The Center for Faculty Excellence

The Use of Dogs as Stress Relief during Finals Week

Cheryl Delgado, Margaret Toukonen, Corinne Wheeler

School of Nursing

The Use of Dogs as Stress Relief during Finals Week

We have used play time with dogs to reduce stress in students taking final exams. Our study supported significant reductions in psychologic and physiologic stress following a short play period. Many universities are now using dog "professors" to help students relax and feel more at home on campus.