Dog training as a complementary intervention to support Veteran mental health and well-being: A scoping review

Background: Military veterans in the United States face a number of complex issues and barriers to successful civilian reintegration. Dog training programs offered to these individuals are being used as a complementary intervention to support multiple aspects of veteran reintegration. This scoping review explored the existing literature on dog training programs as a support for veteran mental health and well-being.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to analyze the existing research on this topic.

Results: Five overarching themes were identified, including improvements to mental health, social benefits, a developed sense of purpose, differing impacts of training methods, and potential negative outcomes associated with stressful demands of training.

Conclusion: The results of this review suggested dog training programs have potentially positive effects on veteran mental health but also revealed a few potential negative impacts and the need for further research on this animal-assisted intervention.