When Reading Goes to the Dogs

September 25, 2026   Sharon Murphy

Researchers, educators and parents spend a lot of time arguing about what makes for successful reading experiences for children, but where do dogs stand on this matter?  A bit preposterous of a question, I know. Even though dogs don't have an opinion of the matter of how to read, they actually can influence not only the quality of children’s reading and their feelings about it, but children’s sense of self-worth and staying power as readers. These influences occur whether children are young or old, a are learning English, or have special needs.  They occur in the context of programs in which children read aloud to dogs in schools or other settings.

Why does reading to dogs have such effects? Researchers offer several explanations:

1. Children are simply spending more time reading and the time on task gives their reading and the other elements a boost (Bassette & Taber Doughty, 2013; Hasten, 2020; Rousseau & Tardif-Williams, 2019; Van Der Steen et al., 2024).

2. Children view the dog as a listener who, unlike adults, is not judgemental, and who doesn’t interfere (Davison, 2015) or make comments if the reader makes miscues (Barber & Proops, 2019).

3. The non-judgemental aspect of reading to dogs means the children are less stressed when reading and the emotional environment during the reading is positive (Davison, 2015).

Even though dogs may not have an opinion on how to teach reading, reading to dogs does teach us a lot about how children feel about reading and how we can do very simple things to create the conditions for them to feel more comfortable reading to adults. Think about it, would you like to engage in an activity where you were tense and in which you expected to be corrected and judged? How would you feel about the activity and your self? Seems like this is a case where dogs can teach humans a few tricks!

References

NOTE: Reading to dogs has been extensively studied. Below is a selection of publications devoted to the topic of reading to dogs.  Most show positive effects regardless of circumstance or condition.

1. Barber, O., & Proops, L. (2019). Low-ability secondary school students show emotional, motivational, and performance benefits when reading to a dog versus a teacher, Anthrozoös, 32(4), 503-518, DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2019.1621522

2. Bassette, L.A., & Taber-Doughty, T. (2013). The effects of a dog reading visitation program on academic engagement behaviour in three elementary students with emotional and behavioral disabilities: A single case design. Child Youth Care Forum, 43, 239-256.

3. Carino, L.A., (2022). Exploring the influence of a school-based therapy dog reading program on reluctant readers’ motivation to read and reading fluence in the K-4 setting.  Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University. https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1170/

4. Clune, M. E. (2019). Measuring the effects of a therapy dog assisted reading intervention for third-grade students with dyslexia: A mixed methods case study. Doctoral dissertation, University of Bridgeport. ProQuest Number:27663114

5. Connell, C.G., Tepper, D.L., Landry, O., & Bennett, P.C. (2019) Dogs in schools: The impact of specific human–dog interactions on reading ability in children aged 6 to 8 years, Anthrozoös, 32(3), 347-360, DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2019.1598654

6. Conte, J.K. (2015). The influence of therapy dogs on reading fluency and reading motivation. Doctoral dissertation. Seattle University. ProQuest Number: 3663885

7. Davison, H. (2015). An exploratory study of primary pupils’ experiences of reading to dogs. Doctoral dissertation, University of East London.

8. Hasten, G. (2020). The impact of reading to a therapy dog on student’s time on-task behavior, reading confidence and reading fluency.  Master’s thesis, Western Illinois University.

9. Henderson, L., Grove, C., Lee, F., Trainer, Schena, H., & Prentice, M. (2020). An evaluation of a dog-assisted reading program to support student wellbeing in primary school. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105449

10. Jensen, A.R., & Willbergh, I. (2023). The dog as an unaware pedagogical agent in a school reading course, Anthrozoös, 36(6), 1013-1024, DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2023.2232657

11. Kelly, T.J. (2021). Using animal assisted education with English learners in the elementary school classroom. Doctoral dissertation. Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

12. Kirnan, J., Siminerio, S. & Wong, Z. (2016). The impact of a therapy dog program on children’s reading skills and attitudes toward reading. Early Childhood Education Journal, 44, 637-651. DOI 10.1007/s10643-015-0747-9

13. Kropp, J.J., & Shupp, M.M. (2017), Review of the research: Are therapy dogs in classrooms beneficial? Forum on Public Policy, 2017(2).

14. Lamkin, D. (2017). Fostering literacy learning with three middle school special-education students using therapy dogs as reading partners. Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Albany. ProQuest Number:10683497

15. Lenihan, D., McCobb, E., Diurba, A., Linder, D., & Freeman, L. (2016). Measuring the effects of reading assistance dogs on reading ability and attitudes in elementary schoolchildren, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 30(2), 252-259, DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2016.1143896

16. Levinson, E.M., Vogt, M., Barker, W.F., Jalongo, M.R., & Van Zandt, P. (2017). Effects of reading with adult tutor/therapy dog teams on elementary students’ reading achievement and attitudes.  Society and Animals, 25, 38-56. DOI 10.1163/15685306-12341427

17. MedLet (2022). Reading to dogs in schools: A controlled feasibility study of an online reading to dogs intervention. Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA, 25 Sept. 2022, p. 100.

18. Nestlog, E.B., & Ehriander, J. (2019).  The book dog and semiotic resources in envisionment building of a text world.  Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 48, 535-550. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-018-9617-0

19. Noble, O., & Holt, N. (2018) A study into the impact of the Reading Education Assistance Dogs scheme on reading engagement and motivation to read among Early Years Foundation-Stage children, Education 3-13, 46(3), 277-290, DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2016.1246587

20. Rousseau, C.X., & Tardif-Williams, C.Y. (2019). Turning the page for Spot: The potential of therapy dogs to support reading motivation among young children. Anthrozoös, 32(5). 665-667.

21. Schretzmayer, L., Kotrschal, K., & Beetz, A. (2017). Minor immediate effects of a dog on children’s reading performance and physiology.  Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 4(90). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00090

22. Shores, L.M. (2024). Children’s reading self-efficacy: An exploratory study on the influence of dog-assisted reading programs. Specialist Thesis, University of California, Santa Barbara.

23. Steel, J. (2024a). Children’s wellbeing and reading engagement: the impact of reading to dogs in a Scottish Primary 1 classroom, Education 3-13, 52(3), 375-390, DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2022.2100442

24. Steel, J. (2024b). Reading to Dogs as a form of animal-assisted education: are positive outcomes supported by quality research? Literacy, 58(1), 102-119.

25. Steel, J., Williams, J.M., & McGeown, S. (2021). Reading to dogs in schools: an exploratory study of teacher perspectives, Educational Research, 63(3), 279-301, DOI: 10.1080/00131881.2021.1956989

26. Syrnyk, C., McArthur, A., Zwack, A., & Makowsky, M. (2023). Reading to dogs at home: A pilot study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51, 1059-1065. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01482-y

27. Tamborello, S. (2018). The impact of fourth-graders’ participation in a Reading Education Assistance Dog (READ) program has on overall reading, vocabulary, comprehension and Lexile scores. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Hartford. ProQuest Number:10636154

28. Van Der Steen, S., Douma. I., & Snippe, I. (2024) Effects of a reading dog programme on reading skills and task-related behaviour in special needs education, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 39(4), 648-657, DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2023.2273643

     NOTE: This blog is supported by a York University Senior Scholars grant.