Paws in the classroom: dogs may boost school attendance for struggling kids
NCT ID NCT07168460
First seen Nov 01, 2025 · Last updated Jun 22, 2026 · Updated 39 times
Summary
This study tested whether trained social working dogs could help children with problematic school absence. 64 children from grades 3-9 who missed at least 15% of school were randomly assigned to receive either dog-assisted support or support from a special education teacher for 30 minutes twice a week over 10-12 weeks. The dog group spent time with a dog and handler, doing activities like reading to the dog. The study measured school attendance and learning outcomes.
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Locations
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Uppsala University & Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Uppsala, Sweden
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
dog-assisted support
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a new, gentle way to help children with school attendance problems feel more motivated and attend school more often.
What could go wrong
This is a small, completed study with only 64 children. The results may not apply to all children, and the benefits might be due to extra attention rather than the dogs themselves.
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.