DOGS AT THE UNIVERSITY: ANALYZING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

UM ESTUDO SOBRE BEM-ESTAR PSICOLÓGICO

Abstract

The relationship between humans and dogs has been changing, taking on new forms in different contexts. Our goal was to investigate this relationship at the University of the Amazon. We created an ethogram of the interactions between a female dog and the academic community and applied a questionnaire to understand the perceptions of the academic community. We recorded affectionate behaviors (n=5) and play behaviors (n=3). Most participants had already interacted with the dogs (63.96%), and 90.48% of the interactions involved affection, play, or feeding. The dogs do not cause discomfort for 93.7% and can improve mood for 85.1%. The data showed that dogs can bring benefits such as well-being and mood improvement. Future studies may describe how the academic community can benefit from dogs in terms of psychological well-being.