Recently we welcomed a dog into our family. My kids had been begging us for quite a while to get a dog. I was a bit apprehensive at first, thinking about all the work involved with taking care of a dog. Thoughts of chewed up clothing, messes on floors, barking, and hair everywhere went through my brain. My wife kept assuring me that dogs were good for kids.
After doing a lot of research, I found that having a dog is great for a child. The benefits of having a dog include teaching a child responsibility, compassion, unconditional love, patience, improves social skills, learning, physical and emotional well being, as well just being a ton of fun to have around.
Making the decision to bring a dog into our family was one of the best decisions we have made. Below is a list of the things I learned when researching whether or not we should get a dog.
Teaches Responsibility
Having a dog in the home will teach a child all about responsibility. Nothing teaches a child responsibility like getting up early before school to take the dog out potty. The care that your child gives to the dog should be age appropriate. My ten year old son has learned a lot about responsibility, and he does pretty much everything with our dog from feeding and watering, to exercising. My two year old daughter likes to help hold our dog in the car, and get out his food dish. So from older kids to younger kids, they can learn some aspect of responsibility by having a dog in the home.
Learn Compassion
By caring for another living creature, a child will really learn to be compassionate. Things like washing the dog will teach them compassion, and in turn they will be nicer to others. I have four children, and since we have brought a dog into our family, I have really seen my children have more compassion for each other. Dogs have been known to help kids that are overly aggressive, or hyperactive, to calm down and be more compassionate as well.
Show Unconditional Love
Dogs always show you unconditional love. It doesn’t matter what your child likes, or how many friends they have, their dog will always be there for them. Everyday when my kids get home from school, our dog is waiting by the back door to greet them, and to play with them. If your child has a bad day at school, or is going through a hard time a dog can really help lift their spirits.
Improves Patience
Having a new puppy in the house will really teach your child patience. When they’re cleaning up potty messes, or teaching them not to chew on things, your child will really learn patience. They will also get the gratification of seeing that patience pay off when the dog stops going potty inside, and stops chewing up everything in sight. My son works on training our dog everyday. I’ve watched his patience really improve with not only our dog, but with his younger siblings.
Social Skills
Having a dog really improves a kids social skills. Through playing and teaching a dog, kids become more confident. Through this confidence they are able to open up more around other kids. Having a dog around also acts as an ice breaker as it takes the attention off of your child, and onto the dog.
Become A Teacher
Training a dog will really teach your child to become a great teacher. As they teach your dog new things, they will learn ways that work for teaching your dog, and will learn ways that don’t work. As your dog learns new commands, it will build a child’s confidence, and self esteem. This in turn will give a child more confidence to teach others, and become more of a leader.
Increases Immune System
Studies have shown that having dogs in the home improves a children’s immune system. Dogs bring in germs and allergens that kids become more immune too. This leads to kids being less susceptible to colds and respiratory infections. Studies have also shown that having a dog in the home will reduce the risk of a child getting eczema.
Keeps Them Moving
Kids are spending more and more time sitting down looking at screens. Having a dog is a great way for them to get moving. Taking a dog on a walk, or running around playing with a dog, is a great way for a child to get exercise.
Sibling Interaction
Having a dog will really improve sibling interaction. The dog will make it so each one of the siblings have something in common. The siblings will learn to play and have fun with the dog together. They will also learn to share and give each other time with the dog. This is something that I really wondered about prior to getting a dog. I have seen a big improvement with my kids playing together by spending time with our dog.
Reduce Anxiety
Playing or cuddling with a dog stimulates a hormone called oxytocin which soothes the anxiety system. This can be a huge benefit, or reason to bring a dog into your family. According to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health an estimated 31.9% of adolescents in their study had an anxiety disorder of some type. Anxiety disorders in children is on the rise and having a dog in the home is a great why to reduce anxiety in a child.
Happier
Playing with a dog raises the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the body, which will help to calm the mind, and uplift the mood. Basically, having a dog in the home will make a child happier. As they play with a dog and watch how happy a dog is to see them it will make the child happier.
Lowers Stress
Reading aloud to a dog has been know to reduce stress levels in the child who is reading to the dog, as well as the dog. Being around a dog lowers cortisol levels which in turn reduces stress. Also, reading aloud to a dog will improve your childs reading and confidence. The dog doesn’t care how fast a child reads, or how well they read. The dog just likes to sit and listen to them read. Knowing that the dog is not going to judge them, gives a child the confidence to just read. Having the confidence to read aloud even if it’s hard, or they don’t do it quite right, will really help improve a childs reading abilities.
Reduces Fear
This is something that I have witnessed first hand with my children. My oldest daughter had a couple traumatic experiences with dogs when she was real young. Those experiences had her deathly afraid of animals. She wouldn’t even get near small dogs without crying. Since we have brought our dog into our family, that fear of dogs has really left her. She is now able to get around other dogs, and animals without being overcome with fear. She has learned to bond with and love animals again.
There you have it, all the reasons why you should get a dog for your child! I was honestly on the fence about getting a dog for my kids. They are a lot of work to take care of, but are totally worth it. I have seen each one of my children grow immensely from bringing our dog Finn into our family. Go out and buy or adopt a dog for your child today.