshops or full wellbeing days.
Get in touch to discuss how we can best support you with your wellbeing goals and training needs.
Absolutely, Cayley and Bailey love interacting with people of all ages and abilities.
Contact us to discuss your visiting therapy dog requirements.
We look forward to working with you to provide canine assisted emotional support to your residents.
Designed for those who can’t attend weekly dog training group classes, the Canine Life Skills workshop is a 4 day workshop conducted over 4 consecutive Saturdays / Sundays from 9.30am - 3.30pm.
We utilise positive reinforcement dog training techniques such as shaping, capturing, targeting and luring, as these methods are backed by scientific research.
The Canine Life Skills workshop is not designed to address any one specific behavioural concern.
If your furry friend is currently finding it stressful to be around other dogs or people, then this workshop is not the right fit for you.
Unsure of where to get support from for your dog's behavioural concerns?
Get in touch, we would be happy to point you in the right direction of getting the right support for you and your dog.