Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 16;13(2):307.
doi: 10.3390/ani13020307.

Application of an Adapted Behaviour Change Wheel to Assistance Dog Puppy Raising: A Proposed Raiser-Centred Support Program

Dac L Mai  1 , Tiffani Howell  1 , Pree Benton  1   2 , Pauleen C Bennett  1
Affiliations

Application of an Adapted Behaviour Change Wheel to Assistance Dog Puppy Raising: A Proposed Raiser-Centred Support Program

Dac L Mai et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Puppy raising (PR) programs recruit volunteer community members (raisers) to raise assistance dog (AD) candidates from puppyhood until the dogs are ready for advanced training. Once qualified, ADs assist human handlers with a disability to live more independently. Unfortunately, about 50% of all puppies do not meet the behavioural standards required for further training after completing a PR program. This increases costs and lengthens the time taken for a handler to obtain an AD. Research has identified several factors that influence raisers' experiences. It has also shown that raisers' socialisation and training practices affect perceived puppy behaviour. Drawing on the argument that puppy raiser practices are central to improving overall puppy raising program outcomes, this paper interprets recent findings within the framework provided by the behaviour change wheel-an established behaviour change framework-to suggest a coordinated approach to supporting puppy raisers. The recommendations will allow future research to employ more objective measures and more rigorous experimental designs as the field attempts to corroborate existing findings and develop evidence-based models of practice.

Keywords: behaviour change wheel; organisational support; puppy foster carer; puppy raising model; social support.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The COM-B System and the BCW Model, adapted from Michie et al. [16].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The Triple Triangle (3T) Model for Assistance Dog Puppy Raising.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Batt L., Batt M., Baguley J., McGreevy P. Relationships between puppy management practices and reported measures of success in guide dog training. J. Vet. Behav. 2010;5:240–246. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2010.02.004. - DOI
    1. Asher L., Harvey N.D., Green M., England G.C.W. Application of survival analysis and multistate modeling to understand animal behavior: Examples from guide dogs. Front. Vet. Sci. 2017;4:116. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00116. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Takeuchi Y., Hashizume C., Arata S., Inoue-Murayama M., Maki T., Hart B.L., Mori Y. An approach to canine behavioural genetics employing guide dogs for the blind. Anim. Genet. 2009;40:217–224. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2008.01823.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Asher L., Blythe S., Roberts R., Toothill L., Craigon P.J., Evans K.M., Green M.J., England G.C.W. A standardized behavior test for potential guide dog puppies: Methods and association with subsequent success in guide dog training. J. Vet. Behav. 2013;8:431–438. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2013.08.004. - DOI
    1. Batt L.S., Batt M.S., Baguley J.A., McGreevy P.D. The effects of structured sessions for juvenile training and socialization on guide dog success and puppy-raiser participation. J. Vet. Behav. 2008;3:199–206. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2008.05.001. - DOI