Do animals actually enjoy participating in animal-assisted services?
BARK therapy dog Sherlock relaxes as students stroke his ears during a session at UBC Okanagan. (Freya L. L. Green photo)
A new Psychology Today article by Dr. John-Tyler Binfet explores whether therapy dogs, in particular, enjoy participating in therapy dog sessions.
He outlines a study by Haven-Pross and colleagues who sought to understand this topic. Findings suggest that common behaviours displayed by therapy dogs include playfulness and comfort, and anxiety and uncertainty. Uncertainty and tension were higher when interacting with younger clients. Older dogs and male dogs appeared more settled.
“This innovative research sheds light on the experience of therapy dogs working in sessions to support human well-being and will inform future studies examining the welfare of working dogs.”
While interacting with therapy dogs is beneficial for human well-being in a variety of contexts, it is important to recognize the therapy dogs’ affect and well-being. Research should continue to examine the experience and perspective of the therapy dogs themselves.
👉 Read the full article on Psychology Today: “Do dogs enjoy supporting human well-being?”