The School of Kinesiology is offering a course called cardiorespiratory fitness: physical activity through puppy play (PHED 1200) that will provide students with the opportunity to get exercise and to play with puppies for class credit.
In this course, students will gain firsthand experience training black lab puppies that will one day be highly trained bomb dogs that could prevent disasters.
According to Jeanne Brock, chief instructor of the breeding puppy development class, the purpose of the course is to acclimate the puppies to different environments, provide physical activity for students and develop detection skills in each puppy before they are sent to a specialized training school.
Pam Haney is a veterinary research assistant and serves as the coordinator of the class.
"These dogs live to work," Haney said.
The ages of the puppies range from six weeks to six months, and students are able to work with over 20 puppies at a time.
This course requires no prerequisites and is being offered for the first time this summer.
According to Taylor Holt, GTA for the course, students are usually reserved at the beginning of the class, but have no problem opening up, and even rolling around on the ground, once the puppies are introduced.
After meeting once in a classroom setting to complete a brief online training session, students meet at a location on Webster Road to begin training and playing with the puppies.
"Anyone can volunteer to work with the dogs too, not just students who are in the class," Holt said.
Tristan Madden, senior in exercise science, said he thoroughly enjoys the class and is one of the students working directly with the puppies.
"I got to roll around and play with puppies for an hour," Madden said. "It was the best hour of my life."
The instructors of the course said they enjoy it as much as the students.
"My favorite part is watching how the students develop their puppy voices," Brock said.
According to Torre Vann, puppy developer who works with the class, the course is designed to prepare the puppies for their future.
The course is also to teach current and future dog owners how to better care for their canines.
The class allows the students and puppies to form a relationship.
Students, as well as volunteers, are encouraged to offer their time at foster homes to help the puppies and the two mother labs that are involved with the program.
The course will also be offered in the second mini-mester and again the in the fall 2014 semester.
According to Haney, future plans are being made for the course with hopes that a large number of students will enroll in the coming semesters.
Because the class offers credit for spending hours playing with puppies that will one day save lives, Haney is hopeful that the course will succeed.
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