{"id":2532,"date":"2019-08-12T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T07:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2019\/08\/can-you-spare-15-minutes-study-shows-value-of-brief-petting-sessions-for-shelter-dogs\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T20:03:59","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:03:59","slug":"can-you-spare-15-minutes-study-shows-value-of-brief-petting-sessions-for-shelter-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2019\/08\/can-you-spare-15-minutes-study-shows-value-of-brief-petting-sessions-for-shelter-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Spare 15 Minutes? Study Shows Value of Brief Petting Sessions for Shelter Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Linda Lombardi<\/strong>When asked why they don\u2019t volunteer at a shelter, people often say they don\u2019t have time. What if they knew that just 15 minutes of quiet petting could have a measurable effect on a dog\u2019s wellbeing? That\u2019s the result of a recent study<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Research has shown the benefit of repeated sessions of human interaction for shelter dogs. \u201cWe wanted to see, if you only had time to stop after work for fifteen minutes and go in and pet a dog, would it have a positive impact on that dog?\u201d says lead author Ragen T. S. McGowan, research scientist at Nestl\u00e9 Purina.<\/p>\n

To answer this question, researchers chose 55 shelter dogs who could safely interact with strangers. The dogs were fitted with cardiac monitors, and saliva samples were taken before and after the session. Volunteers were asked to sit in a small room with the dog and pet them calmly, speaking in a soothing tone of voice. The session was recorded for behavior analysis.<\/p>\n

Petting Benefits<\/h3>\n

Measurements showed that the dogs had lower heart rates at the end of the session, as well as increased heart rate variability. Heart rate variability — whether the distance between heartbeats is regular or irregular — is an indicator of emotional state. Under stress, heartbeats are more regular. The increase in heart rate variability showed that the dogs had become more relaxed.<\/p>\n

Cortisol measures did not show a difference, which McGowan says is not surprising in such a short time. She also notes that cortisol can be tricky to interpret because it\u2019s really a measure of arousal, which can be negative or positive. However, the fact that cortisol did not increase suggested that the dogs were not stressed by the experience.<\/p>\n

The dogs\u2019 behavior also showed increased signs of relaxation, although the study did note individual differences, with the dogs falling into three general groups. \u201cWe had a good portion of the dogs that enjoyed this so much that they just melted into a puddle in the person\u2019s lap,\u201d she says. \u201cWe had other dogs that enjoyed it but also enjoyed walking around checking out the room, then going back to the person.\u201d The third group seemed to not quite get it. \u201cThey stood at the door, like they were saying, \u2018Are we going for a walk now? What are we doing in this room?\u2019 \u201d she says. \u201cBut regardless, in all the dogs we saw a positive impact in their behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteers Benefit Too<\/h3>\n

Erica Feuerbacher of Virginia Tech, who studies shelter dog welfare, calls this study \u201cfascinating and very important.\u201d She says, \u201cThe idea that you can just pop in and spend 15 or 20 minutes with a shelter dog and improve its welfare opens the door for more people to interact meaningfully with shelter dogs and know that they\u2019re making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the study shows the value of just sitting quietly with a dog, it also opens up opportunities for volunteers who don\u2019t have the physical ability or inclination for more strenuous types of interaction, she says.<\/p>\n

Volunteer training is important, since first meeting a stranger is exciting, and most people aren\u2019t naturally inclined to greet dogs in a calm way. Volunteers for the study were given specific instructions on how to pet and interact with the dogs. \u201cI don\u2019t think it would take too long to train people to interact appropriately and let the dog have some say in whether they want to approach and interact,\u201d Feuerbacher says.<\/p>\n

The study also highlights the importance of providing shelter dogs opportunities to relax. McGowan says the interaction in the study was different from what dogs usually had with volunteers at this shelter. \u201cIn most cases the volunteers walk dogs, so dogs see a volunteer and think, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m going on a walk,\u2019 which is exciting,\u201d she says. \u201cWe wanted to try to trigger the opposite positive emotion, that state of relaxation, because that\u2019s something shelter dogs often don\u2019t get much opportunity for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relaxation Nation<\/h3>\n

Dogs in shelters are already in a stimulating environment, with lots of noise and activity, but often the only enrichment they get provides even more stimulation. \u201cYou go into a shelter and often the dogs are bouncing off the walls, and there is the idea that they have this pent-up energy and what they need is to get out and run,\u201d says Feuerbacher. \u201cWe\u2019re now starting to challenge that notion a little bit. Do we know, is that really what they need?\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of what we do with our dogs at home — cuddling on the couch watching TV, say — is like the calm interaction in this study. While it seems as if we\u2019re doing nothing, it\u2019s an important bonding experience. And while shelter dogs may appear to already spend a lot of time doing nothing, it\u2019s a different kind of nothing. \u201cThey may be doing nothing active, but are on high alert the whole time, rather than getting to relax,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Shelters can give dogs breaks from that stimulation in several ways. One that Feuerbacher suggests is an office foster program, where a dog gets to hang out in someone\u2019s office at the shelter for a few hours.<\/p>\n

McGowan also notes that relaxed dogs are easier to work with. Sitting quietly with a dog for 15 minutes ahead of a veterinary exam or grooming is worthwhile for everyone involved, she says. \u201cSpending that time to get that dog into a more positive relaxed state ahead of that handling makes the whole interaction go a lot easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was reviewed\/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and\/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.<\/em><\/p>\n

Linda Lombardi writes about the animals who share our planet and our homes for magazines including The Bark, websites including National Geographic and Mongabay.com, and for the Associated Press. Her most recent book, co-authored with Deirdre Franklin, is The Pit Bull Life: A Dog Lover’s Companion<\/em>.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When asked why they don\u2019t volunteer at a shelter, people often say they don\u2019t have time. What if they knew that just 15 minutes of quiet petting could have a measurable effect on a dog\u2019s wellbeing? That\u2019s the result of a recent study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[144,147,187,172,174],"content-type":[47],"duration":[53],"membership-type":[],"profession":[],"species":[31],"topic":[24],"class_list":["post-2532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-behavior","tag-dogs","tag-petting","tag-shelter","tag-study","content-type-blog","duration-5-minutes-or-less","species-canine","topic-shelters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan You Spare 15 Minutes? 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