People often think dogs with a mild temperament such as the golden retriever or Labrador would make better companion dogs. But actually, ferocious-looking dogs like the German Shepard or the Rottweiler can provide great companionship, too. It’s heart-warming to see how companion dogs interact with people, but training dogs to stay calm like this can take a long time.

A pair of rare guests arrived on the campus of Taipei Municipal Song Shan Primary School. These are companion dogs. They are ready to start working once they put on their uniforms. Xiao-xue is a Rottweiler, a big but gentle dog. The sight of it lying quietly on the floor makes children both curious and afraid. 

==YANG CHEN HAI, Taipei Companion Dogs Association== 
Put your hands like this. Don’t be scared. One, two, three, four…Wonderful. It’s been 20 seconds. The dog will help guide children. Children get scared when they get close to the dog. Don’t push children to the dog. Instead, use your hands to guide children.

The teacher is amazed by the calming effect of the companion dogs. 

==YEH CHIEN CHIEN, Teacher, Taipei Municipal Song Shan Primary School==
It’s hard for autistic children to interact with people. But I found that they are willing to interact with dogs. A companion dog can encourage autistic children to communicate.

Socialization and stability are crucial for companion dogs. They need to be trained over long periods of time. Though the Rottweiler seems like a fierce dog, it is a well-trained companion dog. It was raised in a noisy and crowded environment and is thus not perturbed by the crowd.

==YANG CHEN HAI, Taipei Companion Dogs Association==
Stability requires a lot of training. Sometimes the dog can get agitated, but with training it has learned to remain calm most of the time. However, it’s important for the owner to be by its side. 

Training companion dogs requires long periods of time, but when they complete their training, they can provide great companionship and comfort for people. 

TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU

台北市松山國小的校園裡，出現了身穿制服的稀有來賓。牠們是陪伴犬，穿上制服後，準備開始今天的任務。小雪是羅威那犬，體型龐大，但是個性溫柔。牠靜靜的趴在地上，孩子對牠又好奇又害怕。

==台北市陪伴犬協會成員 楊振海==
練習兩隻手擺著 像我一樣 不怕
擺五秒 一二三四 四三二一
一二三四五 很棒
其實已經二十秒了
透過狗隻當作引導 
人要引導小孩子
孩子接近狗會怕
不要把小孩往狗身上推
用人的手去接小孩的手 帶他過來

一直在旁邊觀察的老師，非常驚訝陪伴犬帶來的療癒效果。

==松山國小老師 葉芊芊==
尤其是像自閉症的孩子
他們有時候
跟人的互動會比較困難
可是我發現 他們跟狗互動
他會主動 他會願意
這個部分可以啟發他溝通的意願

陪伴犬要有良好的社會化和穩定度，需要接受長期的訓練。雖然羅威那被視為凶猛的犬種，但是飼主刻意訓練牠成為陪伴犬。從小就在人來人往的補習班長大，對人和吵雜的環境，比較不會害怕。

==台北市陪伴犬協會成員 楊振海==
穩定是需要長時間
牠也不是今天變那麼穩定
牠也有牠不穩定的時候
只是穩定頻率增高
既使如此 飼主本身還是要在場

陪伴犬需要長期的訓練，當牠們訓練完成，就可以出任務，療癒人們的心。

記者婁雅君 賴振元 台北報導