Selection of Appropriate Dogs to Be Therapy Dogs Using the C-BARQ

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) help people relax and psychologically recover. Dogs are the most frequently used animals for this purpose and are sometimes called “therapy dogs” in Japan. Certified therapy dogs are evaluated prior to training with an aptitude test, but some owners have their dogs take this test without understanding what is required of the test. Therefore, new methods are needed to recruit candidate dogs and allow owners to easily determine whether their dogs have the potential to be therapy dogs. This study examined which items in Canine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) can help to identify dogs suitable to become therapy dogs. Factor analysis identified 14 factors. Using these factors, owners can independently evaluate whether their dogs display suitable behavioural traits to become therapy dogs. The present study may help to increase the number of therapy dogs. ABSTRACT: In recent years, therapy dogs in medical and assisted living facilities have become popular in Japan, and the demand for such dogs has increased. However, some owners have their dogs take this test, which evaluates the dog’s talent, without understanding what is required of the test. The system needs to teach owners in an understandable way whether their dog is suitable to become a therapy dog so that the owners can determine if their dog is ready to be tested. Therefore, we suggest that easy at-home testing is likely to encourage dog owners to apply for their dog to take the aptitude test. If more dogs take the test, more therapy dogs can be born. The purpose of this study was to identify the personality traits of therapy dogs that pass the aptitude test by using the Canine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). The C-BARQ was administered to dogs that previously passed the aptitude test for therapy training at the Hokkaido Volunteer Dog Association, assessing their behavioural displays. A factor analysis was conducted for each questionnaire item, and a total of 98 items were analyzed. Data were collected from the results of 110 dogs encompassing 30 dog breeds, with the most common breeds including Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Toy Poodles. Factor analysis revealed that 14 extracted factors should be evaluated. Given these personality traits and the fact that breed and age did not influence aptitude, we believe that a variety of dogs have the potential to become therapy dogs.