Best Friends 4-H Club

Volunteer Leaders/ Team Instructors

Motto: "If the map and the terrain do not agree, believe the terrain." -- Charles W. Chaillet, Jr.

What is a Team Instructor?

       Without our Best Friends 4-H Club Leaders/ Team Instructors, there would not be a Nontraditional summer dog project. They are the very backbone of our program, each working with one Nontraditional 4-H'er and a Team Canine (which may be the 4-H'er's dog, the Team Instructor's dog, or a dog belonging to another member of the club -- you do not have to bring your own dog to be a Team Instructor).

       What is a Team Instructor? To put it simply, a Team Instructor is a 4-H volunteer leader who acts as a personal dog trainer for a Nontraditional 4-H'er. What is a Nontraditional 4-H'er? A Nontraditional 4-H'er is a person who has a life disability and cannot meet the standards of canine handling set by the American Kennel Club without the aid of a Team Instructor.

       However, the duties of a Team Instructor are not that simple. It takes a steadfast and committed person to teach the one-on-one canine class exercises to a person who:

• May or may not have communication skills.

• May or may not fully comprehend the concepts of canine training.

• May have physical mountains to climb just to hold a leash.

• May have tactile issues regarding touching the dog or you with praise and respect.

• May not be fully cognitive.

       Then there are the Team Instructor's own personal studies in preparing the material for teaching his or her assigned non-traditional 4-H'er. (You'll find much of what you need to know on our Resources/References page; we also recommend that you download 4-H Dog Project Manual; Facilitator Guide for Leaders and 4-H Members, by Mary R. Burch, PhD.) The Team Instructor must be prepared in the studies of:

• The diagnosis of his or her assigned non-traditional 4-H'er.

• The good manner behavior skills that will be accepted from both the non-traditional 4-H'er and the canine alike.

• The canine tools necessary for each class subject taught. (Canine Obedience, Agility, Rally, Junior Showmanship, Canine Safety and Ownership Responsibility and Canine Anatomy).

• The canine training techniques and how to adapt those same techniques to meet his or her assigned non-traditional 4-H'er's needs in each class subject.

• Recognizing stress symptoms in both the non-traditional 4-H'er and the canine.

• Understanding the canine training goals of the dog competitions the team will enter: the Berrien County Youth Fair's Nontraditional Canine Competitions in obedience, rally, agility and costume, and an AKC Canine Good Citizenship Test.

       Above all, a Team Instructor must be willing to donate his or her TIME to the Nontraditional 4-H'er's and Team Canine at the dog project classes -- two (2) to three (3) hours per session for eight (8) to nine (9) Monday evenings in June, July, and August, one day to the Nontraditional Canine Competitions at the Berrien County Youth Fair, and an hour or so if needed at the AKC Canine Good Citizenship Test.

        This may sound daunting, but Best Friends holds a Team Instructor training class on the first Monday in May, and Club Coordinators are on hand evey step of the way to provide guidance and support when needed.

        If you are interested in becoming a 4-H Team Instructor for Best Friends 4-H Club's summer dog project, please also read our Team Instructor Policy carefully, then contact Linda Shannon-Chaillet. She'll answer any further questions you might have, then guide you through the process of registering both as a 4-H Leader (required for liability purposes) and as a Team Instructor for Best Friends 4-H!

Best Friends 4-H Leaders' Projects

       Best Friends Canine Therapy Projects for leaders is not just volunteering for the Summer Dog Project. Best Friends has evolved into an enjoyable year-round community canine therapy and service program in which we:

• Share our registered* temperament tested canines with the community by visiting nursing homes, schools, libraries and hospitals, and senior centers thus earning our American Kennel Club Canine Therapy titles!

• Continue our canine education by taking Canine Obedience, Agility, Jr. Showmanship, Rally and Scent Work lessons offered by Best Friends 4-H Club, Mutterly Love, and the Berrien Kennel Club. Classes are free to 4-H registered leaders. (*Please note: "Registered" is defined as having completed 4-H and Best Friends 4-H Club's annual membership applications and having paid annual club dues.)

• Try to meet once a month to keep ourselves and our dogs up to date and in practice for when we add a Non-Traditional 4-H’er to the team for the summer dog project.

• Work on earning our American Kennel Club Canine Therapy Titles, Canine Good Citizen titles, Dog Obedience titles, and Trick Dog titles through the club's services.

• Are, along with our registered canines, covered under the 4-H liability insurance umbrella when completing an approved canine therapy visit.

Best Friends 4-H Leader’s Year-Round Canine Therapy Projects currently being offered are:

• 4-H Leader’s Continuing Canine Education: FREE Continuing Canine Education through dog training classes at Mutterly Love.

• 4-H Team Instructor Class: Team Instructor Class will be scheduled in May of each year to assist the new and renewed 4-H Team Instructor in updating and understanding the 4-H Summer Dog Class Projects training and goals for the 4-H’ers.

• AKC Canine Good Citizenship Titles: Leaders and canines participate in CGC Testing, which allows the leaders and 4-H'ers to earn CGC titles.

• American Kennel Club (AKC) Trick Dog Title: Leaders assist and participate in the AKC Trick Dog competition, allowing our 4-H'ers to earn one of the AKC titles.

• Andrews University Seminars: Best Friends 4-H Club leaders and canines are invited into the Nursing Department once a year to educate and demonstrate the advantages of Canine Therapy to the future nurses. In bringing canines into the classroom as a visual aid, we are demonstrating the practicality of how canines assist, in the knowledge that alternative nursing does have its benefits.

• Berrien County Youth Fair Dog Events: At the culmination of the Summer Dog Project training, the 4-H’er, his/her Team Instructor, and the team canine enter the Berrien County Youth Fair’s Dog Events in Rally, Dog Costume, Dog Obedience, Jr. Showmanship and Dog Agility thus attaining the Summer Dog Project Training Goals.

• Canine Therapy at Blossomland Learning Center and Logan's Autism Learning Center: During the months of September through April, Best Friends 4-H Club leaders bring their temperament tested canines into the school gym and encourage the Nontraditional (life challenged, handicapped, etc.) students to interact with the dog by walking the dog, assisting the dog through some low impact agility obstacles, or just petting the dog, promoting the use of the child's cognitive thinking process, communications and tactile skills in a positive manner. Tools for this event are one to two leashes. Canine’s Harness/Vest: If you dog needs a harness or vest, please make sure the dog is wearing the item before you enter the school.

• "BOOK HOUNDS" at Berrien County Libraries: By invitation, Best Friends 4-H Club leaders will bring their canines into the library and have a child read a book to their dog in fifteen-to-twenty-minute sessions. Many children feel more at ease when they read to a pet, who is simply there to listen – not to judge how well the child is communicating the words. FYI … Studies have shown that children who read to dogs achieve higher end-of-year reading scores. Three of the top Best Friends 4-H leaders and their canines, Colleen Melendy (Blossom and Teddy), Mary Jo Canaday (Lacy), and Janet Cooper (Journey and Alwee), along with their team canines,assisted in two videos on the Canine Reading Programs for PBS Michiana. You can see these videos on  Education Counts Michiana - Read to a Therapy Dog and WNIT Pages and Paws.

• Canine Education in Schools: At the school’s invitation, depending on the goal of the educational program, and using the dog as a canine therapy tool, , Best Friends 4-H Club leaders and their temperament tested canines will visit classrooms to assist in canine safety education, and by using the canine as a therapy tool, help de-stress the students. Depending upon the need, the Best Friends 4-H Club leader and canine will:

  • Canine Reading Program: Have the student read to the dog.
  • Canine Safety Program: Ask permission first before petting someone's dog, what to do if a strange dog approaches you, etc.).
  • Canine Ownership and Responsibility Program: Teaching what is involved with owning a dog
  • Career Day: Assisting Students in finding careers in the dog world.

• Canine Therapy in the Hospitals: Best Friends 4-H Club works with Berrien County hospitals in bringing their dogs into the hospital for patient and staff destressing.

• Canine Therapy in Nursing Homes: Often the hardest thing for someone going into a nursing home or assisted living isn't just having to give up independence -- it's having to give up a beloved pet. Best Friends 4-H Club works with Berrien County nursing homes in bringing the love and comfort of a dog to both patients and staff.

• Canine Therapy in Retirement Homes: Best Friends 4-H Club works with Berrien County retirememt homes in bringing their dogs into the hospital for patient and staff destressing and enjoyment.

• Canine Therapy Sessions in Schools: Schools and Universities invite Best Friends leaders to bring in canines for student and staff destressing and enjoyment.

Best Friends 4-H Club Community Service Projects:

       Leaders and 4-H’ers join in and contribute to these events:

• Berrien County, Michigan’s 4-H “Thanks-4-Giving” Project:  Every November, Berrien County 4-H clubs, along with the MSU Extension Office and The Farm Bureau, join together to purchase and collect groceries, and put together food baskets for a Thanksgiving dinner to donate to families that are having financial difficulties.

• Berrien County Animal Control Raffle: Instead of a gift exchange at the annual Best Friends 4-H Club Christmas Dinner Meeting, leaders,4-H’ers, and family members bring purchased dog food, treats, and realted items to be donated to the Berrien County Animal Control. These donations can then be traded for raffle tickets to "win" a variety of fun and useful items.

• AKC Canine Good Citizen Testing: Each year Best Friends Coordinators and members sponsor and participate in an American Kennel Canine Good Citizen Test, giving 4-H'ers, leaders, and the public an opportunity to temperament test their dogs and earn one of many AKC titles.

• NEW IN 2024: American Kennel Club (AKC) Trick Dog Title: leaders can now assist and participate in the AKC Trick Dog competition, allowing leaders and 4-H'ers to earn his or her dog's AKC Trick Dog titles!

Printable version of the Best Friends 4-H Leader Special Projects

4-H Team Instructor's Pledge:

I pledge my HEAD by giving my assigned 4-H'er the dog training concept tools I have and to help him or her understand canine training theories as clearly as possible.

I pledge my HEART to encourage and support my assigned 4-H'er no matter whether he or she has successes or disappointments in canine therapy and dog competition training.

I pledge my HANDS in assisting my assigned 4-H'er to learn life lessons and life skills through 4-H's Canine Therapy and Dog Competition Training.

I pledge my HEALTH by keeping myself and my own canine strong and well for a better world through 4-H.

"Hands and Paws together always in friendship and teamwork." -- L.M. Shannon-Chaillet

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