New data challenges the belief that dogs are less likely to show separation anxiety if they live with another canine companion!

Written by Stanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC, and based on a recent study by Stephan, Leidhold, and Hammerschmidt (2021),  key research findings are:

• Most dogs showed low vocal and physical activity, independent of time being alone at home.
• Physical activity was higher when more than one dog was in the household, primarily in the first hour of separation.
• Male dogs in multi-dog households were more likely to bark and vocalize than were canines in single dog households.

To read the full article, click here.

We are delighted that the feedback from those who participated in the annual SCAS conference, Animal-Assisted Interventions: Research meets Practice, was overwhelmingly positive. Attendees said they registered to become more educated in AAI research, theory, and practice, and those who responded to our survey were not disappointed. 94% said their overall conference experience was ‘good’ or ‘extremely good’, and no one said it was bad. When asked if they would recommend the conference to a friend or colleague,  the vast majority (94%) responded that they were likely or highly likely to recommend attending next year.

Whilst a lot of the time when we think of animal-assisted interventions we think of the potential benefits to the people involved, it is so important that the welfare of the animals is paramount and they also enjoy the experience.

Back in May, SCAS trustee, Evangelos Diamantakos (an ABTC registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist and full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors), carried out a webinar on recognising signs of stress in dogs involved in dog-assisted interventions.

The webinar is free to watch at https://youtu.be/T7uuztOemw4

#InternationalStressAwarenessWeek #StressAwarenessWeek