Evaluating Stress in Dogs Involved in Animal-Assisted Interventions

Abstract

Simple SummaryDogs are widely involved in animal-assisted interventions (AAIs), but little information is available to determine if AAIs are stressful for dogs. Maintaining the animal wellness is ethically crucial and it is decisive for the success of the AAIs. This study wanted to assess if dogs were stressed during the sessions. Nine dogs, belonging to the A.N.U.C.S.S. (the National Association for the Use of Dogs for Social Aims) association, were observed before, during, and after AAIs with patients—who had mental and/or physical disabilities—to underline any signs of stress. Our results suggested that our dogs were not stressed, as the level of anxious behaviour was low and similar in all three kinds of sessions (before, during, and after sessions). AbstractAnimal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are co-therapies in which the animal is an integral and active part of the treatment process. Dogs are widely involved in AAI projects, but little data are available to determine if AAI sessions are a source of stress for the dogs. Understanding the emotional state of animals and highlighting any signal of stress is crucial maintaining the wellness of the animals and in enhancing the probability of success of the AAI. The purpose of this study is to assess if dogs present signs of stress during animal assisted therapies sessions. The sample consisted of nine dogs, belonging to the members of the A.N.U.C.S.S. (the National Association for the Use of Dogs for Social Aims) association. Dogs lived with their owners and their health was checked by a vet once a week. Patients involved in the AAI project had disabilities due to mental disorder and/or psychomotor problems. During the therapeutic sessions, patients had to guide the dog along facilitated agility routes and/or perform the activities of cuddling and brushing the dog. When a dog accomplished a task, the patient gave him/her a reward (throwing a ball or a biscuit). Dogs were observed for a total of 174 h, 47 h before, 81 h during, and 46 h after AAI sessions. Each session of observation lasted 10–30 min. The differences of behavioural patterns in the three contexts were analysed by mean of the non-parametric Friedman test. Dogs never showed aggressive and stereotyped behaviour; the level of anxious behaviour was low and similar in all three kinds of sessions. During therapeutic sessions, attention, affiliative behavioural patterns, and sniffing behaviour increased. The highest level of attention of dogs was directed toward their conductor, rather than to the patient and to the other operator present. The results suggest that the amount of work dogs went through was adequate and that dogs did not show behavioural signs of stress.

The feasibility of a Pet Support Program in an Australian university setting

“…The views of some participants in relation to the welfare of the animals involved are consistent with an existing study, which found that the dogs involved did not display any symptoms of stress throughout the session, which is most likely due to the sessions only running for a short period of time. 50 Another study noted that handlers were trained to detect signs of animal stress throughout the program, 35 which is consistent with the views of participants in this study stating handlers would ensure the safety of the animals. The key times of year identified by participants to hold a PSP are consistent with the previous studies [17][18][19]23,25,28,34 who held programs during exam time.…”

Considering the “Dog” in Dog–Human Interaction

“…While these additional papers represent a small fraction of the research published in these years on HAI, the idea that dog welfare is integral to the programs is clearly spreading. Recent studies use different methods of characterizing welfare, from physiological measures like heart rate and cortisol levels (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17), to behavioral measures of stress, like panting, lip licking, and yawning (14,(16)(17)(18), which may partially explain why there are, overall, mixed results.…”

The Impacts of the Presence of an Unfamiliar Dog on Emerging Adults’ Physiological and Behavioral Responses Following Social Exclusion

“…On the other hand, future studies may additionally involve physiological data on the dog. Not only is the welfare of animals an increasingly recognized issue in the field of animal-assisted therapy [ 78 , 79 , 80 ]; part of the supportive and soothing effects of companion dogs may be explained by physiological synchronization with the animal, similar to its occurrence in human–human interactions [ 81 , 82 ]. An undisputed limitation of the study is that it does not allow a conclusion on whether there is something special to the presence of a dog.…”