Three Things to Know
Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) using dogs are increasingly common in educational and community settings; however, an overemphasis on human benefits can compromise canine welfare. To address this, researchers analyzed Dogs Connect, a dog-centered approach to animal-assisted education in Australia, as a potential model for regulatory frameworks.
Dogs Connect prioritizes a meaningful child-dog relationship through a mentorship program with eight core components: legal considerations, ethical and welfare guidelines, candidate selection, training and skill-building, community readiness, humane education and the human-animal bond, professional networking and support, and mindful language use.
The researchers recommend a dog-centered regulatory framework that establishes ethical teaching standards, clear communication strategies, and a standardized, structured plan for preparing dogs, community participants, educators, social workers, and relevant practitioners.
For Dog Welfare Practitioners
Dogs offer therapeutic potential in diverse stressful environments, fostering infant development and cultivating empathy among primary school students. However, animal welfare concerns render their use contentious, with leading organizations like Dogs Trust opposing their implementation in schools.
Dogs Connect, an Australian program, exemplifies a dog-centered approach to animal-assisted education and intervention, aiming to address concerns raised by dog welfare advocates. It provides a framework for establishing consensus on responsible dog integration in schools and community settings. Notably, its mentorship component offers a valuable platform for dog welfare advocates to educate participants on nuanced canine body language and responsible ownership, exceeding the average pet owner’s understanding.
Given the global rise of animal-assisted intervention, dog welfare advocates must unite to develop standards and guidelines that prioritize animal welfare, ensuring children can safely experience the positive impact of dogs.
The Full Picture
The use of dogs in schools and community settings for animal-assisted interventions (AAI) has gained popularity due to their positive impact on children’s emotional well-being, stress reduction, social skills, and learning. Research highlights their benefits, including fostering empathy, improving communication, and increasing student attendance. However, most studies focus on human benefits while neglecting the welfare of the dogs involved, which may lead to AAI programs that place dogs in stressful situations.
Multiple issues could emerge. There is a lack of awareness and training among teachers, social workers, and community members about canine communication and behavior. Many professionals use therapy dogs without adequate training in understanding their needs. This gap in knowledge leaves dogs vulnerable to being treated as tools rather than sentient beings. The potential use of outdated training methods, such as dominance theory, exacerbate this issue.
This research, “Dogs in Schools: Dogs Connect as an Example of a Dogs-First Wellbeing Dog Programme,” advocates for prioritizing the ethical treatment of therapy dogs, using Australia’s Dogs Connect as a model for balancing canine well-being with human benefits.
Dogs Connect
Dogs Connect is an educational program designed to integrate dogs into communities as active participants in learning and emotional support, rather than just visiting therapy animals. The program addresses gaps in students’ social and emotional development by fostering meaningful relationships between children and dogs.
The program prepares communities to recognize dogs as individuals with emotional and physical needs. It introduces humane education by teaching students how to interpret dog body language, respect their choices, and engage in consensual interactions. By emphasizing dogs as sentient beings with agency, Dogs Connect moves away from traditional obedience-based approaches and instead promotes communication, mutual respect, and positive reinforcement to form lasting, meaningful bonds.
A core element of Dogs Connect is its structured mentorship program, which includes the following components to ensure that interactions between dogs and humans are safe, sustainable, and mutually beneficial:
Key Components of Dogs Connect
1. Legal Considerations
Dogs Connect provides legal guidance, risk assessment documents, and best practices to help align with community policies and regulations. The program highlights the lack of regulation regarding wellbeing dogs in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI), which can lead to unsafe environments for both humans and dogs. Without proper guidelines, dogs may be placed in stressful situations, increasing the risk of defensive behaviors such as biting. Dogs Connect emphasizes the importance of legal structures to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants.
2. Ethical and Welfare-Focused Guidelines
The program promotes the idea that wellbeing dogs should not be viewed as tools for human benefit but as individuals with their own needs and emotions.Dogs Connect integrates ethical values into its guidelines, including proper selection, training, and ongoing well-being assessments by qualified behavior experts. The program provides policy templates and ethical checklists to support responsible implementation.
3. Evaluating and Sourcing Suitable Canine Candidates
Identifying and assessing dogs for school and social work settings is a crucial aspect of the program. Due to the lack of standard regulations in Australia and New Zealand, Dogs Connect follows a structured evaluation process to ensure dogs are well-suited for highly stimulating environments. The assessment considers personality, behavioral responses, and enjoyment levels rather than relying solely on traditional therapy dog evaluation methods. The caregiver-dog relationship is also emphasized, as caregiver behavior significantly impacts a dog’s effectiveness in AAI roles.
4. Training and Skill-Building for Dogs
Dogs Connect promotes humane, science-based training methods that prioritize dog welfare. Traditional aversive training techniques are discouraged. Instead, the program provides instructional materials and expert guidance for teachers and social workers to apply ethical training practices, which includes understanding dog body language, consent-based interactions, and positive reinforcement. It also focuses on life skills such as maintaining four paws on the floor, leash walking, resting on a mat, and voluntary engagement in interactions.
5. Community Preparedness
Dogs Connect supports the smooth integration of wellbeing dogs into communities through structured education and environmental management. This include:
- Presentations, staff meetings, and forums to introduce the dog as an individual with specific needs.
- Training on consent-based interactions, recognizing body language, and setting realistic expectations for human and dog behavior.
- Creating supportive environments with designated quiet zones, treat stations, and appropriate equipment to prevent stress and overwork.
- Scheduling and workload management to prevent exhaustion and ensure a balanced routine for the dog.
6. Humane Education and the Human-Animal Bond
Dogs Connect integrates Humane Education, which encourages awareness of human impact on animals and promotes informed, ethical decision-making. This approach advocates for improved animal welfare beyond the classroom or therapy environment. By incorporating these philosophies into curricula, Dogs Connect helps create more compassionate communities that recognize and respect the wellbeing of both humans and animals.
7. Networking and Continual Support
Dogs Connect ensures the ongoing success of wellbeing dogs by maintaining strong connections with their communities and continuously monitoring the dogs’ welfare. It offers ongoing training and support. Regular assessments of each dog’s emotional and physical well-being are also conducted to ensure their continued comfort and suitability in their role. Lastly, the program facilitates an online community where wellbeing dog practitioners can share experiences, offer guidance, and address ethical challenges.
8. Language
The language used in wellbeing programs shapes perceptions and interactions between humans and dogs. Dogs Connect emphasizes the avoidance of human-dominant terminology in favor of respectful, inclusive language. It also models respectful communication as a tool for social-emotional learning in classrooms and therapy settings.
The Future of Regulatory Guidelines
To establish ethical multi-species classrooms and social workspaces, it is essential to prioritize dogs’ experiences and welfare. While Dogs Connect provides individualized support, its structure highlights the need for standardized guidelines and industry regulations. The authors propose a dogs-first policy framework for animal-assisted interventions (AAI), focusing on five key elements:
- A Dog-Centered Model – Policies should be informed by research on canine cognition and emphasize the dog’s choice and agency in interactions.
- A Dog-Centered Language – Terminology should reflect respect and responsibility, avoiding oppressive language and ensuring dogs’ experiences are at the forefront.
- Ethical Teaching Standards – Training methods must be humane, evidence-based, and guided by certified trainers, behavior consultants, or veterinary behaviorists.
- Clear Communication Guidelines – Everyone involved must be educated on canine body language and stress signals to ensure dogs can effectively communicate their needs.
- Structured Planning – Standardized procedures should prepare dogs and human participants by:
- Teaching appropriate interaction and consent-based engagement with dogs.
- Ensuring dogs are comfortable and well-prepared for their environment.
- Creating safe spaces, enrichment areas, and treat stations for positive reinforcement.
- Implementing essential safety skills such as stationing behaviors, recall, and leash training.
Conducting ongoing assessments by certified professionals to monitor the dog’s well-being. - Providing networking and continuing education for practitioners.
Conclusion
The dog-human connection extends beyond the classroom, offering meaningful mutual support and well-being benefits. The Dogs Connect model demonstrates the impact of structured approaches that guide these interactions, both intentionally and incidentally. This model can serve as a foundation for standardized guidelines that prioritize dogs’ welfare in educational and social settings. By integrating dogs into these environments responsibly, the learning experience is enriched while ensuring the holistic well-being of both humans and dogs. This underscores the need for policies that reflect both canine and human values.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
–
Year of Publication:
2025
External Link:
Dogs in schools: Dogs Connect as an example of a dogs-first wellbeing dog programme. (2025). Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 37(1), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol37iss1id1168