Image above shows a young woman walking across a wooden bridge into a forest, connected to her large black dog with a brown leash. The pair pause to look over their shoulders at the photographer.
What is Holistic Dog Expert (HDE)?
Holistic Dog Expert provides educational, behavior modification, and consultation services through an occupational therapy lens, supporting health by optimizing the human-animal bond. The human-animal bond is a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship between humans and other animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and well-being of both (Fine, 2010). Through supporting this bond there is potential to enhance the health and wellbeing of dogs, people, and the community.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) is a holistic health profession that supports people in doing the things they want, need, or are expected to do. The word ‘occupation’ in occupational therapy refers to active engagement in goal-oriented behavior, and OT can focus on supporting participation in any meaningful activity that "is organized around roles or in terms of activities of daily living, work and productive activities, or play/leisure" (AOTA, 1997, p.865). Occupational engagement holds cultural and individual meaning; supports organization of time and resources; enables adaptation and control; and facilitates self-sufficiency, social participation, and personal growth (McLaughlin, 1997).
How is OT relevant to dog training and behavior modification?
Skills from the OT lens that support optimization of the human-animal bond:
AOTA. (1997). Statement - Fundamental concepts of occupational therapy: Occupation, purposeful activity, and function. American Occupational Therapy Association, 51(10): 864-866.
Fine, A. (Ed.). (2010). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice. New York, NY: Elsevier, Inc.
McLaughlin, G. (1997). Application of the phenomenological method to the concept of occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, 4(1): 5-17.
Holistic Dog Expert provides educational, behavior modification, and consultation services through an occupational therapy lens, supporting health by optimizing the human-animal bond. The human-animal bond is a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship between humans and other animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and well-being of both (Fine, 2010). Through supporting this bond there is potential to enhance the health and wellbeing of dogs, people, and the community.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) is a holistic health profession that supports people in doing the things they want, need, or are expected to do. The word ‘occupation’ in occupational therapy refers to active engagement in goal-oriented behavior, and OT can focus on supporting participation in any meaningful activity that "is organized around roles or in terms of activities of daily living, work and productive activities, or play/leisure" (AOTA, 1997, p.865). Occupational engagement holds cultural and individual meaning; supports organization of time and resources; enables adaptation and control; and facilitates self-sufficiency, social participation, and personal growth (McLaughlin, 1997).
How is OT relevant to dog training and behavior modification?
- Care of dogs holds cultural and individual meaning
- Caring for dogs encompasses productive activities that structure our use of time and resources
- Training dogs enables adaptation and control for both pet and guardian
- Training dogs facilitates self-sufficiency, social participation, and personal growth
Skills from the OT lens that support optimization of the human-animal bond:
- Interviewing: It is important to understand the history of your dog's behavior, your daily routine / lifestyle, your goals for dog care and training, what tools and resources you have access to, and you and your dog's overall health characteristics that might impact your dog's behavior. The OT perspective supports holistic reflection on and detailed examination of the situation to develop a comprehensive understanding of you and your dog.
- Environmental Evaluation: The environment impacts your behavior and your dog's, and thus an understanding of your environment is crucial to developing a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors you want to address.
- Activity Analysis: This means breaking down an activity into basic parts; identifying underlying process, motor, or self-regulation skills; noting necessary tools/objects; and considering any other integral factors (ie. timing, duration, space required, involvement of others, prerequisite skills, cost, and meaning). Activity analysis supports awareness of activity breakdown and reasons for difficulty, and supports planning for skill development and solving behavior problems.
- Remedial Strategies: Think REMEDY. These are strategies that help you and your dog build skills, routines, and habits that overcome behavior problems. An example of this is developing self-regulation and attention skills in your dog so she will not pull while walking.
- Compensatory Strategies: Some dog behavior problems cannot be solved through remediation, or an interim strategy is needed to support safety and occupational participation while skills are being developed. A compensatory strategy supports participation by using tools or modifying an activity to work around lost or absent skills. An example of this is using a front-clip walking harness to decrease pulling when the dog is not able to develop or has not yet developed the necessary self-regulation and attention skills.
AOTA. (1997). Statement - Fundamental concepts of occupational therapy: Occupation, purposeful activity, and function. American Occupational Therapy Association, 51(10): 864-866.
Fine, A. (Ed.). (2010). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice. New York, NY: Elsevier, Inc.
McLaughlin, G. (1997). Application of the phenomenological method to the concept of occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, 4(1): 5-17.