Therapy Dog Welfare Revisited: A Review of the Literature

Glenk, Lisa Maria; Foltin, Sandra

doi:10.3390/vetsci8100226

Cited by 25 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…First, positive human social interactions may be a core component of the welfare of domesticated animals, especially for dogs ( 20 , 21 ) which have undergone thousands of years of co-evolution with, and selection by, various human populations ( 22 – 24 ). Second, through One Health and One Welfare perspectives, within an AAI environment, animal welfare is directly connected to recipient welfare and vice versa ( 25 ). A dog experiencing a positive affective and affiliative state during patient interaction would likely enhance the value and benefits of AAI for the human participant such as improvements in mood, reductions in self-perceived pain, and patient distress, [mood: ( 26 , 27 ); pain: ( 28 ); all: ( 29 )].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs

et al. 2022

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To date, investigations of the welfare of therapy dogs have focused largely on examining physiological and behavioral measures that could indicate if the animal is experiencing stress or distress. However, this approach does not fully address the definition of welfare which is often described as existing on a continuum from negative (or stressful) to positive. With therapy dogs, it would be worth addressing if they experience positive emotional affect while working since the quality and efficacy of animal-assisted interventions for the human recipient is likely to be influenced by the animal's emotional state during the interaction. The purpose of this review is to articulate how objective measurements of the HPA axis and measurements of behavioral observations and standardized questions can be used to evaluate positive welfare in therapy dogs. A potentially relevant indicator of positive welfare is the peripheral concentration of the neurohormone oxytocin, which has been found to increase in systemic circulation within a variety of species during positive social and affiliative contexts, including during human-dog interaction. Oxytocin is also a negative-feedback regulator of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which culminates with the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is widely used as a physiological indicator to assess negative welfare states in animals, including therapy dogs. Observable behavior during interactions with humans that may convey enjoyment could provide indicators of positive welfare in dogs such as engagement in play, or human-directed affiliative behaviors including leaning against, nudging, or licking the patient. However, in assessing positive welfare, it is also critical to consider that all animal behavioral displays and physiological responses are dependent on the dog's individual (and breed) temperament. Temperament directly drives how the animal copes and responds to its current physical and social environment, including during stressful situations such as when therapy dogs interact with unfamiliar humans in novel healthcare settings. Coupled with both positive and negative physiological and behavioral welfare indicators, questionnaire data can provide further context to, and enhance interpretations of, therapy dog welfare assessment results. Overall, to date, no studies have measured all of these factors to assess therapy dog welfare.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs

et al. 2022

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“…Finally, 118 articles were selected in consensus for relevance to the topic. WELFARE QUALITY ® CONCEPT Management Good management implies for example that dogs must have unlimited access to clean water, especially during CAI visits, as temperatures in nursing homes/clinics may be high (62). Also the appropriate quantity of food is important to avoid overfeeding, obesity and, if under-exercised, welfare issues such as congestive heart failure (63,64).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clients may bring left-overs from their own meals to reward the dogs. However, some human foods contain components that are unhealthy or even toxic to dogs such as grapes, chocolate, or nuts (50,62,82). Moreover, feeding dogs means direct contact with dog saliva, a possible source of contact with commensal zoonotic pathogens resident in the dogs' oral cavities (62,83).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Puppies <16 weeks may be more susceptible to becoming sick as their immune systems are less strong than adult dogs (49) and more often carry parasites (112). However, some CAIs do involve puppies as they elicit a strong nurturing response from clients, and the handling experience of the visit may enhance the puppies' maturation and socialization (62). Many protocols request up-to-date vaccinations (rabies, parvovirus, distemper/canine adenovirus, leptospirosis, Bordetella, and canine influenza), and a yearly medical checkup by a veterinarian (49).…”

Section: Good Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Canine-Assisted Interventions and the Relevance of Welfare Assessments for Human Health, and Transmission of Zoonosis: A Literature Review

et al. 2022

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CAIs (canine-assisted interventions) include “canine-assisted therapy” in which a therapist sets client-oriented goals, 'canine-assisted activities' with recreational goals for clients, and 'canine-assisted education/learning' in which teachers or coaches create learning goals for students or clients. CAIs vary in nearly every way; their only common trait is the involvement of dogs to respond to human need. However, the benefits of involving dogs are highly dependent on the animal's health and behavior. A dog exhibiting negative behavior or an unwell dog might pose a risk, especially for CAI target groups, specifically individuals with immunosuppression, chronic illness, children, elderly, etc. Therefore, positive animal welfare as preventative medicine to avoid incidents or transmission of zoonosis is an attractive hypothesis, with implications for human and animal, health and well-being. This review aims to summarize the current published knowledge regarding different aspects of welfare in CAIs and to discuss their relevance in the light of health and safety in CAI participants. As method for this study, a literature search was conducted (2001–2022) using the Prisma method, describing issues of dog welfare as defined in the Welfare Quality® approach. This welfare assessment tool includes 4 categories related to behavior, health, management, and environment; it was, therefore, applicable to CAIs. Results indicate that dogs working in CAIs are required to cope with diverse variables that can jeopardize their welfare. In conclusion, we propose regular welfare assessments for dogs in CAIs, which would also protect the quality of the CAI sessions and the clients' safety and well-being.

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“…Weak stimuli, in contrast, tend to cause habituation; that is a weaker response on the next occasion [ 123 ]. During animal-assisted interventions, sensitization is a key factor to unsuccessful training and education, where animals are exposed to several stressors and cannot cope cognitively or emotionally [ 139 ], predisposing them to long-term behavioral issues and negative human-animal interactions [ 140 ].…”

Section: How Learning Influences Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

The Neurobiology of Behavior and Its Applicability for Animal Welfare: A Review

Coria-Ávila

Pfaus

Orihuela

et al. 2022

Animals

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Understanding the foundations of the neurobiology of behavior and well-being can help us better achieve animal welfare. Behavior is the expression of several physiological, endocrine, motor and emotional responses that are coordinated by the central nervous system from the processing of internal and external stimuli. In mammals, seven basic emotional systems have been described that when activated by the right stimuli evoke positive or negative innate responses that evolved to facilitate biological fitness. This review describes the process of how those neurobiological systems can directly influence animal welfare. We also describe examples of the interaction between primary (innate) and secondary (learned) processes that influence behavior.

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Therapy Dog Welfare Revisited: A Review of the Literature

Cited by 25 publications

References 97 publications

The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs

The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs

Canine-Assisted Interventions and the Relevance of Welfare Assessments for Human Health, and Transmission of Zoonosis: A Literature Review

The Neurobiology of Behavior and Its Applicability for Animal Welfare: A Review

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