The benefits of having a dog For health they are to protect against cardiovascular diseases, improve mental health, meet new people, reduce stress, increase happiness, get less sick, avoid allergies and others that we will explain below.
Whether of breed or not or large or small, we all have a pet that came into our lives by chance and today is one more member of our family. But, did you know that they can produce a multitude of positive effects on human beings both physically and mentally??.
You have surely noticed that dogs provide you with peace of mind, a feeling of peace and tranquility. They also bring joy because they are usually playful and very friendly with the human being. Here we explain the most beneficial positive effects for health.
Most people who have a dog at home usually take it for a walk between 2 and 3 times a day to perform its needs or simply to play sports.
This simple gesture not only brings benefits for the dog but also for our health since the owners of these pets have greater physical activity compared to people who do not. As a consequence of the above, the former have in general better health, which is verified in fewer medical consultations..
Therefore, they are a protective factor in cardiovascular diseases that can modify risk factors such as blood pressure, which decreases. There is also a clear decrease in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as in the level of stress due to loneliness and anxiety. Lastly, endorphins are also released when petting these pets.
Dogs are able to reduce the feeling of loneliness, which leads people who have a psychological problem to not want, for example, to end their life, among other things.
On the other hand, they are capable of generating a better integration in the society in which we live, since they help prevent and reduce states of depression, stress, grief and social isolation..
And how do they get it? Well, increasing self-esteem and the sense of responsibility in all those people who are around them..
Having a dog also improves your social skills as it promotes interaction with people you don't know, but who also have one. Simply by having this pet, you feel obliged to take him out for a walk and frequent parks and other recreational areas for him..
This will help you meet new people and improve your social skills. On the other hand, it will also allow you to establish bonds of trust in interpersonal relationships..
Neighbors frequently request favors that revolve around the pet, creating a bond of high trust, solidarity and gratitude among them, for which pets are a catalyst that direct owners and other members towards this (Wood and others, 2005).
Although we do not need to rely on any study to know that our beloved dogs have the great ability to calm us, it has already been demonstrated by Dr. Karen Walker of the University of Buffalo in the United States.
This study consisted of subjecting a specific number of people to situations of great tension and mental stress. Thanks to this fact, he found that if there was a dog in the room it was reduced considerably. One more benefit of having this magnificent pet that cannot be overlooked.
Either because they love us with all their being or because of the way they look at us or behave, dogs have the ability to prevent us from getting depressed.
This is confirmed by Dr. Peggy Drexler in her article "Dogs, depression and Real Life", in which she assures that the company of pets as dogs reduces the risk of being diagnosed with clinical depression.
For this reason, these fantastic animals are used in animal-assisted therapies for their great benefits at the mental level with elderly and disabled people..
As if that were not enough, they also make us happier and there are studies such as those carried out in 2009 by Miho Nagasawa of the Azabu University in Japan that prove it.
This research was based on studying the levels of oxytocin (hormone that gives a feeling of happiness) between people with dogs and their pets by keeping their gaze fixed on each other's eyes. The interesting thing about this test is that the only contact that was needed to demonstrate the increase was to look into the eyes of the animal..
Even so, we do not need any study to tell us that they make us happier, since simply seeing their enthusiasm when we enter the door of the house or their expression accompanied by rapid movements of the tail are enough for us, right?.
Our dog is also the reason why we get sick less without the need to take any medication because it is the best medicine for our well-being. But how do you keep us from getting so sick?.
Its secret is very simple, it is full of germs to which we expose ourselves daily and they help our immune system to form and give the necessary tools to deal with all of them..
This will help us if we enjoy the company of our pet from a young age to be stronger and contract fewer viruses.
Just as they can strengthen our immune system, they can also prevent us from presenting allergies in the future, according to the study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, which analyzes the relationship between pet ownership and eczema.
So if you want to prevent your child from having any type of allergy, having a dog at home can be the solution to this problem since from a young age, they are facing all the germs that they present. In this way, they are unlikely to develop an allergy to animal hair or their dander..
We all know that dogs are an excellent security system for our home, as they defend us with their barking against possible strangers who may get too close. Therefore, it is a fact that they make us feel safe.
Our pets can use their acute sense of hearing to detect anyone who is hanging around our house and thus help us fall asleep which as a result affects our health in a positive way.
If we grow up with a dog we will be able to be more understanding than others who have not had the opportunity to develop with a friend of these characteristics.
On the other hand, we will also have more self-esteem and better social skills and of course we will be able to develop empathy and all simply by having a dog by our side..
If we have a small child at home, these will be among others the skills and abilities that will influence their emotional and social development, whether or not they have an excellent friendship with their canine..
Having a pet is a great way to teach children responsibility. Usually when they are little they fall in love with these canines and do their best to keep them at home, an excellent opportunity to make them fulfill their obligations of care and feeding.
In this way, man's best friend can gradually make us internalize the sense of responsibility simply through his care such as playing, eating, walking and brushing..
Since our dog comes into our life we have to adjust our schedules to fulfill our obligations as owners of it. However, it also brings us benefits because creating a regular diet and exercise routine will not only help our friend but also ourselves.
If we integrate it as our own and keep them in time, it will help us to relax and clear up after the workday and as everyone who has a dog will know, it will be impossible to skip these routines since they will always remind you of it..
We can learn from all animals and in this case, since we are talking about the dog, it would not be less. All the people who have had the opportunity to share their life with a canine will not only have acquired the capacity for responsibility and commitment that their care requires, but will also have learned patience, a sense of commitment and dedication and the generosity they need..
They also teach us not to focus on ourselves and to have to educate them as if we were their parents. This makes us learn to love nature and all the animals that surround us in a transversal way, so that as a result of this interaction we manage to become better people..
In addition to having the ability to de-stress and calm down, they also help us to avoid our problems or those derived from work, whether we want to or not, they will force us to comply with the care activities they need..
So we will have to go for a walk and play with them, this can be very beneficial for our well-being since we will have one more reason to take care of ourselves and be happy.
Although studies are still being carried out to verify the veracity of whether dogs are capable of detecting health problems such as cancer, there are already many real cases that support this idea.
According to some owners, their dogs were able to warn them that they were about to have metastasis or that they had breast or prostate cancer. Perhaps these canines can smell human cancer, what is clear is that there are already trainers that help them perform that function.
And you, what other benefits of having a dog do you know?
Yet No Comments