A UBC Okanagan study has found that children find it easier to keep reading through challenging passages in books when accompanied by a dog. 

The research, completed by doctoral student Camille Rousseau, was based on examining 17 children in Grades 1 to 3 while they read a book aloud.

“Our study focused on whether a child would be motivated to continue reading longer and persevere through moderately challenging passages when they are accompanied by a dog,” Rousseau said.

They did this by having the children read either to an observer or to a handler with a dog. 

Photo credit: UBCO

“The findings showed that children spent significantly more time reading and showed more persistence when a dog — regardless of breed or age — was in the room as opposed to when they read without them,” said Rousseau. 

“In addition, the children reported feeling more interested and more competent.”

The stories chosen for the children – whose reading range was tested beforehand – were slightly ahead of their reading level. 

Photo credit: UBCO

“There have been studies that looked at the impact of therapy dogs on enhancing students’ reading abilities, but this was the first study that carefully selected and assigned challenging reading to children,” Rousseau added.

She explained her research could be used to help develop a “gold-standard” dog-assisted intervention programme for struggling children. 

The study was published in Anthrozoös.