Well-being, Optimism and Opportunities through our Furry Friends

WOOFF at a Glance

WOOFF is a three-year project dedicated to integrating dog-assisted interventions into school settings to foster learning, emotional resilience, and inclusion. Our team consists of schools, researchers, and experts from across Europe, working together to develop, test, and refine interventions that support students’ social and cognitive development.

Our Objectives

• Create a standardized, research-backed framework for dog-assisted education.
• Improve executive functions and social-emotional skills in primary school students.
• Train teachers and educators in evidence-based dog-assisted interventions.
• Ensure ethical and sustainable implementation of school dogs through the One Health principle.

Showcase each partnering school, university, and expert center, including:

• Coordinating partner:
  • OPO Hof van Twente
• Schools in:
  • The Netherlands: Obs De Boomhut
  • Austria: Volksschule Waltendorf
  • Denmark: Viking International School
  • Poland: Szkola Podstawowa

The school where we are implementing WOOFF interventions.

• Research and training partners:
  • Aeres University of Applied Sciences 
  • IVA 
  • Zwierzeta Ludziom 
• Associated partners supporting research and dissemination:
  • IAHAIO 
  • CTAC

Each partner’s role, expertise, and contributions to the project can be briefly outlined, with links to their websites.

A dedicated space for:

• Project milestones and updates
• Live reports from WOOFF Lab Weeks, including event summaries and expert insights
• Photos and videos from interventions in schools
• Testimonials from teachers, students, and researchers
• Important project announcements

A repository of all outputs, categorized for easy access:

Intervention Series

• Structured dog-assisted intervention programs for developing EF and SES
• Guides and materials for educators

Scientific Research & Reports

• Research papers on the effectiveness of dog-assisted interventions
• Reports on long-term impact studies
• Ethical guidelines for dog welfare monitoring https://m-path.io/landing/
• Literature research

Teacher & Educator Resources

• Training materials for teachers implementing dog-assisted education
• Certification framework for educators
• Guidelines for best practices in school settings

Dissemination & Public Engagement

• WOOFF Connect event recordings and summaries
• Links to the BARK podcast series, featuring expert discussions
• Policy briefs and recommendations for scaling dog-assisted education