ABSTRACT
Reading is a complex endeavor, and it requires explicit instruction, opportunities to practice, and early intervention when students struggle to master the necessary skills. This chapter provides a short introduction to factors important in the process of learning to read, and presents available data on the effects of reading with dogs. It addresses some theories, mechanisms, and general effects of human-animal interaction (HAI) that could explain the positive effects of reading with dogs and what is needed to promote this practice as a valid educational approach. The positive effects of involving dogs in reading settings, which are assumed by the AAI-practitioners, have been investigated via various research designs. The chapter also presents some experimental studies in which the reading performance of the same children was tested twice; once in a situation without a dog present, and once with a friendly but unfamiliar dog present.
