Objectives: Animal-assisted therapy with dogs is regularly used in children with behavioural and developmental disorders. Aims of this systematic review were threefold: to analyse the methodological quality of studies on dog-assisted therapy (DAT) for children with behavioural and developmental disorders, to determine to which extent the studies on DAT adhere to the quality criteria developed by the International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organisation (IAHAIO) and to describe the characteristics of the participants, the intervention and the outcomes. Method: Three databases (i.e. PsycInfo, MedLine and Eric) were searched, and 14 studies on DAT were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist (JBIC) and the quality criteria developed by the IAHAIO were used during data extraction. Characteristics of the participants, the intervention, the therapy dogs and the outcomes of the studies were summarised. Results: Six of the 14 included studies reported significant outcomes of DAT, whereof six in the social domain and two in the psychological domain. However, scores on the JBIC indicated low to moderate methodological quality and only three of the included studies adhered to the IAHAIO quality criteria. Conclusions: DAT is a promising intervention for children with behavioural and developmental disorders, especially for children with autism spectrum disorder. A clear description of the therapy’s components, the role of the therapy dog and analysis of the treatment integrity and procedural fidelity would improve the methodological quality of the studies and the field of dog-assisted interventions.

(1) Background: Dog-assisted therapy (DAT) integrates dogs into therapeutic sessions to enhance participants’ physical, emotional, and social well-being. Despite its growing popularity, little is known about the interaction dynamics between the dog, participant, and therapist during sessions. (2) Methods: This study examined these dynamics, focusing on active participation, focus direction, joint focus, and physical contact. Video data from sessions 1, 5, and 9 of 10 individual therapy sessions with five participants were analysed using behavioural observations and an ethogram. (3) Results: Results indicated that therapists’ active participation increased over time while participants’ activity levels remained stable. Dogs were most active during the initial and final sessions. Participants’ focus on therapists remained consistent, but their focus on the dog stabilised after an initial decline. Dogs are primarily focused on their surroundings. The joint focus between participants and therapists increased, and physical contact with dogs varied significantly among participants and dogs. (4) Conclusions: The findings partially support the “icebreaker” theory, whereby dogs help establish initial rapport. However, the trend was not consistent across all participants. Therapist–dog interactions remained low and stable. Differences in dog characteristics (e.g., breed and fur type) and participant needs may explain variation in physical contact. These findings underline the complexity of DAT and highlight the need for further research into interaction patterns relate to participants and dog characteristics.