The Effectiveness of Dog-Training Programs in Prison

Cooke, Barbara J.; Farrington, David P.

doi:10.1177/0032885516671919

Cited by 67 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Before being trained and assessed for their ability to safely function in various places and situations, these puppies must be reared, starting as young as six to 12 weeks [3], for up to 16 months before they are suitable for advanced training, which prepares them for their specific work role. Puppy raisers, typically volunteers recruited either from the public [3] or from institutions such as higher education and correctional settings [4,5], provide care and opportunities for the puppies to learn and become familiar with a wide variety of environments and situations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising an Assistance Dog Puppy—Stakeholder Perspectives on What Helps and What Hinders

Loc

Howell

Benton

et al. 2020

Animals

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Assistance dog puppies live with their raisers for up to 16 months before entering advanced training and, hopefully, becoming qualified to help people with a disability. Almost half of the puppies fail to meet the behavioural standards required for assistance dogs, and some puppy raisers produce more behaviourally favourable puppies than others. It is unclear what factors influence puppy-raising practice quality. To understand this, we interviewed 17 participants, including experienced puppy raisers (n = 8), provider organisation staff (n = 4), and those who have served both as puppy raisers and staff (n = 5). Results of a thematic analysis suggest three groups of influencing factors, namely intrapersonal factors, social support, and puppy characteristics. Intrapersonal factors such as expectations, competency, perseverance and passion were reported to influence puppy raisers’ experiences, puppy-raising quality, and continuity of service. Contextual factors such as availability of social support (informational and emotional supports) and less-demanding puppies both led to positive puppy-raising experiences, while the former also contributed to puppy raisers’ perceptions of competency. Future research should quantitatively examine the interrelationships of these factors concerning puppies’ behavioural development. Meanwhile, organisations could consider these factors when developing their recruitment and puppy-raiser support programs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising an Assistance Dog Puppy—Stakeholder Perspectives on What Helps and What Hinders

Loc

Howell

Benton

et al. 2020

Animals

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“…Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) recognize the role that animals may serve as catalysts or mediators of human social interaction, assisting in therapeutic processes by simultaneously relaxing and engaging the client [ 5 , 6 ]. AAI is increasingly being used in a range of contexts including custodial settings [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Although there is a diverse range of prison-based animal programs, dog training programs (DTPs) are considered particularly effective and these have increased in popularity in recent years [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…AAI is increasingly being used in a range of contexts including custodial settings [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Although there is a diverse range of prison-based animal programs, dog training programs (DTPs) are considered particularly effective and these have increased in popularity in recent years [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. There is considerable variation in DTP programs between facilities but the most common types are a community service model, preparing rescue shelter dogs for rehoming, and a service animal model, providing socialization as preparation for advanced assistance dog training [ 7 , 9 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“You Think You’re Helping Them, But They’re Helping You Too”: Experiences of Scottish Male Young Offenders Participating in a Dog Training Program

Leonardi

Buchanan‐Smith

McIvor

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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Interaction with animals can be beneficial to humans and animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are increasingly popular in a range of contexts. Dog training programs (DTPs) are the most popular form of AAI in custodial contexts; prisoners often have multiple needs and DTPs seem to facilitate a diverse range of positive outcomes, including improvements in well-being, behavior, and offending behavior. However, evidence on the efficacy of prison-based DTPs is still limited and these evaluations often lack detail or methodological rigor. We examined the experiences of male young offenders (N = 70) using thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted following completion of a DTP. The themes that emerged indicated a broad range of inter-related experiences and positive outcomes. The most prevalent theme related to their experiences with Dogs (including feelings and attitudes), and there were perceived improvements categorized as: Positive Effects (including mood and well-being), Motivation, Charitable Purpose, Self-Efficacy, Improved Skills, Impulsivity, and Emotional Management. These themes mapped well onto outcomes previously identified in research on DTPs, and to the program’s core aims of improving behavior, educational engagement, employability, and well-being. The diversity and nature of these themes indicates that DTPs have considerable potential to engage and benefit those individuals with multiple needs, such as young offenders, and ultimately to achieve positive long-term outcomes with significant social, health, and economic impact.

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“…Aufderheide and Jalongo (2019) stated that inmate participants in prison dog programs have opportunities to shape new identities and see themselves differently which can also drive meaningful behaviour change. The literature on therapy dogs in U.S. prisons highlights the positive impact of the HAB amongst a population of individuals who are forced in many ways to disconnect from social interaction (Cooke & Farrington, 2016;Deaton, 2005;Yoon, Slade, & Fazel, 2017).…”

Section: Zooeyiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Recognizing Animals as an Important Part of Helping

Chalmers

Dell

Dixon

et al. 2020

csw

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The beneficial role of companion animals on human health and wellbeing across the life span is well documented in the rapidly expanding multi disciplinary body of literature known as human animal interactions (HAI). Social workers practice at the interface of people and their diverse environments. The presence of human animal bonds (HAB) within client systems, between people and companion animals in particular, are increasingly acknowledged and valued by social workers. Additionally, some social workers incorporate animals in their practice through animal assisted interventions (AAI). However, there is a paucity of empirical literature on social workers’ knowledge about and experiences with the inclusion of animals. We conducted a survey across three prairie provinces in Canada, replicating a study that was first implemented nationwide in the U.S. and later in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The survey explored social workers’ knowledge of HAI in social work. The results, similar to the Nova Scotia and U.S. findings, suggest that s social workers have general knowledge about HAI and the HAB, and that some do incorporate animals in practice. Social workers seem to have increasing knowledge and skills about HAI. While this is a positive trend, there is nonetheless a need for specialized education and training on the beneficial impact that companion animals can have on social work practice. In this paper, the application of zooeyia within social work is adopted as one approach to understanding HAB. Important implications for human health and wellbeing and social work practice at the practitioner and organizational levels are discussed.

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The Effectiveness of Dog-Training Programs in Prison

Cited by 67 publications

References 20 publications

Raising an Assistance Dog Puppy—Stakeholder Perspectives on What Helps and What Hinders

Raising an Assistance Dog Puppy—Stakeholder Perspectives on What Helps and What Hinders

“You Think You’re Helping Them, But They’re Helping You Too”: Experiences of Scottish Male Young Offenders Participating in a Dog Training Program

Recognizing Animals as an Important Part of Helping

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