Canine-Assisted and Animal-Assisted Skill Building for Children and Adults in the CCS or CLTS Programs
Canine-Assisted Skill Building is not therapy. I am a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Professional Dog Trainer, not a therapist. My role is to assist my clients in reaching their service plan goals through coaching the the client and their pet through various techniques and activities.
Canine-Assisted and Animal-Assisted Skill Building sessions are well-suited for children (ages 6 and up) and adults who have their own dog or other pet. We meet in the client’s home for one-on-one seesions.
Add this service to your client’s service plan by filling out the referral form linked below:
What is Canine-Assisted and Animal-Assisted Skill Building?
This service will assist clients in reaching a range of goals including:
Facilitating trust and building relationships with others through developing a trusting relationship with a pet.
Aiding social and emotional development by strengthening the human-animal bond.
Enhance interpersonal skills within a therapeutic relationship and transfer these skills to natural relationships.
Creating empathy, understanding emotions and reading others’ cues through learning their pet’s body language and how it relates to human body language.
Recognize internal emotions and physical reactions to coping skills more effectively.
Learn about personal space and body autonomy through hands-free training methods and recognizing their pet’s body autonomy by practicing pet consent.
Enhance ability to vocalize needs and advocate for themselves through practicing these skills with their pet.
Practice self-regulation to increase patience and decrease frustration – without the need for verbal corrections or physical manipulation.
Develop self-care and personal hygiene habits by addressing the care and grooming needs for their pets.
Practice co-regulation skills with their pet through tactile interactions such as T-touch and deep pressure.
Build self-confidence and self-esteem timing through teaching a pet a new skill.
Understand impulsiveness and how it affects relationships through learning why this behavior happens and practicing safe and mutual interactions with their pet.
Support the client as they overcome fear and accept grief surrounding past or current experiences with a pet.
Decrease stress and increase wellbeing of client and animal through learning safe and effective ways to manage or modify maladaptive pet behaviors.
Identify and meet the pet’s welfare, nutritional and medical needs through education, acquisition of supplies and equipment and/or locating quality, but affordable, options for health and medical care.
Methods include activities and games such as pattern games, role play, basic skill training such as targeting, trick training, puzzles and husbandry, etc.
Provide education, basic training skills and support for clients with emotional support animals in order to enhance relationship and positively impact mental health.
Provide education and assistance in acquiring a service animal; such as locating organizations who provide trained dogs or assist in training own dog, choosing a puppy and education about laws around support animals.
“Children and adults were able to transfer their increased abilities in reading facial expressions of dogs to their emotion recognition in human beings.” 11
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. As a result, 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 pet 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 pet 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-animal 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
Fostering secure, positive emotional bonds between humans and their pet AND providing assistance with problem behaviors is key to mental wellness. This service is a good fit for helping clients create a healthy attachment with and teach basic skills to a new pet, as well as strengthen the human-animal bond or rebuild a fractured relationship.
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 these 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
add this service to your client’s service plan by filling out the referral form linked below:
Examples of Techniques Used in Canine-Assisted Skill Building
Disclaimer: These videos are all 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 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. Pattern games, such as 123, create a new coping skill for both client and dog to reduce stress and anxiety by creating a predictable pattern for control and self-regulation. 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 as well.
Voluntary Sharing
In this video, I am demonstrating another pattern game – Voluntary Sharing. Buddy (red leash) struggles with allowing other dogs to approach his person and with sharing treats. Voluntary sharing teaches him impluse control and gives 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 deliver another treat. If he doesn’t sit, the handler knows that he is not ready yet. The client sees the benefits of sharing and taking turns. This is a great jumping off point to brainstorm creative ways to practice this in their own daily life.
