Handlers’ Representations on Therapy Dogs’ Welfare

Abstract

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.

Guidance on Minimum Standards for Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Adolescent Mental Health: Delphi Expert Consensus on Health, Safety, and Canine Welfare

“…Panelists employed a range of species, primarily canines (77.5%), equines (37.5%), farm animals (15%), and felines (12.5%). Similar to other studies of AAI providers [ 14 , 33 , 59 , 60 ], participants in this study were more likely to be female (95%), Caucasian (95%), middle-aged (mean age 48.58), and residing in Western countries (USA 42.5%, Australia 30%, and Europe or UK 22.5%); see Table 1 . Data collection was ceased after round two (21 panelists) due to attrition.…”

“…A number of factors should be considered and are supported by the current study, most notably the adequate training of providers in canine welfare and body language. This is perhaps the single most important method for enhancing canine welfare [ 34 ], allowing for individual variation, and helping to minimize handler bias [ 5 , 33 , 63 ]. Important too are the ongoing assessment and documentation of canine welfare so that providers are aware of and able to respond effectively to the therapy dog’s wellbeing over the short, medium, and long term.…”

“…Regular physiological assessments of therapy dogs are impractical in clinical practice, whereas behavioral ethograms, handler training, and supervision are more appropriate [ 34 ]. Adequate training in welfare is especially important given that dog owners and handlers may completely miss, minimize, or rationalize subtle stress signs in their dogs or show bias to inflate their dog’s capacity for and enjoyment of AAI [ 33 , 38 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Reassuringly, recent reviews of canine welfare in AAI have concluded that adequately trained and supervised dog-handler teams experience no significant welfare risks [ 34 , 35 ], particularly in predictable environments [ 49 ].…”

“…Health and safety are closely linked to welfare, as deficiencies in one domain often lead to deficits in the other, e.g., [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. Despite the international growth of AAI, gaps remain in understanding welfare, particularly animal welfare.…”

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“…The potential harm to animal healers also deserve extensive attention. The welfare of therapy dog is studied more deeply and its definition includes absence of stress and positive emotions [ 120 ]. Handler are the principal person responsible for their dog welfare who can recognize the signs of stress to get them out of the uncomfortable situation.…”