Dog Handlers’ and Dogs’ Emotional and Cortisol Secretion Responses Associated with Animal-Assisted Terapy Sessions Dorit Karla Haubenhofer a) and Sylvia Kirchengast b) a) Wageningen UR, Plant Research International B.V., P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, Te Netherlands; corresponding author E-mail: dorithaubenhofer@web.de b) Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Austria Sent 26 November 2005. Accepted 17 July 2006 Abstract Te study investigated 13 dog handlers and 18 companion dogs (Canis familiaris) working as teams in nonhuman animal-assisted service. Te handlers described in questionnaires what emo- tions they chose to associate with their daily life and therapeutic work. Tey described their emotional condition before and after therapeutic sessions, giving analogous descriptions for their dogs. Handlers collected saliva samples from themselves and their dogs (6 non-therapeutic con- trol days) during 3 months of therapeutic work) to measure cortisol concentrations using an enzyme-immunoassay. Handlers chose different emotions from the questionnaires for them- selves and their dogs, differing from the cortisol sampling results. Handlers and dogs had increased cortisol concentrations on therapy days compared to control days. Handlers had significantly higher concentrations immediately before therapeutic sessions. In handlers, cortisol concentrations increased steadily with the duration of sessions; in dogs, with the number of ses- sions per week. Further study of the effects of recreation periods during therapy work days or of more days scheduled without therapy will help clarify what conditions for delivering animal- assisted service best safeguard the welfare of dog and dog handler teams. Keywords dog handler, dog, cortisol, saliva, stress, animal-assisted activities, animal-assisted therapy, wel- fare, enzyme immunoassay, salivette Introduction Te relationship between humans and their companion dogs (Canis familia- ris) is a very old one, although opinions differ about time and purpose of their first contacts (Savolainen, Zhang, Luo, Lundeberg, & Leitner, 2002; Vila et al., 1997). Based on the works by Kellert and Wilson (1993) and Odendaal Society and Animals 15 (2007) 127-150 www.brill.nl/soan © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/156853007X187090 SOAN 15,2_f4_127-150.indd 127 SOAN 15,2_f4_127-150.indd 127 5/4/07 4:08:23 PM 5/4/07 4:08:23 PM