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The History and Training of the Therapy Dog for School Personnel

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The History and Training of the Therapy Dog for School Personnel THE HISTORY AND TRAINING OF THE THERAPY DOG FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL Sue Montgomery M.A., California State University, Stanislaus, 2010 Carmen Wille M.A., California State University, Sacramento, 2010 PROJECT Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of SPECIALIST IN EDUCATION in School Psychology at CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO SPRING 2011 THE HISTORY AND TRAINING OF THE THERAPY DOG FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL A Project by Sue Montgomery Carmen Wille Approved by: _________________________________, Committee Chair Catherine Christo Ph.D. _____________________________ Date ii Students: Sue Montgomery Carmen Wille I certify that these students have met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the Project. ______________________________ ____________________ Dr. Bruce Ostertag, Department Chair Date Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, School Psychology, and Deaf Studies iii Abstract of THE HISTORY AND TRAINING OF THE THERAPY DOG FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL by Sue Montgomery Carmen Wille Since the time dogs were first domesticated, they have played an important role in providing companionship and comfort. It was a natural extension of this human animal bond to use dogs to provide this same comfort to others as what is now know as dog- assisted therapy. This project reviews the literature to examine the benefits and concerns involved with using a therapy dog. The goal of the project is to educate school personnel about the two major dog therapy organizations in the United States and assist them in training the required elements in order to certify their canine as a therapy dog. The project is set up with four sessions, and each session is two hours long. Only one session will be presented a week. _________________________________, Committee Chair Catherine Christo, Ph.D. ____________________________ Date iv DEDICATION To our families Thank you for your patience and understanding In Memory of Harold Kerster, Ph.D. and Jordan Shed no tears of sorrow for I am not gone Believe in your heart I will be there Believe in your heart and I am there v TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 Background ............................................................................................................. 1 Statement of Collaboration ..................................................................................... 2 Statement of the Research Problem ........................................................................ 3 Purpose of the Project ............................................................................................. 3 Definition of Terms................................................................................................. 4 Limitations .............................................................................................................. 8 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................................. 10 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 10 Brief History of Animal-assisted Therapy ............................................................ 10 Types of animal-assisted therapies ....................................................................... 14 Benefits of Dog-Assisted Therapy: Physiological Benefits .................................. 25 Social Skills Benefits ............................................................................................ 31 Reduction in Behavioral Issues ............................................................................. 33 Getting Started In Dog Therapy: Choosing the Correct Dog ............................... 36 Certification of the Dog for Therapy Work .......................................................... 39 Concerns ............................................................................................................... 43 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 49 3. METHODS ................................................................................................................... 50 Research ................................................................................................................ 50 Development of Seminar ...................................................................................... 51 4. FINDINGS .................................................................................................................... 54 The History and Training of the Therapy Dog for School Personnel ................... 54 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 55 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 56 vi Appendix A. Dog-assisted Therapy PowerPoint Presentation ......................................... 59 Appendix B. Dog-assisted Therapy Pamphlet ................................................................ 110 Appendix C. Delta Society Pet Partner Skills and Aptitude Test ................................... 116 Appendix D. Therapy Dogs International Testing Requirements .................................. 119 Appendix E. Facilitator Guide ........................................................................................ 122 Appendix F. Session Notes ............................................................................................. 127 Appendix G. Parental Consent Form (English) .............................................................. 136 Appendix H. Parent Consent Form (Spanish)................................................................. 139 Appendix I. Presenters’ Supplies .................................................................................... 142 Appendix J. List of Needed Supplies for Handlers......................................................... 144 References ....................................................................................................................... 146 vii 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background It is common knowledge that dogs can elicit positive emotions in humans (Hines, 2003). Because of this, organizations who work with children many times utilize dogs to help gain interest and build rapport. This is important because when children feel comfortable and connected, professionals are better able to implement physiological, social, or behavioral interventions to help improve overall quality of life (Walsh, 2009). There are two commonly used terms to describe this type of intervention: dog-assisted activity and dog-assisted therapy (Delta Society, n.d.). To make this presentation more comprehensive, only the term dog-assisted therapy will be utilized. Currently, no type of presentation has been created and implemented to help guide school professionals on the training necessary to successfully certify a therapy dog. This project includes valuable information in the form of a PowerPoint presentation (See Appendix A for PowerPoint) and a pamphlet (see Appendix B for pamphlet) that will educate counselors, school psychologists, and special education teachers about the types of animal-assisted therapies, the benefits and concerns associated with working with dogs, the two major types of therapy dog organizations in the United States, and their requirements to certify therapy dogs. This presentation will also provide pet/handler training and forms from the Delta Society (see Appendix H for Delta Society form) and Therapy Dogs International (TDI) (see Appendix I for TDI form) listing the exercises 2 required to become a certified therapy dog so the professional has the tools needed to complete the certification process. Statement of Collaboration When researching and implementing this project, responsibilities were divided between the two collaborators. Collaborator one was responsible for the introduction, the statement of collaboration, limitations, and half of the definition of terms in the first chapter, while the second collaborator was responsible for the statement of the research problem, purpose of the project, and the second half of the definition of terms. In the second chapter, the first collaborator was responsible for the introduction, the brief history of animal-assisted therapy, and the benefits of dog-assisted therapy, while the second collaborator was responsible for the types of animal therapies, the sections involving Getting Started in Dog Therapy, and the conclusion. In the third chapter, the first collaborator was responsible for the research section while the second collaborator was responsible for the Development of Seminar section. In chapter four, both collaborators came together and wrote the Finding, Conclusions, and Recommendations. The remaining sections of the project were distributed as follows: the first collaborator completed the facilitator’s guide (see Appendix E for facilitator’s guide), pamphlet (see Appendix B for pamphlet) session notes (see Appendix F for session notes), and the parental consent form in English (see Appendix G for consent
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