A Literature Review on the Effects of Learning with Therapy Dogs in Schools - Social and Emotional Learning and Readiness To Learn

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

The paper reviews research on how learning with therapy dogs affects social and emotional learning and students’ readiness to learn in school and clinical contexts. Evidence from classroom, clinical, and pediatric settings indicates dogs can strengthen self-regulation, improve interpersonal and social education, and support emotional stability. Studies report reductions in crises and dysregulated behavior, improved empathy and social interaction, and calmer physiological responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

SEL with Dogs

SEL in the Classroom

SEL in a Clinical Setting

SEL in a Doctor’s Office

REFEREED ARTICLE A Literature Review on the Effects of Learning with Therapy Dogs in Schools: Social and Emotional Learning and Readiness To Learn Michelle Levesque Abstract The presence of a dog supports self-regulation, interpersonal skills, and readiness to learn in and out of the classroom. Somehow, dogs are able to improve student learning, sometimes through dog-student or dog-teacher interactions, and at other times by simply being present in the room. Most research has focused on the positive effects of having a dog in the classroom. It would be interesting to note what dogs do to affect students positively. Learning is a complex process. Teachers are spending more and more time on supporting student regulation and readiness to learn in the classroom, in order to improve student learning. Cesar Millan, a famous dog trainer, believes that dogs have “become the world’s foremost experts on every type of human behavior” (Millan & Pelletier, 2017, p. 15), and so dogs are apt at supporting people. This review of the literature explores how the presence of a dog, paired with thoughtful instruction, has the potential to produce significant results in developing social and emotional learning skills (SEL), and in being ready to learn. SEL with Dogs The benefits dogs have on SEL has been studied in a variety of settings. Notably, studies have been done in schools, clinical settings, and a pediatrician’s office. In schools, the focus was on self-regulation and social education. The clinical setting assessed physiological responses. The pediatric study investigated physiological responses and behavioural measures. Across all settings, people have benefitted in SEL that incorporated dogs. SEL in the Classroom Student regulation is improved by the presence of a dog in the classroom. An American research teacher studied this phenomenon in a self-contained classroom with students ages six to eleven years (Anderson & Olson, 2015) . All six students were present because they did not function successfully in a normal classroom setting. Notably, all students had clinical diagnosesand had displayed emotional crises in both the previous classroom settings and the selfcontained classroom. The teacher provided a behaviour baseline of two months without a dog, followed by two months with a pet dog that resided in the classroom during the school day. For all four months, social skills were taught, directly incorporating the dog in the last two months. The results were significant, showing a drastic decrease in emotional crises for all six students. Notably, the most dysregulated student went from 16 crises in the first two months down to 7 crises in the following two months. It is apparent that daily interactions with a pet dog, coupled with lessons in social skills, have the potential to improve student regulation for students with the greatest emotional needs. In Austria, a study focused on the benefits of providing social education curriculum to thirdgraders at three schools. One group of children had no dog, a second group had a therapy dog present, and the third group incorporated dog interactions with the social curriculum (Tissen et al. , 2015) . Measures assessed social behaviour, impulsivity, empathy, risk behaviour, and relational aggression. The results were positive in all three groups, showing improvements in social behaviour and empathy. However, the group that integrated the therapy dogs with the curriculum showed improvements across all targeted areas. Therapy dogs are proven to support children in achieving higher scores for learning and applying SEL curriculum. Other studies on SEL also found positive results. For classroom behaviour assessment, one study found that students attended to the teacher more, and that student behaviour improved overall (Brelsford et al. , 2017) . In addition, there was an increase in social interactions for students who were usually withdrawn. Common elements across studies in

FAQs

How do therapy dogs support social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools?

Research in school settings links the presence of a therapy dog to improved self-regulation and stronger social skills, often alongside direct SEL instruction that incorporates the dog into lessons.

What classroom outcomes are reported when therapy dogs are present?

Studies describe significant decreases in emotional crises and improved student behavior, including increased attention to teachers and more peer social interaction for students who are usually withdrawn.

What clinical or physiological effects are associated with dog-assisted interactions?

Clinical findings include decreased blood pressure, changes in bonding-related neurochemicals, and lower cortisol levels, alongside reports of reduced anxiety and calmer nervous system responses.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr