ReviewAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2021
The Research of Standardized Protocols for Dog Involvement in Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review.
Review in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Dog-assisted interventions for children and adults with mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions: systematic review.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Neurological Diseases in Adults: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Preparing Therapy Dogs for Animal-Assisted Services: Governance, Welfare-Centred Preparation, and a Lifecycle Research Agenda Across Selected European and United States Frameworks.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Assessing Cat Welfare: A Literature Review on Behavioural, Physiological and Health Parameters with a Focus on Animal-Assisted Services (AAS).Veterinary sciences · 2026Review
- Reporting of dog-assisted intervention trials: extension of the SPIRIT 2025 and CONSORT 2025 statement.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Article
- Integrated Canine-Assisted Services and Art Therapy in Prison: Pilot Study of Animal Well-Being Aspects and Its Impact on Inmate Critical Events.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Behavioral Predictors of Adolescent Anxiety During Therapy Dog Interactions Within an Experimental Setting.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- War Exposure and Canine Cortisol Responses: Country Differences in Cortisol Profiles of Therapy Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- A randomised controlled study of dog assisted therapy: comparing a short and a long version for patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Animal Assisted Activities (AAAs) with Dogs in a Dialysis Center in Southern Italy: Evaluation of Serotonin and Oxytocin Values in Involved Patients.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- A Pre-Screening Tool to Assess Dog Suitability for Animal-Assisted Interventions: Preliminary Results for Dog-Suitability Tests (Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Dog-assisted interventions to support health and wellbeing: a national survey of current practice in England.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Editorial: Evidencing the impact of human-animal interaction for those living with mental health problems.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Guidance on Minimum Standards for Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Adolescent Mental Health: Delphi Expert Consensus on Health, Safety, and Canine Welfare.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- The Importance of Evaluating Positive Welfare Characteristics and Temperament in Working Therapy Dogs.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Dogs are considered the most important species involved in animal-assisted therapy (AAT), and the scientific literature focuses on the benefits linked to the involvement of dogs in various therapeutic areas. In this study, we carried out a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, exploring the scientific literature from the last 5 years (2016-2021) on three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to highlight the characteristics of the dogs involved in AATs. Based on the scientific literature relevant to such dogs, we considered different parameters (i.e., number, age, sex, breed, temperament, methods of choice and training, health status, research goals, and activities with dogs) to include studies in our paper. After screening 4331 papers identified on the searched databases, we selected 38 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the included articles showed that the characteristics of the dogs were neglected. Our findings indicated a lack of information about the dogs, as well as the absence of standardized and univocal criteria for dog selection, training programs, and health protocols.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.