Benefits Of Animal Therapy

Dogs are our best friends and for good reason! It doesn’t matter what kind of day you’ve had, a bad day at work or a nice day off, they are always there for you. But beyond their innate loyalty,  dogs can help you in other ways as well. They can also be very helpful in animal therapy.

Experts use this type of therapy to help people with Alzheimer’s disease, disabilities, depression, and even autism. Animal therapy has a range of physical, psychological and social benefits. Let’s take a closer look at this!

Who can benefit from animal therapy?

Dogs are the most common companions in animal therapy. Studies show that they help improve the health and well-being of patients.

Before going into further detail, we would like to clarify that animal therapy is an adjunct treatment that can be given in addition to clinical therapy. It is not a substitute or alternative to normal treatments. Also, this type of treatment should be overseen by healthcare professionals or education experts. Interdisciplinary work is very important to ensure that animal therapy is successful and produces good results.

Therapists use this type of therapy to help people with all kinds of problems. These problems can be emotional in nature or manifest in behavioral disorders. Think of ADHD, excessive stress, anxiety disorders and depression. Also, people with addictions and other mental and neurological disorders (such as Alzheimer’s disease) can benefit from these types of treatments. Animal therapy can even be used as a tool for people with autism. Or even in people who have contracted diseases such as AIDS. Many elderly people also find that this form of therapy is very helpful.

Two types of therapy dogs

Therapists look for dogs that meet certain criteria and thus have a certain character. They want dogs that are fit, active and obedient, patient and friendly. Once these dogs make it through this first round, they can begin training to become therapy dogs.

Therapists alternate between two types of therapy dogs, depending on the goal of the treatment:

• assistance dogs. Trainers prepare these dogs to help people with special needs. For example: guide dogs to accompany blind or deaf people, or assistance dogs to help disabled people with their daily activities.
• Therapy dogs. These dogs are more or less the assistants or “co-therapists” of the therapist himself. They are used to improve the quality and effectiveness of the contact between patient and therapist. Their qualities can be used in the elderly, autistic children or people with other psychological disorders.

The many psychological and emotional benefits of animal therapy

For people with brain disorders, working with therapy dogs can be very motivating. Contact with animals can serve as encouragement and a way to keep these people active. This in turn speeds up recovery from their condition. Feeding dogs or doing activities with them is a great form of mental stimulation. At the same time, this also improves their concentration.

It also offers a solution to loneliness. People consider dogs to be true human friends because they completely accept us and love us just the way we are. Therefore, they are basically natural therapists. They are the perfect medicine for anxiety, depression and stress.

Many patients — not just animal lovers — find their company very pleasant. Normally, people would rather recover in the company of a living being than just an inanimate machine.

Also, the bond that forms between a dog and a human transcends simple affection. Many people compare it to the relationship between a mother and her baby. Through all of these benefits  , therapy dogs improve patients’ general mood.

Physical and Social Benefits

Animal therapy also increases the amount of exercise a person gets. By playing with the dogs, stretching your legs or walking with them, muscles, bones and joints become stronger. It also has its balance benefits and improves proprioception.

The benefits go on and on. Animal therapy can also improve gross and fine motor skills and coordination. That’s because it stimulates all of the patient’s senses, from sight to hearing to touch. Activities such as petting, feeding and brushing the dog improve control over certain movements. Especially those movements where one uses the hands and arms.

A therapy dog ​​thus acts as a kind of communicative ‘bridge’ between therapist and patient. In addition, such a dog also encourages you to learn through play. They encourage social contact and thus the development of social skills. They also increase the effectiveness and capacity of one’s empathy, respect, communication, willingness to cooperate and teamwork.

The big advantage: versatility

Therapists can use animal therapy — especially dogs — in a group or individually. It very much depends on the needs of each patient. And the best way to approach his or her disability, disorder or general condition.

In addition, animal therapy can be provided in a patient’s home. So n People of all ages can take advantage of this tailored attention, from children to the elderly.

This is one of the favorite treatment methods for children and adults. In addition, dogs seem to possess some sort of healing power. Their use as an adjunct to conventional therapy is beneficial on all levels. This is why experts are increasingly using animals in therapy and are achieving promising results.