BTRF Foster Carers’ Training Scheme

BTRF are very excited to have been selected as one of Burns Pet Nutrition's 'Charity of the Year 2020'. As part of this, they have agreed to support us by providing funding to finance our innovative new Foster Carers' Training Scheme which has been over a year in the planning. Burns' kind support means this scheme will now become a reality during 2020.

Sadly, many of the dogs that come into our care have existing behavioural issues to some degree - often the nature of rescue. One of BTRF’s prime objectives for 2020 is to increase the number of trained foster carers we have immediately available.

Living with a foster family gives a dog one to one care that they may not receive in a kennel environment. It is quieter and less stressful to a dog where simply moving them from one environment to another can cause huge stress alone. Our whole purpose as a rescue organisation is to minimise this stress and help our dogs settle away from an environment they may have lived in for several years.

• Interested participants will complete an Application Form
• Our Foster Carer Liaison Officer, Trish Mahon, will make contact for an initial chat
• The next stage if you are successful to this point, is a home check carried out by one of BTRF's appointed behaviourists. They will talk to you about expectations of being a foster carer - as well as checking boundaries and your home environment
• If the home check is successful, the carer will be accepted onto the Scheme and will be enrolled onto the closest training programme venue to them (4 are being planned this year across the country).
• The training programmes will consist of 3 afternoon training sessions, one month apart at venues around the country. Carers will need to attend all 3 sessions in the programme
• The programmes will cover certain important aspects of modern, science reward based dog training methods and theory

This will empower the carer with some basic skills to be able to work with the trainer / behaviourist appointed to them in helping the dogs prepare for their new home.

The role of the foster carer will be divided into 6 different levels of care:

• Level 1 - Carers able to take a dog in emergency to get them safe from their current environment
• Level 2 – Carers able to take on a dog who may require medical care possibly including administering medication where needed
• Level 3 – Carers able to work with a trainer with dogs in need of help with basic life skills training and care
• Level 4 – Carers, possibly retired or working from home, and able to work with a behaviourist to help dogs suffering with separation anxiety
• Level 5 – Carers prepared to work with our appointed behaviourist where they need help with mild behavioural issues
• Level 6 – Carers with existing modern, science reward based experience of working with a behaviourist (or ideally are qualified dog trainers / behaviourists themselves) and who are prepared to work very closely with BTRF and the appointed behaviourist to help a dog with a bite history (that has been appropriately assessed before going into foster)

The Application Form will ask the applicant to indicate which levels of care they feel they can offer.

Please read this first before considering foster care:

• We do ask that our foster dogs are not left for longer than 3-4 hours in the day and this should only be occasionally
• Doggie Day care, in general, will not be appropriate for our foster dogs
• Foster carers will need to attend one of our training programmes being offered in 2020

If you would like to receive the full Foster Carers' Training Scheme Information pack and an Application Form please contact Trish on trish.mahon@bedlingtonrescue.co.uk