Dogs are friendly. They provide unconditional love and companionship. They play a significant role in the emotional, physical, and social development of children.
Children can play with dogs. Dogs can provide a good companionship for children. Allowing kids to engage with dogs has numerous benefits that can positively impact their growth.
Here’s why playing with dogs is not just fun but essential for your child’s well-being.
Emotional Development: Building Empathy and Reducing Stress
Engaging with dogs promotes emotional development in children. Dogs are sensitive creatures that respond to human emotions and behaviors, creating a unique bond with their owners. When children play with dogs, they learn to understand the emotional needs of their pets, fostering empathy.
Caring for a dog requires patience, kindness, and attention, qualities that are essential for developing emotional intelligence. Children begin to recognize that the dog may need food, exercise, or affection, and they learn to respond to these needs with care.
Sarah Scott, a child life specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, says, “Having a pet in the house can teach kids from a young age how to read body language and other nonverbal cues and develop senses for reading others’ emotions and learning how to respond. They can learn how to tell when a pet wants to be approached, the best way to interact with that pet and how that approach might differ from animal to animal.”
Additionally, dogs have a calming presence. The act of petting or spending time with a dog has been shown to reduce cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, and increase oxytocin, the “feel-good” hormone. For children, this can help alleviate feelings of anxiety or restlessness.
Dogs offer a source of emotional support that can help children navigate difficult emotions.
Physical Activity: Encouraging Exercise and Improving Coordination
Playing with dogs inspires physical activity. Dogs are naturally energetic creatures. When they engage in play, they get their owners moving too. Whether it’s playing a game of fetch, going for walks, or simply running around in the yard, dogs encourage children to be active.
This active play helps improve their physical fitness, burn off excess energy, reduce tantrum, and develop healthier lifestyles.
Regular play with a dog improves motor skills, coordination, and balance. Activities such as throwing a ball, jumping over obstacles, or tug-of-war with the dog all require hand-eye coordination and body control.
Children enhance their physical dexterity and agility playing with dogs. These activities also give children a chance to connect with nature and the outdoors. This promotes a healthier lifestyle and helps them form a lifelong habit of physical activity.
Social Skills: Enhancing Interaction and Building Confidence
Playing with a dog can significantly enhance a child’s social skills. According to Dr. Michelle Roberts-Schneider, a Walden University PhD in Education graduate, “Dogs are an innovative teaching tool; support children’s social, emotional, and behavioral development; and enhance children’s experiences.”
Dogs require structured play, which can teach children how to take turns, share, and engage in cooperative activities. These interactions translate to improved communication and social behavior with peers.
Children learn the basic principles of patience and teamwork playing with a dog. For instance, when children train a dog to follow commands, they are learning the importance of clear communication and consistency—skills that they can apply to their relationships with other children.
In addition to fostering social skills, playing with dogs can boost a child’s confidence. Dogs are non-judgmental and offer unconditional love, which can make children feel more secure in themselves.
As children take on the responsibility of caring for and playing with their dog, they experience a sense of accomplishment. Whether it’s successfully teaching the dog a new trick or simply forming a strong bond, the relationship between a child and their dog can help foster a sense of self-worth.
A study published in Plos One found that about 40% of dog owners had an easier time making friends.
Responsibility and Routine: Teaching Duty and Structure
Having a dog can be an excellent tool for teaching children responsibility. Unlike a toy or an electronic device, a dog requires care and attention every day. Children who play with and care for dogs are naturally encouraged to take on daily chores such as feeding, walking, and grooming. These small responsibilities can teach children valuable lessons about taking care of others and the importance of regular commitment.
Moreover, dogs thrive on routine, and this can be a great way to help children develop a structured daily schedule. Kids learn that their dog needs to be fed and exercised at specific times.
Doing this, they learn about the value of time management. A consistent routine helps children understand that responsibilities need to be met on time. The repetitive tasks help them to make it a habit. They can repeat this habit in completing schoolwork. This structure can provide children with a sense of stability and discipline that extends beyond their relationship with the dog.
Hayley Christian, associate professor at the University of Western Australia, says that, “Children from dog-owning households were 30% less likely to engage in antisocial behaviors, 40% less likely to have problems interacting with other children and were 34% more likely to engage in considerate behaviors, such as sharing.”
Cognitive Benefits: Stimulating Problem-Solving and Teaching Patience
Dogs can be a source of intellectual stimulation. Playing with dogs also have cognitive benefits for children, especially when it comes to training or learning new activities. Teaching a dog tricks, for example, requires critical thinking and problem-solving.
Children must figure out the best way to get the dog to respond, which involve patience and creativity.
Dogs don’t always follow commands immediately. Children quickly realize that progress in learning takes time. This helps them develop the ability to stick with something, and teach them perseverance.
Improved Mood and Mental Health: Enhancing Well-Being and Teaching Compassion
Children today face a variety of challenges, from academic pressures to social challenges. They often experience stress or feelings of isolation. Dogs provide a unique source of comfort. Studies have shown that spending time with dogs can help reduce feelings of loneliness and improve overall mood.
The simple act of petting a dog has been shown to release oxytocin in both the child and the dog, strengthening their emotional bond and improving the child’s sense of well-being.
A recent study conducted at the Arizona Canine Cognition Center shows that, the interactions with the child’s familiar pet dog caused a noticeable surge in the concentration of oxytocin (the love hormone) measured in their saliva. Of particular interest is the fact that playful interactions with the friendly and supportive, but unfamiliar, dog also caused an increase in oxytocin to an almost equal level.
Beyond mood improvement, having a dog teaches children compassion. They learn to understand the needs of their pets. This sense of compassion can extend to other areas of the child’s life, encouraging them to be more considerate and loving towards people as well as animals.
The benefits of playing with dogs go far beyond just fun and games. Dogs provide kids with invaluable lessons in empathy, responsibility, patience, and compassion.
