Canine-Assisted Interventions in Hospitals: Best Practices for Maximizing Human and Canine Safety

Barker, S.; Gee, Nancy R.

doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.615730

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…These therapy dogs may participate in animal-assisted interventions, a broad category of tasks which can refer to either animal-assisted therapy-undertaken in conjunction with a health professional, working toward a specific goal-or animalassisted activity-undertaken in conjunction with a professional or volunteer in a more spontaneous setting (36). Although therapy dogs play important roles, this topic has been covered in depth elsewhere [e.g., (37,38)], and so the current paper focuses solely on assistance, protection, and detection dogs.…”

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confidence: 99%

Enhancing the Selection and Performance of Working Dogs

et al. 2021

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Dogs perform a variety of integral roles in our society, engaging in work ranging from assistance (e.g., service dogs, guide dogs) and therapy to detection (e.g., search-and-rescue dogs, explosive detection dogs) and protection (e.g., military and law enforcement dogs). However, success in these roles, which requires dogs to meet challenging behavioral criteria and to undergo extensive training, is far from guaranteed. Therefore, enhancing the selection process is critical for the effectiveness and efficiency of working dog programs and has the potential to optimize how resources are invested in these programs, increase the number of available working dogs, and improve working dog welfare. In this paper, we review two main approaches for achieving this goal: (1) developing selection tests and criteria that can efficiently and effectively identify ideal candidates from the overall pool of candidate dogs, and (2) developing approaches to enhance performance, both at the individual and population level, via improvements in rearing, training, and breeding. We summarize key findings from the empirical literature regarding best practices for assessing, selecting, and improving working dogs, and conclude with future steps and recommendations for working dog organizations, breeders, trainers, and researchers.

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confidence: 99%

Enhancing the Selection and Performance of Working Dogs

et al. 2021

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“…Finally, regarding their relationships, handlers mentioned the influence of their own emotional state on their dog’s stress. It has been mentioned recently in a paper that handlers may suffer from compassion fatigue, which can compromise their own welfare but also the ability to lead AAI [ 95 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handlers’ Representations on Therapy Dogs’ Welfare

Mignot

Luca

Servais

et al. 2022

Animals

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While research on the benefits of animal-assisted interventions is beginning to build a significant body of work, studies on the well-being of therapy dogs are still in their infancy. Since handlers are the people responsible for their therapy dog’s welfare, we interviewed 111 French handlers through an online questionnaire. Our results underlined that (i) therapy dogs’ welfare is multidimensional when physical and psychological welfare, a balance between work and dog life and the settings and interactions of sessions are all taken into consideration. (ii) The response of our handlers emphasized that considering therapy dog welfare is important for the quality and safety of AAI. (iii) Three categories of risks factors were highlighted: the spatio-temporal framework (planning and environment), the interactions with beneficiaries and the handler themselves. It is particularly important that handlers talk about the negative impact of interactions with beneficiaries since they are at the heart of AAI, however there are few studies focusing on interactions as a stressor for dogs in this practice. Moreover, since there is a potential for positive bias in the handlers’ representations, it is important that they be trained to identify and manage the stress in their dogs. Future research is particularly needed on the impact of interactions during sessions on therapy dog welfare.

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“…Some of these claims are justified. For example, many studies have found that interacting with therapy dogs reduces stress and anxiety and increases positive emotional states in a variety of settings including hospitals, schools and nursing homes (15,16). In other cases, high public expectations about the healing power of pets are not matched by the results of empirical studies.…”

Section: Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The New Era of Canine Science: Reshaping Our Relationships With Dogs

et al. 2021

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Canine science is rapidly maturing into an interdisciplinary and highly impactful field with great potential for both basic and translational research. The articles in this Frontiers Research Topic, Our Canine Connection: The History, Benefits and Future of Human-Dog Interactions, arise from two meetings sponsored by the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace Leadership Institute, which convened experts from diverse areas of canine science to assess the state of the field and challenges and opportunities for its future. In this final Perspective paper, we identify a set of overarching themes that will be critical for a productive and sustainable future in canine science. We explore the roles of dog welfare, science communication, and research funding, with an emphasis on developing approaches that benefit people and dogs, alike.

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Canine-Assisted Interventions in Hospitals: Best Practices for Maximizing Human and Canine Safety

Cited by 21 publications

References 57 publications

Enhancing the Selection and Performance of Working Dogs

Enhancing the Selection and Performance of Working Dogs

Handlers’ Representations on Therapy Dogs’ Welfare

The New Era of Canine Science: Reshaping Our Relationships With Dogs

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