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Four-Legged Therapists: Dogs Teach Valuable Lessons to Troubled Teens

By Hugh C. McBride

In addition to providing loyal friendship to their two-legged companions, dogs also work for (and with) humans in a variety of capacities. Guide dogs assist visually impaired individuals; search-and-rescue dogs provide invaluable support to emergency personnel; and military dogs help keep service members and facilities safe.

And in places such as Copper Canyon Academy, a therapeutic boarding school for adolescent girls in central Arizona, dogs also help troubled teenagers overcome social, emotional, substance abuse, and developmental disorders.

About Canine Therapy
Though Americans have benefitted from the faithful companionship of dogs since the earliest days of the nation, the concept of canine therapy in a clinical setting dates only to the mid-1970s, when Elaine Smith founded Therapy Dogs International, Inc.

While working as a nurse in England, Smith had observed patients' positive reactions when a chaplain visited with his dog. As a result, she started TDI to train animals and their handlers to visit institutions such as hospitals and assisted-living facilities. Over the ensuing three-plus decades, health care experts have noted that the presence of pets has a calming effect on patients, resulting in reduced stress levels, lowered blood pressure, and improved attitudes.

The concept of canine-assisted therapy has evolved considerably since the 1970s. Today, dogs are incorporated into efforts to treat individuals with autism, various physical and mental conditions, behavior problems, and social disorders.

'A Healing Instinct'
In the July 14, 2008 edition of Therapy Times, staff writer Bob Stott noted that some animals exhibit a "healing instinct" that allows them to connect with patients in ways that are inaccessible to human counselors and therapists.

"Animal-assisted therapy routines have been used for several years to improve the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning of patients who have become disconnected from human social interaction," Stott wrote. "In addition, caring for pets encourages a number of occupational skills and adherence to a daily schedule, such as walking or feeding the pet."

Tanya Welsch, a social worker whose interest in animal-assisted therapy befuddled many of her more traditional fellow graduate-school students, believes interactions with dogs not only benefit patients, but can also provide valuable clues to therapists, counselors, and other health care professionals.

"Because animals communicate in ways we are only beginning to understand, observing animal behavior with one another as well as with us can reveal some of a person's internal connections, yearnings, and deficiencies that would otherwise go unnoticed," Welsch wrote in an April 2000 article titled "Animal Assisted Therapy: A Mental Health Therapist's Dream Realized."

Breakthroughs in Behavior
Welsch expounded upon this belief when writing about a case in which canine-assisted sessions enabled a therapist to identify and help alleviate an unhealthy behavior pattern exhibited by a young patient:

During a canine therapy program I coordinated [in 1999], a child who was working with a dog that would not behave or respond to training expressed much frustration and wanted to quit.

The therapist explained to him that the dog was simply responding and duplicating the child's own energetic behavior and possibly, if the child was calmer, the dog would behave better. The child sat there with a confused look on his face and looked at the dog while the dog looked at him.

The following week, the child proceeded to remain seated, followed program directions better, and spent more time tuned in to the dog instead of acting like it was something attached to the end of a leash that could be ignored.

By the end of the second week of this behavior, it was obvious to all that these two had developed a bond, that this child cared for and took responsibility for the dog, and that both of them were more responsive to instruction and guidance.
Patricia Kelley, author of "Prison Dogs: Hope Behind Bars," wrote on her website that canine-assisted therapies have helped a wide range of individuals to address and overcome a variety of conditions that precluded their pursuit of healthy and productive lives.

"Children that can't or won't read in front of a classroom - or even on their own, will read to a therapy dog. Juvenile delinquents will share their deepest and darkest secrets while being comforted by a dog. The aged and confined come out of their dark depressions when given the opportunity to pet, to caress, to exchange affection with a dog, cat or even a miniature therapy horse," Kelley wrote. "And thousands of incarcerated men and women are experiencing breakthroughs in behavior and attitudes because of the connection, love and hope they experience in the many prison dog programs."

Prelude to a Better Life
In addition to easing stresses and promoting positive behaviors, canine-assisted therapy can literally be a life-altering experience. As one expert who contributes to the Equine Therapy website wrote, "Kids must learn how to treat the dog gently and with kindness, and once they learn how, this behavior can be applied to the way they treat others and to the way they treat themselves."

At Copper Canyon Academy, teens who complete canine therapy can move on to an equestrian program, where they will be called upon to apply many of the lessons they learned while caring for the dogs. Ultimately, all of these efforts are undertaken with the goal of encouraging the students to make significant and enduring positive changes in all aspects of their lives.

"Animals don't lie, manipulate, or cheat," the Copper Canyon website notes. "They are direct in their communication and they respond to direct and clear communication from others. As students work with the animals, they begin to realize that lying, manipulating and cheating don't work; they begin to form bonds and to expand their horizons beyond themselves."