Introduction: Assessments of stress in therapy dogs have focussed on behavioural and physiological markers of stress during human-animal interactions (Glenk, Thodberg & Berget 2017). This study assessed whether therapy dogs display behavioural stress-related behaviours during Animal Assisted Activity sessions (AAA) in an aged care setting, and also whether therapy dog owners/handlers are familiar with common behavioural signs of stress in dogs.
Methodology: Volunteers from the Caring Canine Companions Community Visitors Scheme (CCCCVS) were recruited. Behaviours of nine CCCCVS therapy dogs were observed for one AAA session each, in seven locations across metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. General behaviours were recorded every 30 seconds for the session duration, with stress-related behaviours e.g. lip licking and yawning, recorded at each occurrence. A total of 38 CCCCVS therapy dog owners completed an online/hard copy survey, with questions focussed on their dog’s health status, AAA session structure, and perceived behaviour during therapy sessions.
Main Results: In all observed AAA sessions stress-related behaviours were observed. Lip licking and yawning were the most common behaviours, with 5.0 ± 14.3 licks/20min/dog (9/9) and 1.4 ± 6.8 yawns/20 min/dog (5/9). These behaviours were rarely identified by therapy dog owners as being stress responses. Over 60% of survey respondents reported their dog never showed any of the listed stress-related behaviours during therapy sessions, excluding panting (42.6% 20/47). Panting was often reported by owners as a stress sign (identified 9 times of 82 total responses), and was the most prevalent general behaviour observed.
Principal Conclusions and Implications for Field: This study has found discrepancy between behavioural signs of stress recognised by therapy dog owners, compared to those observed by the researcher. Subtle stress signs, such as lip licking and yawning, were recognised less commonly by owners as stress signals compared to other behaviours, such as panting. This information can be used to help modify AAIs to improve the welfare of participating dogs.
References: Glenk, L., Thodberg, K., Berget, B., 2017. ‘Current Perspectives on Therapy Dog Welfare in Animal-Assisted Interventions’, Animals, Vol. 7 (2).