Impact of Interactions with a Puppy and Handler Versus a Handler Alone on Stress and Vitality in a University Setting: A Crossover Study

TL;DR

Interacting with a puppy and handler reduces stress more than interacting with a handler alone in a university setting.

Contribution

This study shows that puppies in training, with handlers, can be effective in campus-based wellbeing programs.

Findings

Stress was lower after interacting with a puppy and handler compared to the handler alone.

Vitality increased more when participants interacted with the puppy and handler first.

Puppies in training can be incorporated into university wellbeing programs.

Abstract

Campus-based dog programs can reduce stress and enhance wellbeing in university students and staff. However, most research has focused on adult dogs, who are well-trained and accompanied by a handler. In our study, participants came to the university campus for 20 min interactions with an assistance dog puppy in training and their handler during one visit, and the handler alone in another visit. We asked participants about their stress and vitality levels before and after each interaction. Stress was lower after the interaction with the puppy and handler compared to the handler alone. Vitality was greater after both visits among participants who had their session with the puppy and handler first. This study indicates that assistance dog puppies in training, with knowledgeable handlers, can be effective in campus-based visitation dog programs.

Brief interactions with a well-behaved dog can enhance wellbeing, but most campus-based dog visitation programs employ adult, trained dogs. There is little research about the impact of puppies on wellbeing or stress in this context. The aim of this study was to examine changes in perceived stress and vitality after interacting with a puppy. Staff and students (N = 32) at an Australian university attended the campus on two occasions, one week apart, as part of a crossover design. Participants were pseudo-randomly allocated to a group whereby they spent 20 min interacting with a handler alone at Visit 1 and interacted with a puppy and handler at Visit 2, or another group which reversed the interaction order. Perceived stress and subjective vitality were measured before and after each interaction. The increase in vitality was greater in the group experiencing the puppy and handler interaction first (significant main effect, F(1,49) = 646.89, p = 0.024, η2p = 1.00), regardless of the visit, possibly due to a social lubricating effect by the puppy, which carried over to the ‘handler alone’ second visit. Reductions in perceived stress were greater after the interaction with the puppy, for both groups (significant interaction effect, F(1,49) = 5.13, p = 0.029, η2p = 0.11), indicating that the puppy’s presence can reduce stress more than the handler alone. This extends the evidence for university-based dog-facilitated wellbeing programs, by showing that interactions with puppies can also be effective. This is important as it may mean that puppies already on campus as part of a socialization/training program can be incorporated into wellbeing programs for staff and students.

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