Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Who Is The Good Boy/Girl? Perspectives Of French Handlers In Aai On The Selection Of Their Dogs, Alice Mignot, Gérard Leboucher, Véronique J. Servais, Karelle De Luca

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) are well implemented in various health care settings; however, there is little data on the characteristics of the mediation dogs and their selection, which can influence the well-being of both the dogs and the beneficiaries. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of French mediation dogs and the context in which they are selected to guide future research working on behavioral criteria for mediation dogs and help provide a basis for better selection of dogs in the field. To this end, we interviewed 111 French handlers in AAI, who work with at least …