Nursing Honors students presented their research findings regarding the Gryffin Project at the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) annual national conference in Orlando, Florida, on March 15, 2023.
Brooke Weaver, Emily Grant, Emily Meade, Jewel Hernandez and Madelyn Talbert discussed their work as Gryffin’s initial trainers, teaching him foundational concepts for therapy and service dogs and helping him with socialization and impulse control.
Gryffin was just 4 months old when these students began working with him, and in the past year they taught him 13 cues and 7 American-Sign Language signs used in AAT sessions to promote prosocial behavior. They worked with him on leash and recall training as well as impulse control. They evaluated human-animal interaction and behavior to build a foundation for the formulation of training protocols for canines and activities to include in animal-assisted therapy sessions that promote prosocial behavior and emotional regulation.
