Stessful Situations

        To become a member of the Lend A Paw program, a dog must have an even temperament and be eager and willing to meet new people. Therapy work cannot be forced on a dog. He or she must look forward to interacting with people. It is also important for handlers to realize the level of stress placed on the animal and how much each dog can tolerate. After all, we are asking our dogs to interact with strangers at the most intimate level. During social interactions, individuals maintain a certain degree of separation between each other and respect the other individual's personal space. Therapy dogs are no different. They also have a personal territory and within this territory are zones. According to Maureen Fredrickson-MacNamara and Kris Butler in Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy:

This was definitely not a comfortable situation for Lexee!

The zone at which an individual is first aware of another is the public zone. From there one enters the social zone. Although it is permissible to be in another's social zone, it is the non-verbal communication between the individuals that will make the situation either intimidating or acceptable. Moving still closer brings an individual into another's personal zone, which can read as a sign of favor or manipulation. Closer than the personal zone is the intimate zone, which includes [physical] contact.

It is very important to realize that our therapy dogs are asked to interact with people in this last zone. And when the barrier of this intimate zone is crossed, the dogs will signal how they feel about it. Handlers should therefore recognize these signals, interpret them and respond accordingly to ensure a positive experience for both the dog and the individual. Maureen MacNamara and Kris Butler continue with:

Touching is an integral part of almost every animal-assisted interaction and while no one would suggest that people stop petting animals during animal-assisted interactions, it is crucial that the animals are allowed to seek out this intimate contact. Animals that obediently tolerate an invasion of their intimate space may become overwhelmed or stressed.

So many little hands but only one little dog!

Small dogs are particularly vulnerable to having their intimate zone crossed; in a typical Lend A Paw visit, a person or group of people will lean over to pet and will often try to pick up a little dog. This behavior resembles the behavior of predators who hover over, swoop in, and grab their prey. Often times, our dog's body will respond intuitively and signal a certain level of discomfort. The handler should recognize the signs and be ready to respond to their animal to ensure positive interactions.

Knowing how a dog will react to certain situations is important and recognizing signs of discomfort or stress (however subtle they might be) is crucial. Some appropriate responses to signs of stress include communicating with the individuals you are visiting and letting them know what makes the dog uncomfortable and what the best ways to interact are. Another appropriate response is to say something like, "Fido needs to take a bathroom break." It is always acceptable to take a break from a visit to give your dog a chance to recover or take a breath. The dogs will appreciate and enjoy a little space and fresh air, and will be more confident when returning to the visit. If you have questions, or need more ideas on how to handle stressful situations, email Sharon@k9sonly.com.

Story and photos by Nathalie Seguin.