Our Blog

How we look after our amazing therapy dogs

I'm sure our dogs experience a range of emotions including happiness, anxiety, fearfulness and excitability. How they behave and their body language can help our tutors to understand what they are feeling and whether they are physically and mentally fit and healthy.

Why we do what we do

We give people hope. Hope that inclusive schooling and communities can be functional. Hope that kids wont be left behind because they are ‘too naughty’ / 'not attending' or their problems and their behaviour are just
‘too hard’. 

Our thoughts on relationship building with our students

Relationship building is a core ethic of ours that ensures Canine Comprehension tutors are investing in the relationships of their students and caregivers to best achieve shared goals.

Pathway to Employment

Offering dog assisted programs in Mallacoota

We are delighted to be able to offer funded animal assisted programs to facilitate supportive connections in the Mallacoota area and surrounding locations.

New Schedule Structure for Programs

We are beyond grateful for your continued support and loyalty to our school programs. We have come up with different ways for your schools to work with our programs. 

Would you like a visit from us in term 4?

We know your young people and staff require some extra attention and kindness.  We know we can help.  We will be offering Canine Comprehension Club sessions throughout term 4.

Hibernating for Term 3

Dear wonderful clients and supporters of our work,

Now that Melbourne has entered a new phase of Stage Three Restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, my hopes of face to face teaching and support of your young people this term has vanished. It is with a very heavy heart that I have decided to pause all services Canine Comprehension offers for the rest of  term 3, 2020.

Running Individual Tutoring Term 3

Our tutors and dogs will be able to recommence face to face tutoring in term 3, and will be managed on a case-by-case basis.

Try Animal Assisted Education online!

Many parents are wondering how to minimise the emotional impact the pandemic is having in a way that will be reassuring and not make kids more frightened. We believe the most effective & responsible way Canine Comprehension can care for the community, has been to go online.

Coronavirus and Online Tutoring

Feeling the impact of the uncertainty related to COVID-19 is very unsettling for many of us, we realise that young people are feeling this anxiety also. We believe the most effective & responsible way Canine Comprehension can care for the community, is to go online.

Winner of the Silver Stevie® Award

New York, Times Square – November 16, 2019 and Sarah Macdonald, CEO and Founder of Canine Comprehension has been named the winner of a Silver Stevie® Award in the  Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Asia, Australia or New Zealand.

Sarah is a finalist for the Stevie Awards!

Our CEO is off the New York for the 16th Annual Stevie Awards Dinner. She has been nominated as a finalist for the Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Asia, Australia or New Zealand.

A journey from kids to dogs ... and back again

Let me tell you a little about how I ended up training dogs to teach kids how to learn. I have always loved dogs. I have always loved stories. I didn't always love reading. When I was a kid, I often hated being in the classroom. I found school work difficult, boring and often pointless.

Let’s talk about cleanliness

Our AAI dogs are in classrooms and homes everyday. Having a dog work around children requires that dog to have the highest standards of training, cleanliness and manners. 
 

AAI: What is it?

The Canine Comprehension team dedicate their days to encourage children to enjoy learning. The ‘tools’ we use to motivate children are Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) dogs.

10 quick tips to improve your child’s reading

In this post we talk about tips for improving your child's reading and give you 10 quick tips to help you keep them interested and ensure they enjoy reading into the future.

Have you heard of the National Positive Education Schools Association (PESA) conference?

Yearly, close to 1000 educators and researchers from around the world attended. PESA is Australia’s Positive Education national peak body. Its mission is to lead, promote and foster the implementation and development of Positive Education, enabling all students, schools and communities to flourish. 
 

7 tips to help adults with kids homework

Homework! A word that puts a dark cloud of fear and loathing into the minds of many students. It also stirs negative emotions in the parents of those students. Homework often means parents having to nag and argue with their child to finish it.

The kids want a puppy?

We have all read the heart-warming stories of children with ASD connecting to his/her dog in a way they had never done before. We all know the bond between man and dog and our heart swells when we hear of those who experience difficulties connecting, making that important relationship with their dog.

That’s why I love my job

As an education specialist, dog trainer and Director of Canine Comprehension, I believe we need to widen the perspectives of our students and offer them tools so they can mentally get to a place where they are calm and ready to learn.

A Reminder to be Mindful of My Students Worries

Oscar, my dog and co worker had to go to the vet yesterday. He had an odd lump on his gum, which had turned funny and we thought we better get it checked out. The vet wanted to surgically remove it, just in case it was something nasty. So I found myself at the vet hospital at 7.00am dropping the little guy off for a day procedure.

Training our AAI dogs

One of our biggest challenges when talking to potential clients about how Canine Comprehension can improve the lives of young people through Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) activities is explaining the high training expectations of our dogs. 

Start Fresh for the New School Year – Be Prepared!

Successful grades are not a matter of studying hard before the exam. They are about all the work you have done throughout the year to get you there. If you can start your school year in January, rather than February, when school commences, then you are already ahead of the game. You should be doing some work during the holidays to prepare you for success in 2019.

Nurture their imagination.

As Albert Einstein put it: "Imagination is everything. It is the preview for life’s coming attractions.”  Therefore we should encourage a child’s imagination. We are passionate about getting kids to dream big and articulate those dreams. 

Holiday travel with kids and dogs.

As the end of the year approaches all I am thinking about is holidays. As we drag our way through November many of us will be taking time off over the Christmas break to spend with our families.

How to help your child move from primary to secondary with a smile

For some kids the transition from primary to secondary is easy. Many of their friends will be joining them and they love their new three-sizes-too-big uniform. For others it can be harder.

My dogs help me manage stress and anxiety

I have a pretty unique job. I run a company that brings therapy dogs into schools to help young people widen their perspective around mental health so they can get to a place where they are ready to learn. And I love my job!

My Dog Hamish

Using dogs to lower anxiety around learning and assisting in maintaining a positive attitude to school work is a fairly new approach to education around the world. So why did I think it would work? I have experienced it myself.

Have you met: Chachka and Jovana

Chachka is a 3 year old mixed breed dog who makes many of our students smile, feel more comfortable at school and encouraged to learn. Jovana, our Tutor rescued Chachka from ‘Starting Over Dog Rescue’ in February 2016. She was found wandering the streets pregnant when she was only one year old.

Our Dogs Went To University

Sarah was contacted by a lecturer at La Trobe University who examines human-animal relationships. She was looking for someone to help out with a short experiment with a group of third year psychology students. 

Our Dogs Teaching Communication in Schools

Our 8 week unit ‘Communication on the inside and out’ is running twice in over ten schools for semester two, 2016.  A tutor and therapy dog work with small groups of students flagged by their school as needing a bit of extra help, some time out of regular classes, as anxious or at risk.