Kindergarten comes to the dog: Golden Retriever "Ben" is the children's favourite

Created: 06/08/2022, 16:00

Kindergarten dog Ben playing dice: His mistress, the kindergarten director Lisa Rauh, and some of the “Nepomuk” preschool children are watching him.

© grona

The "Nepomuk" kindergarten in western Weilheim has an unusual employee: the golden retriever Ben.

He is a favorite with children and does a good job, as research has shown.

Weilheim – He stands in the goal, likes dice games, can be hugged, likes to be scratched and stroked and is handy and patient.

Everyone in the company likes the youngest employee, even if he only works three days a week and then only for about 30 minutes each time.

His name is Ben, just Ben with no last name – he's a two and a half year old golden retriever.

And in addition to being a dog, he has been pursuing a learned "job" for a few weeks: Ben is an educational companion dog.

His boss is 29-year-old Lisa Rauh.

Golden Retrievers in Kindergarten: Dealing with animals strengthens self-confidence

The fact that the city went to the dogs when it came to childcare in the “Nepomuk” in western Weilheim is thanks to the young teacher, who has been running the municipal kindergarten since 2018.

Rauh grew up with dogs in Peißenberg;

and ever since she left home, "I always wanted a dog of my own," she says.

After her training in Weilheim and a first station in another kindergarten, she returned to "Nepomuk" - and was successful with her application for the vacant management position.

Since then she has been working intensively on the idea of ​​integrating a dog into her work.

The final impetus was then the visit of a Bernese mountain dog in the kindergarten: "We had the topic of pets, and a mother brought the family dog ​​with her.

That was great for the kids.

They talked about this visit for a long time.”

Therefore, Lisa Rauh asked the municipal children and youth office and her employees what they thought of using a dog: "They were enthusiastic." Because it has been scientifically proven that dealing with animals and dogs in particular strengthens self-confidence as well as fears and Reducing stress can help – especially with children.

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Golden Retriever in kindergarten: The dog “works” with the children for half an hour

So Rauh has been doing an apprenticeship with Ben, who is still little, who meanwhile lived with Mum Lisa, since the beginning of last year: At the "Institute for Animals in Action" in Schongau, the educator continued her education to become an "animal-assisted specialist for animal-assisted pedagogy", Ben passed a character and aptitude test after a long period of training and in the end Lisa and Ben passed the joint training to become a "human-dog team".

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Since then, Ben has been the darling of the "Nepomuk" children.

He "works" with the children in small groups of up to eight girls and boys and only for half an hour so that it doesn't get too stressful for him.

With the preschool children, for example, he sometimes takes over the dice when learning numbers – with his snout.

As “Manuel Neuer”, as the boys call him, he stands in the small goal of the garden when he plays football.

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Golden Retrievers in Kindergarten: Children learn consideration and social behavior

When dealing with him, the children learn consideration and social behavior: "When Ben once stepped on a wasp in the garden and howled, the children immediately fetched water to cool his paw," says Rauh.

The dog can also help in individual cases, since it treats its counterpart in a completely nonjudgmental manner and reacts sensitively to moods and feelings.

Lisa Rauh also has an example for this: A little boy always played alone, had no friends, was withdrawn and didn't talk.

“He made a connection with Ben, opened up to him, hugged him – and talked to him!” The boy is now integrated into his group and the kindergarten.

After half an hour, the Golden Retriever is always allowed to go for a walk with his mistress in the neighborhood and along the Ammer, "so that he can clear his head," as she says with a smile.

Because what often looks playful in the group is definitely work for the human-dog team - and that also includes preparing and practicing new settings, as the units with the children are called.

So that Ben can continue to be the children's friend.

BY RALF SCHARNITZKY

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