How Dogs Contribute To Your Health and Happiness

8/15/2020 How dogs contribute to your health and happiness
Dogs: Our best friends in sickness

and in health
Written by Maria Cohut, Ph.D. on August 26, 2018 — Fact checked by Jasmin
Collier
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How this works.
Dogs, often hailed as humans’ best friends, have been

the topic of many scientific studies looking into how they
might boost our well-being. In this Spotlight, we’ll explain
how your friendly pup can benefit your health across the
board.
Learn just how dogs can contribute to our physical and emotional well-being.
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https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322868#How-dogs-keep-you-in-good-health 1/11
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals (ASPCA), an estimated 78 million dogs are owned as pets in the
United States.
It is unclear when dogs were first domesticated, but a study published last
year claims that, at least in Europe, dogs were tamed 20,000–40,000
years ago.
It is likely that humans and dogs have shared a special bond of friendship
and mutual support ever since at least the Neolithic period — but why has
this bond been so long-lasting?
Of course, these cousins of the wolves have historically been great at

keeping us and our dwellings safe, guarding our houses, our cattle, and
our various material goods. Throughout history, humans have also trained
dogs to assist them with hunting, or they have bred numerous quirky-
looking species for their cuteness or elegance.
However, dogs are also — and might have always been — truly valued
companions, famed for their loyalty and seemingly constant willingness to
put a smile on their owners’ faces.
In this Spotlight, we outline the research that shows how our dogs make
us happier, more resilient when facing stress, and physically healthier, to
name but a few ways in which these much-loved quadrupeds support our
well-being.
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How dogs keep you in good health

Many studies have suggested that having dogs as pets is associated with
better physical health, as reviews of the existing literature show. These
findings persist.
Dogs ‘force’ their owners to take daily exercise.
Just last year, Medical News Today reported on a study that showed that
owning a dog reduces a person’s risk of premature death by up to a third.
Also, researchers at the University of Harvard in Cambridge, MA, suggest

that dog owners have a lower risk of heart disease.
Why is that? It is difficult to establish a causal relationship between

owning a dog and enjoying better health.
However, the benefits may appear thanks to a series of factors related to

lifestyle adjustments that people tend to make after they decide to adopt
a canine friend.
The most prominent such lifestyle factor is physical activity. There is no 

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way around it: if you own a dog, you have to commit to twice daily walks
— and sometimes even more.
According to a paper published in The Journal of Physical Activity and

Health, dog owners are more likely to walk for leisure purposes than
both non-pet owners and people who own pet cats.
The results were based on studying a cohort of 41,514 participants from

California, some of whom owned dogs, some of whom owned cats, and
some of whom did not have any pets.
Moreover, several recent studies — including one from the University of

Missouri in Columbia and another from Glasgow Caledonian University in
the United Kingdom — found that adults aged 60 and over enjoy better
health thanks to the “enforced” exercise they get by walking their dogs.
“Over the course of a week, this additional time spent walking

may in itself be sufficient to meet [World Health Organization]
recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate to
vigorous physical activity.”
― Philippa Dall, Glasgow Caledonian University
Dogs can strengthen our health not just as we grow older, but also much,
much earlier than that: before we are even born.
Research published last year suggests that children who were exposed to
dogs while still in the womb — as their mothers spent time around dogs
during pregnancy — had a lower risk of developing eczema in early
childhood.
Also, children exposed to certain bacteria carried by dogs also

experienced a reduction of asthma symptoms, the researchers noted.
‘Dogs make people feel good’ 

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Perhaps the most intuitive benefit of sharing your life and home with a
canine friend is that dogs give you “feel-good vibes” almost instantly.
Dogs are often used as therapy animals because they have a calming effect on people.
It is really difficult not to cheer up, even after a hard day’s work, when you
are greeted with — often vocal — enthusiasm by a friendly dog.
This, researchers explain, is due to the effect of the “love hormone”

oxytocin.
“During the last decades,” write the authors of a review that featured in
Frontiers in Psychology, “animal assistance in therapy, education, and
care has greatly increased.”
When we interact with dogs, our oxytocin levels shoot up. Since this is
the hormone largely responsible for social bonding, this hormonal “love
injection” boosts our psychological well-being.
Previous studies analyzed in the review have revealed that dog owners
have more positive social interactions, and that the presence of canine
friends makes people more trusting…and also more deserving of trust. 
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Moreover, dogs appear to reduce symptoms of depression and render

people more resilient to stress. That is why dogs are often used as
therapy animals. As researcher Brian Hare, of Duke University in Durham,
NC, noted in an interview for The Washington Post:
“Dogs make people feel good, and their only job is to help
people in stressful situations feel better.”
Researchers hypothesize that therapy dogs can improve the

psychological well-being of children going through cancer therapy, as
well as help individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) deal with disruptive symptoms or even prevent the onset of PTSD
episodes.
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What clinical research in dogs can teach us

Our canine companions could also give us clues and open new avenues
of research when it comes to clinical research concerning our own health
problems.
Dogs share many diseases with humans; by learning more about them, we can also learn
more about ourselves.
A study that MNT covered earlier this year reveals that dogs share certain
metabolic conditions — such as obesity — with their human owners.
Thus, learning more about dogs’ gut microbiota and how they are
affected by diet could help us understand how best to tackle our own
eating habits.
Like humans, dogs can also develop some forms of cancer. Much like
us, dogs can get brain tumors to similarly destructive effect, so learning
which genes predispose our canine companions to gliomas may also
be translated into cancer research for human patients.
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Moreover, a contagious form of canine cancer could shed light into how
forms of cancer found in humans have come to develop.
Dogs can also experience certain features characteristic of dementia,

such as impaired problem-solving abilities.
Researchers explain that by understanding how cognitive tasks are

affected in these quadrupeds, we may become better equipped to solve
the riddle of dementia in the case of humans, too.
“Dogs,” notes Dr. Rosalind Arden, of the London School of Economics

and Political Science in the U.K., “are one of the few animals that
reproduce many of the key features of dementia.”
“[S]o,” she goes on to add, “understanding their cognitive abilities could

be valuable in helping us to understand the causes of this disorder in
humans and possibly test treatments for it.”
Dogs are not just incredibly loveable and often very funny friends whose
antics fuel the Internet’s store of memes continuously; their company also
keeps us in good physical shape. Also, their health problems — sadly but
endearingly — often mirror our own.
Most of all, however, we welcome them into our lives — and have done so
since time immemorial — because they instantly bring us the sort of joy
and calm that we would otherwise have to work hard to obtain.
Author Dean Koontz summarized this perfectly in his memoir of his own
much-loved dog:
“One of the greatest gifts we receive from dogs is the tenderness

they evoke in us. […] By their delight in being with us, the reliable
sunniness of their disposition, the joy they bring to playtime, the
curiosity with which they embrace each new experience, dogs
can melt cynicism, and sweeten the bitter heart.” 
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Mental Health Veterinary Cancer / Oncology Psychology / Psychiatry
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8/15/2020 How dogs contribute to your health and happiness

Dogs: Our best friends in sickness

Dogs, often hailed as humans’ best friends, have been

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Of course, these cousins of the wolves have historically been great at

How dogs keep you in good health

Dogs ‘force’ their owners to take daily exercise.

Also, researchers at the University of Harvard in Cambridge, MA, suggest

Why is that? It is difficult to establish a causal relationship between

However, the benefits may appear thanks to a series of factors related to

The most prominent such lifestyle factor is physical activity. There is no 

According to a paper published in The Journal of Physical Activity and

The results were based on studying a cohort of 41,514 participants from

Moreover, several recent studies — including one from the University of

“Over the course of a week, this additional time spent walking

― Philippa Dall, Glasgow Caledonian University

Also, children exposed to certain bacteria carried by dogs also

‘Dogs make people feel good’ 

This, researchers explain, is due to the effect of the “love hormone”

Moreover, dogs appear to reduce symptoms of depression and render

Researchers hypothesize that therapy dogs can improve the

Will a COVID-19 vaccine be safe? Healthline asks Dr.

What clinical research in dogs can teach us

Dogs can also experience certain features characteristic of dementia,

Researchers explain that by understanding how cognitive tasks are

“Dogs,” notes Dr. Rosalind Arden, of the London School of Economics

“[S]o,” she goes on to add, “understanding their cognitive abilities could

“One of the greatest gifts we receive from dogs is the tenderness

Mental Health Veterinary Cancer / Oncology Psychology / Psychiatry

Medical detection dogs: how they could

Six ways your pet can boost health and

with a dog. Home…

Can service dogs help with anxiety?

Five unusual toxic animals and their

Get our newsletter

Enter your email

Your privacy is important to us

Medical Review Team Editorial Process

Share Our Content About Us

© 2004-2020 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK, a Red Ventures

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