Benefits of Therapy Dogs By Ruthie Reed Do you love and enjoy the presence of having a dog or playing with one? Most people do but do not realize the benefits of doing it. Although this is unknown to many, including a dog in a therapy session can improve one's health just by petting it. The use of therapy dogs has many benefits for physical health, mental health, and the development of social skills. First of all, therapy dogs can help improve people's physical health in many ways.(1,2,3) One way that people's physical health can be benefited is by helping chronic pain.(3) In a study, patients pain levels were reduced by at least 2 points on a scale from 1-10 (10 being more painful) after having a therapy dog session.(3) This happens by doing …show more content…
Therapy dogs can also impact people with mental health disorders.(4,5,6) One way they can do this is by helping people with depression.(4,5) It is believed that when someone pets an animal, “feel good neurotransmitters” called endorphins are released which can be extremely helpful and beneficial for those going through depression.(5) Another way that depression can be improved by therapy dogs is that patients often forget about their own problems when in the presence of a dog because their attention is drawn to it and its needs.(5) Hormones such as serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin is also released by interacting with an animal which can play a major part in elevating moods.(6) Therapy dogs can also help people who are struggling with anxiety.(4) This occurs because people often feel more confident, increase comfort and can create a joyful distraction from anything they may be worried about when a dog is around.(4,6) Therapy dogs can also increase patients emotional well being.(5) A study showed that after a group of troubled female prisoners had a session with a therapy dog staff members reported improved emotional wellbeing as well as behavior.(5) The presence of a dog can also make people feel less lonely and can help patients develop nurturing skills as well as empathy.(5) To sum it all up, therapy dogs have many ways of helping people who struggle with different mental health …show more content…
One way they can do this is by helping the way that children interact with other people.(9) In a study with 2 children that had limited social skills they had reduced negative language, increased patients and a sense of control after a weekly 45-60 minute therapy session with a dog.(9) This is important because once they become an adult these skills will be very crucial and important to them. Therapy dogs can also help to build and improve social habits.(8) One way this happens is that being around the dog can help the child to become conscious of other people as well as their surroundings.(8) The dog can also be a model for the child to show how to react in certain situations.(8) Patients were also shown to pick social cues easier after having therapy sessions with a dog.(8) Lastly, therapy dog session helped kids to be more focused and to interact more in class.(7) An example of this is when 3 kids showed an increase of positive behaviors and a decrease in negative ones after sessions with the dog.(7) This shows us that children with developmental disabilities can benefit from using dogs as teaching and therapeutic assistance.(7) To wrap it all up, dogs can be very beneficial in the process of developing social
Horizon NJ Health 210 Silvia St Ewing Township, NJ 08628 October 17, 2017 T’Azjsha Hart 432 Manheim Avenue Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302 Re: Kevin Hall OMNIA: Plan A 00-9550 Dear Horizon NJ Health, I am writing on behalf of my patient, Kevin Hall to document the medical necessity of a well-trained Service Dog for the needed support of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This letter provides information of patient’s diagnoses and enforces why a service dog would provide Kevin Hall with efficient support.
Such programs are an effective way to treat medical symptoms without actual medicine, such as pills and so on. Besides that, these dogs are highly skilled service dogs capable of giving social support and mobility assistance to enhance their owner’s quality of live (Yount, Olmert and Lee
The American Pit Bull Terrier and veterans are beneficial to on another. One way they are beneficial to one another is that they help improve each other 's life. The way they help improve each other’s life is by changing the negative look that society gives them. American Pit Bull Terrier’s also helps with the veterans depression and as stated before with anxiety attacks. Veterans with the disorder have lowered self esteem and the American Pit Bull Terrier helps build back up their self esteem and they feel more apart of society.
Although positive reinforcement training is time consuming it is rewarding, because it allows you to build a bond between you and your dog. Unlike shock collars, it allows dogs to have a positive outlook on the correction, whereas shock collars associate it negatively with pain. For instance,
They would do anything to protect them, and to make them feel safe; so we should give them more credit for what they do. Don’t take dogs for granted, because they would never do that to you. If you know anyone with PTSD, think about what a dog can do to help them, and how much more safe they would feel. Works Cited Colin, Chris. " How Dogs Can Help Veterans Overcome PTSD."
Furthermore, research is demonstrating the promise that equine therapy holds for children with intellectual disabilities. Although equine therapy seems to be costly, when compared to traditional physical therapy methods, it can actually be less expensive. This means more families can afford equine therapy. With this in mind, it shows promise of becoming a standard form of early intervention for individuals with disabilities (Holmes, Goodwin, Redhead, & Goymour, 2012, p. 120). As the child ages, research is showing more and more support for equine therapy. It was mentioned previously how equine therapy can help a child in the classroom.
Places where we can find this therapy are hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, and disaster areas. The therapy dog have been shown to lower blood pressure, improve recovery from heart disease, and even reduce rates of asthma and allergy in children. This therapy can also help treating some conditions like autism making these kids became less aggressive and smiled
They can help people with balance issues from falling or help by cushioning their fall, Help a blind person cross the road, help someone with PTSD to finally get out of the house, Help someone with dementia or mental illness to take their medicine, and many more heroic behaviors. Any dog can become a service animal if they go through training. Any breed of dog can become a service animal too. All types of dogs are eligible to become services dogs, each potentially providing a different type of service. Service dog laws do not include dog breed restrictions or weight discrimination (“Service Dog Requirements”, 2017).
Through scientific exploration and my own experiences with Haku, I believe that dogs off-FUR their human counterparts benefits in all facets of life, thus, it can be concluded that the “humanization of dogs [has]..” benefitted Canadian citizens by increasing their quality
Exercise is incredibly important to a dogs mental and physical health. It is also directly correlated with a dog's behavior. Essentially, the more cooped up the dog is, the more the owner and fellow neighbors pay. Dogs that aren't let out to exercise or socialize will begin to act out through various ways, such as sudden potty training issues and barking. Not only is a dog park beneficial to the pooch and the owner, it's also beneficial to the city.
ADVANTAGES OF DOG TRAINNING COLLARS DRESSINGS Settings. Most of these modern training collars give you the choice to program a beep or vibration alert and adjust the force of impact. Unlike collars a spray, which administer a harmless product, but unpleasant to the nose of the dog, which they are not usually adjustable and less economic. Quick results.
While many pet owners claim that their pets actually do make them feel better, there are still some skeptics. However, research studies show that pets do have a very positive impact on various aspects of our health. In fact, according to “In Their Innocence and Wisdom” by Lilly Calandrello, studies have correlated pet ownership with the following health benefits: lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, better psychological health, lower heart attack rates, higher survival rates following coronary heart disease, enhanced self-esteem and social interaction. So as people take care of their companion animals, the animals are in turn taking care of their
Dogs have long been known to make great companions. I have heard from many people who own a dog that a dog is capable of boosting your mood and your health. But is it true? I didn’t know if it was all true until my sister surprised us with two tiny dogs. After having our dogs for several months I noticed it does change our lives in many ways.
They act as social lubricants or ice-breakers, particularly with the disabled, ill or socially awkward people. Pets stabilize the lives of their owners with their constant presence, unconditional love and emotional support. Pets are often
Caring for a dog is so important, if dog owner want a healthy dog you need to care for them correctly. Though some people think they have everything under control and they think they know everything there is t know, this may not be true. Training dogs,feeding them and taking care of them is important,we as humans should help animals such as dogs to help the dog population increase. Caring for animals is important , from buying food to exercise and training, this will all help, believe it or not.