human-human attachment and human-animal...

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Andrea M. Beetz – 2015

How Animals in Schools Can Support

Learning

Andrea M. Beetz

PD Dipl.-Psych., Dr. phil., Dr. phil. habil.

Dept. Special Education

Dept. Behavioural Biology


Overview

Dogs in School – What does this look like?

Positive Effects of Dogs on Learning and Possible Mechanisms

Oxytocin

Attachment and Caregiving

Biophilia-Effect

Reading with Dogs

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Schooldogs

Current Practice and Effects


Dogs in Schools in D A Ch

• Exponential increase of number of schooldogs in D, A, Ch

• Estimate: about 500-600

• Also more school-visiting dogs (e.g. The Blue Dog Project)

• www.schulhundweb.de

• www.schulhund.at

• www.schulhunde-schweiz.ch

http://www.schulhundweb.de/

http://www.schulhund.at/

http://www.schulhunde-schweiz.ch/



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Dogs in Kindergarten in D A Ch

• Survey of Kindergartens with „schooldogs“ and „visiting-dogs“

(Messerli Institute, Vienna, Vetmed)

• Increasing number of kindergarten teachers take dogs to work

• Often without any education, assessment, training!!!

• Bite incidences occurred, luckily no

big press


Definition - Schooldog (Austrian Ministry of Education BMUKK 2013, Beetz 2012)

• Schooldog spends class-time in (one) classroom on a regular

basis.

• The schooldog is handled by a teacher with an additional education

in dog-assisted education.

• The dog is assessed for his suitability, health and behavior, is

trained and socialized for the clients/students he will meet and is

assessed in the class / school on a regular basis.

• The main goals are: enhancing social interactions in the classroom,

student-teacher relationship, class climate and individual social

competences of the students.

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Definition – School-visiting dog

• School-visiting dogs visit classes (one at a time) once or a few

times for 1-3 hours.

• The school-visiting dog is handled by a person with an education in

dog-assisted education and is usually not a teacher at this school.

• The dog is assessed for his suitabiltity, health and behavior, is

trained and socialized for the clients/students he will meet and is

assessed in school on a regular basis.

• The main goals are: teaching knowledge about dogs (dog-keeping,

approaching, care, training, communication) appropriate for this age

group and or humane education / animal protection (e.g. animal

abuse, breed specific diseases)


Type of Schools

Survey of 77 teachers with 84 schooldogs by Marhofer 2011:

• > 40% in schools for special education

• >30% in regular elementary schools (grade 1-4/6)

• 65% in classes 1-4 (age 6-10)

• 75% one dog is working only in one class

• BUT 25% work in several classes (this means more than 50 children

per week)

Recommendation BMUKK: Schooldog in only one class

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Duration of Dog-Presence

• 1 day per week: 33%

• 2-3 days per week: 50%

• 5 days per week: 10% (tendency for less over the years)

• Presence usually only in the morning (8am-1pm), rarely full day

(until 4 pm)

Recommendation BMUKK: max 2-3 days per week in the morning


Type of Activity

Beetz, 2012

• Presence – dog is free to move around classroom

• Active Involvement in regular school-tasks : 80% of dogs,

special times (5 -10 minutes; e.g. handing out papers, throwing dice

for math tasks) or also special training programs in small groups

(reading; socio-emotional competence)

• Working with dog as actual activity: as a treat to students (e.g.

hiding a toy which the dog then seeks) or doing a parcour with the

dog (planning, concentration)

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Type of Activity

• Children are responsible for „dog-care“ (water, bed, walking), every

week 2 different children

• Dog-Rules: always need to be observed

• Tasks around the dog /without the dog:

building a dog-house, dog toys in crafts or as a project,

preparing dog buiscits in cooking class

exercises to teach children how the dog might feel:

e.g. one child plays the role of the dog, 10 children want to pet

and surround him


Prevention of Stress in Schooldogs

• Selection of suitable dog (breed/mix, size, age, health, character)

• Socialisation with children, adults and other dogs, getting used to

setting (school, kindergarten)

• Restricting kind of activity and time of presence for each individual

• Dog-Rules in the classroom

• Some balancing/de-stressing activity in free-time, breed-specific

work

• good relationship to owner/teacher

• Regular checks/assessments by vet and dog-behavior specialist

and/or video-based supervision

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Dog Assisted Ecuation can enhance cognitive and socio-

emotional learning

• Studies on effects of schooldogs

• Mechanisms

Dogs in Schools


Effects of Schooldogs

Hergovich et al. 2002, Kotrschal & Ortbauer 2003:

1. grade elementary school in Vienna

3 months, daily one of three dogs present

>90% immigration background

Results: when dog was present:

More attention towards teacher

Less aggression

More social interaction

Children liked school more, missed less days

Extreme behavior was reduced (shy, acting out)

Very individual relationship to dog

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Effects of Schooldogs

Beetz (2012):

3. grade elementary school

1 day per week dog presence, one school-year,

Control-class without dog-presence

Results: in dog class (in contrast to control)

More enjoyment of learning

More positive attitude towards school and learning

Reduction of inadequate strategies of emotion-

regulation

Better class-climate


Stress and fear in humans negatively affects

Executive Funcions

concentration

working memory

ability to motivate oneself

impulse control

logical thinking

self reflection

EF are the basis for successful learning, socially, emotionally,

cognitively

Mechanisms behind effects of schooldogs

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Problem with training programs (e.g. for reading, math, social

competence):

when humans are asked to do something they are not good at, they

feel stressed and afraid (fear of failure and negative reactions of

others, shame) and are usually not in a good mood

Learning requires:

- absence of stress and fear – a good level of activation

- a good relationship to the teacher/therapist

- a positive mood and attitude

Mechanisms behind effects of schooldogs


Effects of HAI and AAI

Review (up to 2012):

Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H. & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial

and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: The possible

role of oxytocin. Frontiers in Psychology / Psychology for Clinical Settings, doi:

10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234

Julius, H. Beetz, A., Kotrschal, K. Turner, D. & Uvnäs-Moberg, K. (2013).

Attachment to Pets – An integrative view of human-animal relationships with

implications for therapeutic practice. New York: Hogrefe.

Data show the potential for the following positive effects –

in reality it often depends on many factors

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Effects of HAI and AAI

Better general and cardiovascular health

Increase in social interaction, attention, trust and

communication

Improvement of mood, decrease of depression

Decrease of aggression

Decrease of fear and anxiety

Decrease of stress-related parameters:

blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol

Reduction of pain

Increase of concentration and motivation


Effects of HAI – How and Why?

Why does HAI have stronger effects than human-

human interaction?

What can an animal do which a human cannot do?

What are the mechanisms behind these effects?

Under what circumstances?

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Activation of the Oxytocin System

Via:

• Touch, massage, skin- to-skin contact

• Warmth

• Contractions / Labor / Breastfeeding

• Physical closeness


Activation of the Oxytocin System

Effects of oxytocin (for an overview see Beetz et al. 2012)

Better wellbeing / health

Increase in social interaction and trust

Improvement of mood, decrease in depression

Decrease of aggression

Decrease of fear and anxiety

Decrease of stress-related parameters:

blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol

Reduction of pain

Increase of concentration and motivation

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HAI and Oxytocin

Increase of oxytocin levels in humans via physical contact with

dogs,

in particular own/familiar dog

• Odendaal (2000)

• Odendaal & Meintjes (2003)

• Handlin, Hydbring-Sandberg, Nilsson, Ejdebäck, Jansson & Uvnäs-

Moberg (2011)

• Nagasawa, Kikusui, Onaka & Ohta (2009)


Attachment Theory

John Bowlby: Attachment Theory (1960)

Julius, Beetz, Kotrschal, Turner, Uvnäs-Moberg (2013). Attachment to Pets.

Hogrefe.

Function:

• protection of offspring

• stress regulation

• emotion regulation

attachment system in the child

caregiving system in the parent

goal: establishing closeness

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Behavioral systems are goal-corrected

develop during ontogenesis, are flexible and adapt to

environmental conditions

primary strategy: secure attachment

secondary strategies: insecure attachment

breakdown of strategies due to unresolved attachment trauma

(attachment disorganization)

Attachment Theory


Emotional and behavioral disorders

secure avoidant ambivalent disorganized

3% 17% 3% 77%

General population

secure avoidant ambivalent disorganized

60% 20% 8% 12%

Trend towards less security in Western Societies

Increase of mentals disorders (anxiety, depression)

Distribution of Attachment

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The Benefit of HAI

Insecurely or disorganized attached children re-establish their

insecure attachment patterns in new relationships

e.g. Achatz 2007, Suess, 1987, Sroufe & Fleeson, 1988; Howes & Hamilton,

1992; Dozier et al., 2001, Sroufe et al., 2005

Less transmission of insecure/disorganized attachment to pets

Kurdek 2008, 2009 a/b,

Julius, H., Beetz, A., & Niebergall, K. 2010

Animals can provide social support also for

persons with insecure attachment

can buffer stress reactions


Caregiving in HAI

• Providing care probably associated with positive physiological

reactions (oxytocin release)

• Often easier for children with insecure attachment and mostly

involves body contact

• Only possible (socially acceptable) towards animals

(and in Greencare)

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Biophilia

Human affinity to nature and animals (Wilson 1984, Kellert 1997)

Shared evolutionary history of humans and non-human animals:

• Humans needed to pay attention to animals

• A natural interest in animals/nature developed

Animals can be a source of danger or a warning signal

Calm animals signal a safe surrounding and a chance for relaxation

biophilia-effect (Julius et al. 2013)


HAI and Learning

HAI supports preconditions for optimal learning

Reduction of stress and fear reduction in challenging

situations (education, therapy)

better EF (impulse control, reflective functioning, memory)

Easier establishment of a good relationship between client and

therapist / teacher and student (via OT?)

Improved mood, positive atmosphere

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Motivation

Wohlfarth, R. Mutschler, B., Beetz, A., Kreuser, F. & Korsten-Reck, U. (2013). Dogs motivate

obese children for physical activity: Key elements of a motivational theory of animal-assisted

interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 4 (796), doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00796.

Intrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation

Natural incentives Learned incentives

Hot mode of pursuit Cold mode of goal-pursuit

Animals seem to be „hot stimuli“ and motivate intrinsically – they are

interesting, people want contact (biophilia-based?)

Advantage of AAI: to motivate clients who are tired of interventions,

feel hopelessness or fear of failure (e.g. reading)


Application in AAI

Indications for AAI

Insecure attachment, missing trust (e.g. PTSD)

Low skills which need to be trained (associated with fear and

stress, social evaluation threat)

frequent in populations with special needs

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Popular Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) in the USA

and Europe

e.g. R.E.A.D. (Intermountain Therapy Animals)

in libraries, schools

2 very different settings possible:

individual students small groups

with an AAI-dog handler with a pedagogue/teacher

with without instruction

Reading with Dogs - Programs


… (should) depend on the actual reading skills

1. Mere dog-team presence (no instruction by pedagogue/teacher)

or reading with schooldog alone in a corner of the classroom

Reading with Dogs (1)

Exercise for disfluent readers

Goal: to improve reading fluency

Based on relaxation, motivation and positive attitude

Not suitable for students lacking basic reading skills

Forms of Reading with Dogs

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2. Dog presence and involvment in small group setting

(ca. 4 students) with instruction by teacher / pedagogue

Dog-Assisted Reading Training (2, Germany, Austria)

Promotion of reading techniques, word recognition,

grammar

Talking about content and reading strategies

Very structured approach – comparable to usual reading

programs in regular school time without dogs

Dog effect based on relaxation, motivation

Forms of Reading with Dogs


Wohlfarth, Mutschler, Beetz & Schleider (2013)

12 children, 2nd grade, age 6-7 (average reading skills)

assigned to 2 groups, cross-over design

reading in presence or absence of dog (friendly female student)

During dog presence significant improvement in

Word recognition

Correct punctuation recognition

Number of correct line breaks

Studies on Effects of Reading with Dogs

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Smith (2010)

Control group design

N=26, 3rd grade

6 weeks, 1x 30 minutes per week,

Reading with dog vs. Reading at home

Both groups improved in reading

Dog-group improved more in reading skills



Emmert & Gonzales (2012)

Reading with dogs during afternoon time at school

64 students with low reading skills (intervention group)

65 students as control group

10 weeks, 1x week 15 minutes

more improvement in reading fluency in

dog group

also more reading motivation


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Heyer & Beetz, 2013

N = 16 (8 female, 8 male) with low reading skills

3rd grade, 2 different schools (M= 9.2 years old)

Intervention/Dog-Group (8) vs. Control-Group with dog-hand puppet

(8)

Randomized and then matched for:

age

sex

intelligence scores

reading scores

Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training


Training in groups of 4 children

14 weeks of reading training (1x per week, 60 min.)

Group with real dogs (2 different ones) – control group with dog-

puppets

Same exercises (reading aloud, repeated reading, strategies,

communication)

2 different teachers (each one intervention group and one control)


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t1= before first session

t2= after session 7

t3 = after the end of the intervention

t4= 6 weeks after end (summer holidays)

ELFE: reading skills (understanding of words, sentence, text)

t1, t2, t3, t4

FEESS: socio-emotional experiences in school

(social integration, self concept, class climate, attitude towards school,

motivation, acceptance)

t1, t3




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t1:

IG has significantly less positive socioemotional school experiences:

- social integration (Mann-Whitney U –Test: p=.021)

- positive self-concept as good student (p=.050)

t3:

No significant differences between groups

Significant improvement of dog-group in:

- social integration F=5.573 p=.033

- class climate F=.6.580 p=.022

- student self concept F=9.447 p=.008

- enjoyment of learning F=7.441 p=.016

- feeling of being accepted F=4.994 p=.042




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Conclusions from Heyer & Beetz 2013)

Dog assisted reading improves reading skills more than a

comparable intervention without a live dog

Students were much more willing to participate on a regular

basis in the dog-group

Also improvement of socio-emotional

school experiences

Obvious motivation to read also during

holidays – self concept as reader

improved



Contact:

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