Training Owner-Handlers to Improve Their Dog-Training Skills in Order to Enhance Their Participation in Animal-Assisted Activities

Abstract

Study objective: Evaluation of efficacy of dog-training methods intended to help owner-handlers control their dogs appropriately when participating in animal-assisted activities (AAA). Setting: A training room used for behavioral training for animal-assisted activities. Participants: Female volunteers (N=9) in their forties to fifties who wanted to conduct animal-assisted activities with their dogs. The handler-dog pairs were divided into 2 groups based on assessment results: Group 1: pairs (handler plus dog) in which the handlers had not yet acquired appropriate behaviors (n=4), and Group 2: pairs in which the handlers had already acquired relatively appropriate behaviors (n=5). Designs: Group 1: Multiple baseline across behaviors; Group 2: Multiple baseline across participants. Independent variable: Behavioral training, including feedback based on videos of the target behaviors. Measures: Group 1: Target behaviors, including leash handling, instructions to dogs, and a “praising voice”; Group 2: “praising voice.” The handlers’ use of a praising voice was assessed using the A’ of signal detection theory as the index. Other target behaviors were assessed from their percentage of occurrence, defined as the number of observation intervals that included the target behavior divided by the total number of corresponding intervals. Results: In Group 1, all 4 handlers improved significantly in at least 4 of the 5 behaviors measured, including commands and prompts to their dogs. In Group 2, 4 of the 5 handlers’ A’ increased significantly. Moreover, the percentage of occurrence of hits by all 5 handlers increased. Conclusion: The methods employed in the present study may be useful for improving the skills of individuals who are training dogs to participate in animal-assisted activities.