Host
Carter Sutton
Podcast Content
Studies have shown that children who are around dogs tend to be more social. A recent study found that children raised around dogs were 30% less likely to experience behavior problems, and had better social behavior, compared with children raised without dogs. Another study found that children who were predisposed to have respiratory allergies or asthma were significantly less likely to have these problems if a dog was present at home. In fact, children who had allergies to dogs, but did not have dogs in their homes, were four times as likely as those who did not have dogs in their homes to have eczema.
Studies also found that children raised around dogs had lower allergies. Recent studies on child health concluded that children who lived with pets during the first year of life, especially dogs, actually had better immune systems than those who did not. A recent study from the organization Prevention of Chronic Disease found that having a dog in your home during childhood makes a person less prone to suffering from anxiety later on in life.
Now, recent research suggests that growing up with a dog may have powerful psychological effects on children, starting at a young age. Living in a dog-friendly household can be linked to healthier psychological development for younger children, researchers reported. A recent study highlights the social-emotional benefits of dog ownership, walking a dog, and playing with dogs, which can start in early life.
New research suggests that children as young as kindergarten age can also benefit from pet ownership through enhanced social developmental skills. Because of all of the skills that come from owning a pet, younger children are less likely to develop allergies and do better in school, as children build intrinsic motivation by caring for an animal. Children learn responsible pet ownership through observation of their parents behaviors.
Children also learn compassion for pets, and they build high levels of self-esteem while taking responsibility for the responsibility of caring for a pet. Because pets are living, breathing animals with needs, children may learn responsibility and reliability by helping to care for them. In addition to teaching responsibility, dogs also teach children that others must be taken care of because they cannot care for themselves.
Dogs teach kids about all the responsibility involved, as well as how difficult, yet essential, taking care of another living being is. Dogs are non-judgmental, comforting friends who listen patiently, giving kids a greater sense of self-worth. Dogs can be an excellent source of comfort to children -- even as they grapple with tough life lessons.
Just petting or playing with a dog can provide the child with the healthy distraction that he needs to feel better. Spending time with a dog can provide an opportunity for an autistic child to confront and share his emotions, with both the dog and his handler. Autistic children often have trouble managing their emotions and dealing with social situations, but a therapy dog can help them to work through those challenges. Therapy Dog Visit A therapy dog can motivate children who are struggling to manage emotions or remain calm.
Educators have known for some time that having a therapy animal in the school, mostly dogs, helps children with developmental challenges to learn. Autism Companions has found therapy dogs to have a surprising effect on ASD childrens quality of life and development.
Adopting a dog can be one way parents can help their children alleviate the negative social developmental effects of being physically distant. Recent studies have found that children who help their parents walk their family dogs at least weekly, and who play with their dogs at least three times per week, show greater benefits to their social development than do those who do not. The latest research found that parents of families that owned dogs were 30% less likely than families without dogs to report behavioral and peer problems in their young children.
Pet ownership has benefits for older children, too While the latest study focused on young children, earlier studies found older children in dog-owning families benefited from greater responsibility, positive self-esteem, compassion, and trust. Studies show that when a single child gets a dog, he or she often feels less alone, and views their pet as a brother or sister. Having a pet to interact with also helps children manage their stress. Studies have found that stress levels in children are reduced by reading to their dogs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that children who had dogs at home had lower levels of anxiety and reduced amounts of perceived stress. A group from Bassett Medical Center in New York found that only 12% of children with a pet dog tested positive for clinical anxiety, compared with 21% of children who did not have a dog. A 2015 study, for instance, found that growing up with a pet as a toddler was associated with lower rates of anxiety among children, and a 2013 study found that dogs reduced the frequency of feelings of loneliness, worry, or irritation among military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Other studies suggest early animal exposure can lower the risk that children will develop asthma. Studies show children living with dogs at home can possibly have fewer ear infections and respiratory infections, and need less antibiotics, possibly because the exposure to animals early in life boosts the immune system. Studies have shown having a dog may reduce your childs chances of developing depression.