Behavioral Training Therapy Dogs

Behavioral Training for Therapy Dogs:

Therapy dogs basically refers to dogs that are trained to offer affection and comfort to individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, stressful conditions, retirement homes, schools, and mental institutions like disaster areas. Throughout the years, health care professionals have recognized the therapeutic impact of animal companionship like lowering blood pressure, stress relief, and raising spirits. As a result of the huge recognition of the therapeutic influence of animal companionship, the demand for therapy dogs has continued to grow. Actually, in the past few years, therapy dogs have been enrolled to assist children suffering from emotional and speech disorders.

The use of therapy dogs in assisting individuals in the health care facilities and other relevant institutions to provide affection and comfort originates from the human-animal bond. In most cases, the human-animal bond outcomes are based on affection and/or respect. Behavioral training of therapy dogs effect the human-animal bond through fostering the creation of these bonds via close and recurrent contact. The animal-assisted therapy programs generally act as catalysts for the formation of the bond between humans and their pets (Bayne, 2002, p.4).

The bond between people and their pets is usually developed when a nurturing or caring model is established between the human and the animal. As compared to other animals, dogs, especially therapy dogs have been genetically shaped to behave and look like juveniles. People are likely to identify with non-human primates in emotional ways because of the physical similarities between humans and these non-human primates. The greater the understanding of the behavior of the animal, the more the likelihood of formation of the bond between the human and the animal. The other factor contributing to the development of the human-animal bond is the amount of time spent together between the person and the animal. As a result, an individual is likely to form a bond with an animal based on how long he/she resides in the facility with the animal.

According to current knowledge and research on the physiology of behavior and training, there are two major classifications of therapy service. These are Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Activities even thought researchers in the field of human-nonhuman animal studies have continually been criticized for lack of theoretical foundations (Brown, 2004, p.68). The human-companion animal bond is based on theories with three kinds of models that are considered as being akin to the human-animal attachments and relationships.

The Animal Assisted Therapy is a therapy service in which companion animals are part of the therapy of a patient. In this category, interactions with the therapy dogs are part of the plan of treatment developed by healthcare professionals to enhance the emotional and physical function of a patient. On the contrary, the Animal Assisted Activities therapy service basically entails the introduction of pets to withdrawn patients or individuals to stimulate communication. This is carried out because patients tend to feel comfortable around a friendly animal despite the lack of the need for trained professionals or absence of formal plan of treatment.