Exploring the Handler-Dog Connection within a University-Based Animal-Assisted Activity

SIMPLE SUMMARY: There has been a tremendous increase in the use and popularity of animal assisted activities (AAAs) on university campuses around the world. Despite a recent increase in research to examine the efficacy of AAAs, little is known about how handlers and their dogs interact to facilitate student experiences during these programs. This study aims to explore how handlers interact with their dogs before and during interactions with students. It was found that handlers spent more time petting their dog, talking to their dog, and restraining their dog by the leash when students were present. Handlers also displayed distinct interaction styles toward their dogs, including hands-off, permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian styles. Understanding the nature of interactions between handlers and their dogs is important for determining what factors contribute to program quality and efficacy while safeguarding animal wellbeing. ABSTRACT: There has been an increase in research concerning the quality of dyadic interactions between humans and dogs in university-based animal assisted activities (AAAs). While interactions between students and dogs are commonly an area of focus, studies examining interactions between handlers and their dogs are needed. We coded 10-min long video-recorded observations (N = 151) using a mixed methods approach to capture the duration and frequency of dog-directed handler behavior (i.e., postural state, verbal and physical contact) before and during interactions with student participants in an AAA. Analyses showed a significant decrease in the proportion of time handlers spent petting their dog, and a significant increase in the proportion of time handlers spent sitting on the floor and restraining their dog by the leash in response to student introduction. Two dimensions of handlers’ dog-directed behavior emerged (e.g., warmth, control) revealing distinct handler interaction styles: Hands-off (L Warmth, L Control), permissive (H warmth, L control), authoritative (H Warmth, H Control), and authoritarian (L Warmth, H Control). Handlers’ interaction styles were influenced by student presence, leading some handlers to increase warmth behaviors directed to their dogs, while others decreased such behaviors. Implications for the facilitation of university-based AAAs are discussed.