Use of activities in the presence of a dog for children in an institutional care

Abstract Use of activities in the presence of a dog for children in an institutional care The canistherapy is currently an actively used supportive rehabilitation technique than it was in previous years. The canistherapy operates in many areas relating to children, adults with a certain type of a disadvantage or also seniors. Research works have not so far addressed an effect of the canistherapy to a very specific group of clients, i.e. children in an institutional care specifically in children´s homes. Children placed in the children´s homes are generally a high risk group in terms of an action of socially undesirable phenomena and a psychical deprivation. Above all for the reasons of those risks the canistherapy is an interesting and suitable method for an inclusion in the program of activities in the children´s home. The theoretical part of the bachelor thesis is divided into two areas, from which one represents a theoretical knowledge from areas of the institutional care and then it deals with the psychical deprivation. The other section of the theoretical part deals with questions of the canistherapy, its definition, methods and specifically focuses on the development of the child´s personality and the need of the presence of a dog during its development. An attention is also paid to concrete activities with dogs. The aim of the bachelor thesis was to define activities with the dog in the area of an improvement of social relationships and emotional experience at children in the institutional care. For a reason of the specific area of the research, the author chose a qualitative research, which is characterized by an in-depth description of the studied problem. The research technique was a direct participant observation in the chosen children´s home and then semi-controlled interviews with canistherapeutists and tutors. The research results present activities proven within the improvement of the social relations and emotional experience of the children. The activities are especially focused on an increase of their confidence, responsibility and evoking of pleasurable feelings. A completion of short and long term objectives at individual children was proved only partially for a reason of a short research period, some tasks require a longer field of an exposure and they will be continued even after the end of the research. This thesis should serve as an example of a good practice for using of the canitherapy in the children´s homes and in the other types of facilities within an institutional care