Creating impact with our therapy dogs

Our animal-assisted education programs improve students’ learning readiness and connection at school. How? By promoting emotional regulation, mental health, engagement, social and communication skills, and resilience. 

Our therapy dogs are the key to connecting with young people. At the other end of the leash, our skilled, experienced mentors address specific emotional and educational goals in each session. Mentors use the unique bond between the student and the dog to facilitate learning and emotional growth while delivering curriculum-aligned programs with measurable outcomes. 

While the smiles that greet our mentors and dogs mean the world to us, we also collect data and apply industry best practices to ensure we are supporting students with real, lasting change.  

Benefits and outcomes for school and library programs 

Through weekly programs for the term or entire year, we are committed to making a difference in your community. 

Canine Comprehension: Dog Assisted Learning Melbourne
Canine Comprehension: Dog Assisted Learning Melbourne
  • Motivation to attend school: Unique, hands-on learning experiences spark excitement for school. Interactive games, tricks, and dog training challenges (tailored to an appropriate level for each group) help create a positive, memorable school environment. 
  • Social/Emotional skills development: Structured interactions between participants and therapy dogs promote empathy, communication, and emotional regulation. Facilitated discussions encourage personal reflection and foster a sense of belonging and connection. 
  • Emotional literacy: Interactive activities with our therapy dogs enhance awareness of others’ emotions, promote an expanded vocabulary to articulate emotions, and develop skills for self-regulation.
  • Enhanced confidence and self-esteem: Guided activities help students feel a sense of achievement and mastery, leading to improved confidence and self-esteem. With compassionate support from our mentors, students embrace new challenges.
  • Mindfulness: All of our programs incorporate age-appropriate mindfulness techniques that promote self-awareness, emotional regulation, mental health and wellbeing. The calm presence of our therapy dogs enhances the impact of mindfulness even further. 
  • Positivity towards reading (library programs): Our non-judgmental, calm therapy dogs help reluctant readers overcome reading-related anxiety and develop positive associations with reading, leading to increased practice and foundational skills.

Benefits and outcomes for individual mentoring sessions

  • Tailored sessions with a personalised approach: There’s no one-size-fits-all with our individual mentoring therapy dog programs. We create a customised program based on goals collaboratively set by parents, guardians, and/or educators and track key achievements through detailed progress notes. 
  • Confidence and coping strategies: Similar to our group programs, individual sessions include ample opportunities to build confidence by tackling challenges with the support and guidance of our mentors. Participants are encouraged to reflect on obstacles and develop productive, positive coping strategies. 
  • Improved interpersonal and social skills: Sessions address interpersonal and social skills, emotional management, and empathy development. This helps participants forge more meaningful connections in their learning environment and beyond. 
  • Understanding learning concerns and identifying worries: Insightful interactions help participants understand triggers that may hinder their learning and emotional wellbeing, providing tools for a positive, proactive approach to learning and overall wellbeing. 
George with students Canine Comprehension
Canine Comprehension: Dog Assisted Learning Melbourne hands in a circle
Playing Jenga Blocks with the dog

Is there any evidence that dog-assisted learning is successful?

Yes!
Many independent reviews and scientific studies support using qualified therapy dogs in a learning environment—and evidence continues to grow. Discover more.   

Research & Evidence

Learn more about our
animal-assisted education programs

From flexible options to regular weekly visits for the term or year, our programs match your needs to provide impact for students—at school and beyond. We are committed to evidence-based practices, continuous improvement, transparency (schools receive progress notes and impact reports), and the highest level of ethical practice for our therapy dogs and the people we work with. 

Our programs focus on three key areas: emotional wellbeing, social skills development and academic support.

Discover the ways our experienced therapy dog teams can make a difference.   

Sarah and Canine Comprehension dogs
Child sitting with dog Canine Comprehension
Students walking with dog at Canine Comprehension

Individual Mentoring Programs

School & Library Programs

Dog For A Day Programs

Speaking Events & Workshops