Canine-Assisted Skill Building for Children and Adults in the CCS or CLTS Programs
Canine-Assisted Skill Building sessions are well suited for children and adults who have their own dog. We meet in the client’s home for one-on-one seesions that generally last about 45 minutes. If the client has, or is getting, a new dog, this service is an excellent way to help create a healthy attachment and learn basic skills from the start. It is also a great way to strengthen, or even rebuild, the human-dog relationship.
If you would like to add Canine-Assisted Skill Building sessions to your client’s service plan, please fill out the online referral form linked below:
How Animals Can Positively Affect Mental & Physical Health
It is well-documented that the presence of a pet in the home can have a multitude of positive physical and mental effets on those living in the home. This has resulted in more and more families and individuals acquiring pets, particularly dogs, with the intent that it will benefit their own or a loved one’s wellbeing.
Positive physical effects of having a dog in the home:
Lowering blood pressure and reducing cardiovascular disease;
Increasing physical activity;
Motivating the owner to move and even play;
Reducing anxiety and increasing relaxation; and/or
Diminishing overall physical pain.
Positive mental effects of having a dog in the home:
Lowering stress and anxiety and increasing relaxation;
Providing comfort and reducing loneliness and isolation;
Increasing mental stimulation;
Establishing a structured daily life;
Benefiting the social and emotional development of children;
Aiding in memory recall in patients with head injuries and chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s disease; and
In some cases, such as children with autism, a person may even form deep bonds with an animals or animals and feel that they are able to relate to animals better than humans.
The positive impacts of pet ownership on owner well-being are well documented in the literature and widely reported by media outlets. However, recent research also suggests several potential factors that could have negative effects on human well-being and animal welfare. For example, it has been reported that pet behavioural problems might lead to poorer mental health in pet owners and abandonment of pets. According to the social exchange theory, a relationship, such as that between pet and owner, is only maintained if the benefits outweigh the costs. Although it is hard to quantify the benefits and costs, a greater understanding of how pet-owner interactions affect owners’ well-being may permit purposeful improvement not only in the relationship per se but also in owner mental health. 3
The Impact of Animal Behavior Problems on Human Mental Health
Recent studies show us that human-dog relationships are much more complicated than we once thought. Animal behavior problems (e.g., separation-related behaviors, fear, anxiety and aggression) can pose risk factors for human mental health disorders .
Adverse emotional impacts may include:
Guilt in feeling responsible for the problem behavior;
A feeling of failure for not being able to “fix” the animal;
Anger, frustration, disappointment or resentment toward the pet or the situation;
Embarrassment about animal’s behavior and the reaction of others;
Worry and tension about leaving the pet at home alone;
Worry and fear of being evicted due to their pet’s behavior;
Distress at the added workload and/or cost of caring for a pet;
Irritation at the difficulty in managing a pet at home or in public;
Hypervigilance required to keep the pet and others safe;
Fear that the pet may harm someone;
Anxiety before/during walks with the dog; and
Exacerbation of existing psychological difficulties and even create new challenges and concerns.
Buller surveyed 39 pet owners who reported the following: “Negative emotions included anger, frustration, stress, worry, fear, and sadness, and most respondents reported feeling multiple negative emotions. While many owners reported negative emotions regarding their pet’s behavioral problem, they also reported many positive emotions about their pet and about their bond. Some reported feeling “sad that (we are) unable to resolve their fears and resulting anxiety”. Many reported feeling anger and frustration and described both feeling angry at their pet and also feeling angry at the situation, as well as feeling disappointment and resentment.” 5
For these reasons, both fostering secure, positive emotional bonds between humans and dogs AND providing assistance with problem behaviors is key to mental wellness.
What is Canine-Assisted Skill Building?
Canine-Assisted Skill Building sessions are well suited for children (ages 6 and up) and adults who have their own dog. We meet in the client’s home or in the community every week or every other week for one-on-one sessions that last approximately 45 minutes.
Clients learn why dogs do what they do and how to use the basic mechanics of dog training and timing of cues to change behavior without the need for verbal corrections or physical manipulation.
If the client has, or is getting, a new dog, this service is an excellent way to help create a healthy attachment and learn basic skills from the start. It is also a great way to strengthen, or even rebuild, the human-dog relationship.
Methods may include learning about canine body language, pattern games, canine T-touch massage, role play, targeting, trick training, basic skill training and dog husbandry, as well as other games and activities.
Canine-Assisted Skill Building is NOT:
Canine Assisted Skill Building is not therapy. I am a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Professional Dog Trainer. I am not a therapist. My job is to assist my clients in reaching their service plan goals through coaching the the client and their dog through various techniques and activities.
Barcelos et al concludes that “Based on the correlation results, we suggest that purposeful decrements in the occurrence of dog behavioural and health-related issues are likely to improve owners’ mental health, as well as being more consistent in the care of the dog (i.e. ‘failing’ less). For instance, animal behaviour management (e.g. through an animal behaviourist, dog training classes) and adjustments in the owner’s own routine through self-motivation or the support of a professional (e.g. psychotherapist, care worker) might help in achieving thes benefits. Engaging more often in friendly social interactions while out with the dog (e.g. during walks or meetings in dog-friendly places) also seems to have an important effect.” 3
Benefits of Canine-Assisted Skill Building
Through Canine-Assisted Skill Building, we can work toward a range of goals:
Building confidence and self-esteem through teaching a dog a new skill;
Creating empathy, understanding emotions and reading others’ cues through learning canine body language and how it relates to human body language;
Learning about personal space and body autonomy through hands-free training methods and practicing pet consent that recognized their dog’s own body autonomy;
Preventing dog bites through practicing safe and mutual interactions with dogs;
Creating new coping skills and co-regulation through playing pattern games;
Practicing self-regulation and patience and combating frustration through teaching a dog a new skill;
Decreasing stress and anxiety and practicing de-escalation and co-regulation skills through tactile interactions with their own dog using techniques such as petting and T-touch massage;
Reducing anxiety through learning new skills for working with leash reactive dogs;
Combating social anxiety through the use of pattern games;
Gaining skills for advocating for self and dog;
Creating impulse control skills through training skills and pattern games;
Aiding social and emotional development and strengthening the human-dog bond through play;
Creating grooming and personal hygiene habits by creating the same for the client’s dog;
Practicing sharing and learning to take turns;
Decreasing stress and increasing wellbeing by reducing dog behavior problems; and
Facilitating trust and building relationships with others through developing a trusting relationship with their dog.
If you would like to add Canine-Assisted Skill Building sessions to your client’s service plan, please fill out the online referral form linked below:
Examples of Techniques Used in Canine-Assisted Skill Building
Disclaimer: These videos were taken of Crimson Hound dog training clients who have signed a release to allow videos to be taken and shared for demonstration purposes. CCS and CLTS clients are never photographed or videotaped during Canine-Assisted Skill Building sessions.
123 Walking
In this video, I am demonstrating the pattern game – 123 Walking. Many dog struggle with leash reactivity and this can lead to stress and anxiety for the client if they do not know how to handle the situation. By teaching a pattern game such as 123, we create a new coping skill for both client and dog that reduces stress and anxiety by giving them a predictable pattern that adds control and creates a way to co-regulate. The game is quite simple. The client counts out loud with each step and, on 3, they produce a treat at their side for the dog. The dog learns to check in on the count of 3 and a sense of “I am a bit unsure, but I know what to do when I hear counting”. The repetetive counting provides a calming activity for the handler.
Voluntary Sharing
In this video, I am demonstrating another pattern game – Voluntary Sharing. Buddy (orange leash) struggles with allowing other dogs to approach his person and with sharing treats. Voluntary sharing is a great way to teach him impluse control and to give him control over the situation by giving him the power to distribute the treats – thereby reducing his stress. When he sits, his friend gets a treat and then he gets a treat tossed to him. This sets him up to come back and sit to cue the handler to distribute another treat. If he doesn’t sit, the handler knows that he is not ready yet. This is a great way to help learners grasp the idea of sharing and taking turns and a great jumping off point for me and the client (and caregiver) to brainstorm creative ways to practice this in their own daily life.
