The burden of responsibility for running the session effectively for the client while safeguarding the dog lies with the therapist developing significant skills in relating with dogs in mutually beneficial ways . Dogs are not expected to inherently respond appropriately to clients ’ emotional states , nor are they referred to as co-therapists . The human is the therapist and the dog is a partner , helper , or assistant .
The burden of responsibility for running the session effectively for the client while safeguarding the dog lies with the therapist developing significant skills in relating with dogs in mutually beneficial ways . Dogs are not expected to inherently respond appropriately to clients ’ emotional states , nor are they referred to as co-therapists . The human is the therapist and the dog is a partner , helper , or assistant .
The other option is for the therapist to handle the client ’ s needs without expecting the dog to engage in a stressful situation . This is part of therapists ’ training , and rather than expecting the dog to do whatever the client wants , they can simply handle the situation using their therapeutic skills , such as empathy or redirection of the client . For example , if the dog indicates that he or she is done with a session by going to his or her safe “ dogs only ” space under a table in the corner , instead of trying to entice the dog back into the session , I can address any feelings of disappointment or frustration the client expresses . Often , I simply empathize and then educate : “ You are disappointed that Sparky doesn ’ t want to play that game . Right now , what do you think Sparky wants to do ?” or “ It seems that Sparky is tired and wants to lie down . We will respect his need to do that , and let ’ s think of another way to play that game .” If a client feels rejected , I return to providing empathy , and again reframe for the client if needed , “ You ’ re really sad and annoyed that Sparky seems to want to sleep right now instead of play with you . I know it feels like he doesn ’ t want to be with you , but I think he had so much fun playing that other game with you , he is ready for a nap .” These are just examples of how therapists might handle the situation rather than continuing to expect the dog to do their bidding .
Animal Agency and Voluntary Participation in Therapy Sessions Even when animals have been determined through a variety of processes to be suitable for therapy work , like us they can have days with low motivation or little desire to participate . They might be ill or tired or simply not in the mood . This is acceptable and does not imply a problem with the dog ’ s behavior . I would like therapists to see this more clearly and simply allow their dogs to stay at home or walk away to a safe space during a session if they so choose . If one is involved in visitation or social support programs , this might mean cutting the visits short , going outside for a break , or heading home . For professional canine-assisted therapy sessions , this usually means the dogs being permitted at any time to access a spot where no human follows , leaving to go to another room where they can rest , or going home . Clients might be disappointed , but therapists are used to working with clients ’ emotions , and no therapy work should depend entirely on a dog being present .
Whenever possible , it is valuable to have therapy dogs be off-leash when involved with professionals ’ work . This permits the dogs to make more choices for themselves . Therapists benefit greatly from becoming fluent in reading their dogs ’ body language and responding to it in dog-friendly ways . This is another area where dog trainers and behaviorists can help build competencies in therapists that help them handle situations that are stressful for the dog . Listening to one ' s dog , understanding canine communication signals , and becoming aware of how humans in the room or environmental conditions can trigger dogs ' stress reactions are vitally important to therapy work . Trainers can show therapists how to advocate for their dogs ' needs and give dogs more agency and choice , at the same time still helping their therapy clients . These skills allow therapists to develop more realistic expectations of their dogs .
Many leaders in AAT now urge the voluntary participation of animals . To be voluntary , animals must have real choices to come and go as they wish ( within safe boundaries ). In the case of dogs , this means they often work off-leash for maximum choice or on a drag leash or very loosely held leash if off-leash work is not feasible . Stimulus control is necessary to maintain appropriate behavior , but this level of freedom also expands opportunities within the therapy setting . As a psychologist and play therapist , I learned early in my AAT journey that many more possibilities exist when my well-trained dogs were off leash . They could run through tunnels , play hide-and-seek , and even initiate interactions with clients . Clients could see for themselves that the dogs wanted to be with them because no one was holding them in place with a leash and the dog approached them freely . This has had huge benefits for the therapeutic process at the same time leading to happier dogs . This is not possible in every setting , but it is worth considering and building into any training plan with therapy dogs .
The Animal Assisted Play Therapy ® ( AAPT ) Way In our work in AAPT , we have adopted a number of these principles and practices . AAPT is a multidisciplinary approach to therapy for people of all ages with a variety of challenges that emphasizes ( a ) reciprocity in relationships ( human-animal and
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