Cuddling you dog, including giving tummy rubs, nuzzles and scritches, has been found to increase a person’s wellbeing.
News data from a research undertaken by the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, that evaluated effects arising out of dog therapy in students found that physical with any canine support pet helps to boost wellbeing.
The study done through the University’s education program in collaboration with the UBCO’s Canine therapy student program is already available in the Anthrozoos Journal.
The research team worked with 284 individuals by collecting surveys before and after they had visited with a dog at the UBCO’s Academic Retention through the K-9s program.
The research team established a control group to help them account for impact of the pet’s handler, meaning that a few of the students met with handlers alone during support session. While a few of the participants had physical contact with the animals, others only watched the pets.
Before session, participants indicated wellbeing. The study capture self-perception of flourishing, negative and positive effects, happiness, social engagement, integration into university life, homesickness, loneliness and stress.
The outcome of the study established what those with pets might have guessed already; those who got to touch the support pets reported a level of improvement.
The data from this study could offer guidance for school administrators, educators and learners as schools re-open for the fall.