It has been common practice to focus on the welfare of dogs in therapy work by investigating their stress and distress.

But, isn't welfare  on a continuum from stressful to positive feelings. Just like when we discuss human mental health. It is a continuum of suffering from depression or having suicidal ideation to feelings of positivity and happiness. It isn't one or the other but where does one fall on the continuum.

This recent investigation is technical and it speaks to the process of oxytocin release in saliva of dogs who demonstrate a positive, happy, behavior when interacting with humans in AAI. It makes sense that dogs who are enjoying the experience of working would influence the emotional state of the human they are interacting with. So happy dogs make happy clients.

In simpler terms and the ones that I understand best, synchronization of the emotionals of the human and the dog to each other is a beautiful thing. I have been lucky enough to witness it when supporting children and youth experiencing challenges with enjoying positive mental health. There is nothing better than observing the corners of a sad kid sneak up and turn into a smile as they synchronize with a happy, enthusiastic dog. This can be enjoyed to the fullest by the pet owner too. Nothing better than coming into the house after a crappy day at work with lingering feelings of disappointment and negativity to a cheerful, tail wagging, happy dance.

Back to the scientific investigation a dog's temperment and breed drives behavior and psychological responses to situations. Cortisol measurements can be physiological indicators of dogs stress levels during interactions, as well as ocytoxin which indicates positive experiences. Observable behavior during interactions with humans that might show enjoyment, could provide indicators of positive welfare in dogs. Behaviors such as engagement in play, or human-initiated affiliative behaviors, including leaning against, nudging, or licking the client. In addition to the above two measurements, a questionnaire can help identify positive dog welfare when working as a therapy animal, the study explains.

As a life time animal lover, who feels so deeply the unhappiness or lack of care for an animal to my core, I am so thrilled to see these studies that support the best life for therapy animals. We can most definitely use the valuable information found to better understand and provide positive animal welfare for our pets too..

From the study positive welfare concept includes four key characteristics. The quality of life, happiness, positive emotions, and positive affective engagement. The study goes on to be very specific in these four key characteristics.

Again, to simplify, dogs communicate with their humans and our understanding of what these behaviors are telling us is key to the positive, happy quality of life and relationship that we experience with our beloved pet.

"Common temperament traits identified within dogs are excitability, aggressiveness, curiosity/fearlessness, trainability, sociability, playfulness, and a higher-order trait known as boldness [propensity to take risks; which can influence the expression of all these traits. With dogs, it is widely accepted that behavior differs between breeds, with empirical evidence to support this." - The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs 

Again, the study takes us back to temperment working on a continuum and on an individualized basis within the breed. Many factors are working together to create an individual dog's temperament. How they are raised, current environment, and other characteristics such as age, size, sex, and whether they are neutered, spayed or not.

I am going to go way out on a limb here. What I am going to say is not backed with a study I have completed. It is based on experience and the mindset of positive thinking. I do believe the temperment of a dog can be influenced by the way it is loved, cherished, and managed within the environment that it lives. We are empowered to enjoy a playful, happy, positively engaged dog if we value this to the point where we provide a quality of life that includes two-way communication, respect and love. It is up to us to be well informed, educated and trained to provide the best for our pets and in turn experience all that they so willingly want to give.

I invite you to have a look at the report in it's entire form. Frontiers | The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs | Veterinary Science (frontiersin.org)

I will end with this quote.

"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." - Ghandi