Canine-assisted interventions as adjunctive treatment to improve mental health outcomes: extending methodological guidelines for robust intervention research and preparing the grounds for a definitive trial

Why we did this research Dog-assisted interventions (DAIs) are activities that aim to improve people’s health and well-being through the presence of, or engagement with, a dog. These activities are becoming more common in health, care and educational settings, especially to help with mental health. Spending time with a dog can help patients feel more relaxed and motivated to complete their treatment. It can also help them talk more easily with their health care professionals. This could mean patients get better quicker, which would save the NHS time and money. Although they are being used more often, we do not have enough high-quality, scientific evidence to prove that these activities work. Many past studies were too small or missed important details. We do not fully understand who these activities help the most, or how to make them as effective as possible. What we did Our project aimed to improve research in this area. We wanted to create clear guidelines that can help researchers plan, carry out and report their work better. To do this we: Looked at completed studies to understand the main challenges, and find out who is most likely to benefit from these activities. Ran surveys and spoke to experts to find out the most important things to consider. What we found This process helped us understand where DAIs are already happening, what works well, and where there are gaps in our knowledge. We created two new checklists for researchers. These checklists will help them plan their research and share their results clearly. We also created a guidance document with examples of how these checklists should be used. What happens next We hope our findings will change the way these activities are run, making them safer and more helpful. We will apply for funding so we can test these new checklists.