There is an increasing demand from schools for a dog because of the many benefits they offer students. A school can be an extremely stressful environment for students, causing more and more young people to experience emotional problems. Dogs can offer a solution to help students with this. They provide a comforting presence for young people who are struggling.
Classroom dogs are therapy dogs that are trained, among other things, to offer comfort and affection to children and to assist in certain activities, usually alongside their owners/handlers.
Benefits of a Therapy dog on a social and mental level
From helping young children to (learn to) read, to relieving the intense stress of university students. These dogs offer many benefits for students, teachers and parents alike.
Research has shown that therapy dogs can not only make a measurable difference in the acquisition of many skills, but also contribute to the emotional and relational development of the students. The presence of a therapy dog ??can reduce anxiety and enable students to address issues such as bullying and other psycho / social problems.
The introduction of a (non-threatening) therapy dog ??can act as a catalyst to form adaptive and satisfying social interactions. Targeted activities and group discussions help the students deal with interpersonal conflicts and develop constructive solutions.
Benefits of a dog on a physical level
The most important task of a therapy dog ??is to make contact with strangers, even in stressful situations. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog ??is therefore the temperament. Therapy dogs must have a calm and stable temperament and must be able to tolerate children, other animals, busy public places and other situations that can be stressful. A good therapy dog ??must be friendly, confident and gentle in all situations. They must feel comfortable when being petted and handled, even though this sometimes happens in an awkward way.
Doing something as simple as stroking a dog can actually lower blood pressure. Lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and an increase in oxytocin are also associated with pet therapy and contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular functions. In short, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression has a positive influence on physical health. Most therapy dog ??programs in schools are usually funded by donations, and training and certification costs are almost always provided by dog ??owners. The dogs stay with their owners, not at the school, so the owners are responsible for food, equipment and veterinary costs. Deploying therapy dogs in schools is cheap, much cheaper than recruiting additional therapists or treating stress-induced disorders.
Do you want a Therapy dog? Then mail us at info@therapiedier.be