Pet therapy and dogs

For some years now, pet therapy has been a widely recognized therapeutic modality also in Italy. There are many animals that can interact therapeutically with people: cats, horses, dolphins… but dogs, due to their characteristics, can have an edge, especially in the management of some specific problems.

Dogs can play a dual role in helping children with disabilities or with emotional and behavioral problems. They can give them support in managing daily activities and transform themselves into real four-legged therapists. Adequately trained, dogs can, for example, help a blind child to cross the street, they can open and close a door, take and carry small objects with their mouth, turn the light on or off with their snout … all special skills that they can become of enormous use.

Dogs are also able to motivate children to move , encouraging them to do activities such as running, walking, jumping. According to some studies on pet therapy , they are also good listeners and can help children calm down, fight anxieties and reduce tension.

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Dogs: which children?

The relationship with a dog can give a lot to any child. However , pet therapy with dogs has proved to be particularly effective in very young children and in autism , that is, in cases where it is not possible to use verbal therapy; it is also considered suitable in children who do not have confidence in adults, in those with attention deficit and hyperactivity and in those who manifest emotional and behavioral disorders.

Dogs are able to give a lot on an emotional level and it is this exchange of emotions between dogs and children that helps the latter to acquire self-confidence and self-confidence. By learning to treat the dog with kindness and respect, the child learns to manage relationships, even with men. In fact, the positive results are not due only to the proximity and the time spent with the animal; the child also learns a lot by observing the dog’s behavior, its ability to obey commands and its promptness of response. And there are still many ways in which a relationship between dogs and children can give satisfactory results on a therapeutic and non-therapeutic level.