Encouraging children to grow up to be well-rounded individuals is something that every parent or caregiver tries to achieve. We already know that having a pet in the home makes for a memorable childhood. Sometimes we fail to appreciate the more profound effects that pet ownership has upon child development. We ask friends to become godparents and to be involved in our children’s lives. But what about the role of “dogparents” that our pets perform? Aspects such as physical and social development, to name just a couple, are enhanced when a child nurtures a pet at home. If you’ve been debating whether to get a family dog, here are 5 amazing (but true) ways your dog can help your child, as learning from dogs is no myth.
Benefits of pet ownership for children
Physical development
Dog walking is great exercise and an easy way to burn calories. Kids live more sedentary lives and are more prone to obesity than previous generations. Going for a daily walk or run with the dog is a great habit to form and is fantastic for the child’s physical and mental health.
Social development
Encouraging a child to be respectful and caring of a pet, also transitions into his or her treatment of other people. There are obviously exceptions, but children who have looked after a pet have a tendency to become more caring, more compassionate and more responsible adults. Emotional intelligence, interpersonal interaction, and impulse control are vital attributes to have. Acquiring and further developing these strengths can be made easier by pet ownership and learning from dogs. Simply having a pet in the home is not sufficient for these skills to be acquired. It is vital that kids are shown the best ways to interact with other living creatures, learning these skills from examples set by parents or caregivers. Kids with dogs have plenty of opportunities to learn patience, kindness, sharing, and generosity; all character traits that can help them to develop closer human friendships. They also start to develop some basic parenting skills useful for later in life.
Cognitive development
Cognitive development is the way in which information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory all develop through childhood into adulthood. As we know, not all learning takes place in a classroom. Having a pet in the family can help with all aspects of cognitive development. Valuable ways of learning from dogs can include children reading about their own dog’s breed and being involved in the care and training of the dog. Reading skills and confidence improve when a child reads to a pet. Some schools are introducing programmes in conjunction with The Kennel Club’s Bark and Read Foundation with these benefits in mind.
Emotional development
Caring for a dog allows a child to interact with a live being without being judged. This enables self-esteem to build and can help a shy child to overcome timidity. Dogs also make superb service helpers for children living with physical or behavioural health conditions. Interacting with dogs releases endorphins in a child’s body, making the child happier, more relaxed, and less anxious. Additionally, as dogs have a short life cycle, children end up learning from dogs about death and the bereavement and grief process.
Immune system development
In a 2015 study published in JAMA Pediatrics1, Swedish scientists analyzed the relationship between dog ownership in the first year of a child’s life and the incidence of asthma in children up to the age of six. They found that Swedish children who have grown up with dogs in the house since birth had a 15% decreased risk of asthma by the time they attended school than those without a dog. The researchers believe the findings would also be applicable to other developed countries such as the UK.
How do you increase the opportunity for learning from dogs?
Involve the kids! Pet care involves lots of little tasks. Involving your children in some of these tasks can make them feel important and responsible. For young children, setting up a chart with small rewards for tasks completed can be a good way to start – there are even apps for that these days! Simple duties like filling the dog bowl with fresh water can make children feel more grown up, trusted and helpful.
Give your dog extra praise and attention, for being a terrific teacher, helping you in your quest to raise your child to be a balanced, kind adult.
Reference
- Fall T, Lundholm C, Örtqvist AK, et al. Early exposure to dogs and farm animals and the risk of childhood asthma. JAMA Pediatr. 2015;169:e153219. doi:1001/jamapediatrics. 2015.3219. Epub 2015 Nov.
