If you grew up with a dog, there’s a good chance you have amazing memories of your childhood with them you wouldn’t trade for anything. However, it’s not just happy memories of playing in fall leaves or exploring the your neighbourhood together that make dog ownership meaningful for kids. In fact, there are real physical and emotional benefits of growing up with a four-legged friend. Below are five great reasons parents should consider becoming pet parents, too.

Emotional Support

A recent study at Tufts University showed that the children of deployed army officers benefitted greatly from having a pet around. From lead researcher Megan Mueller, “Strong attachments to pets may foster a more proactive attitude about handling stressful problems and could serve as a bridge to developing and maintaining peer relationships during stressful circumstances.” In fact, of the children studied in this test, the ones with dogs related better to their peers and families, and were more confident in themselves, than those without. “Pets provide a nonjudgmental, emotionally supportive relationship, especially for kids who may be having difficulty in social situations or moving to a new social setting,” Mueller says.

Teaching Responsibility and Respect

Feeding and walking the dog are tasks that have long been relegated to kids to teach them structure and give them something to be accountable to. However, the draw of caring for their beloved pet is much more motivational than their other tasks, like raking leaves or cleaning their rooms.  

Jennie Fienstein is a Tufts-trained occupational therapist who incorporates dogs into her therapy style often. In this example, she’s teaching a differently abled boy to put on pants, the first step being to bend over and pull them up. To teach this bending motion, telling the boy simply to pull his pants up isn’t motivating. However, when she used the example of pouring his dog a bowl of water and bending over to place it on the ground, the boy completed the task more easily - he was motivated by doing something caring for the animal he loved. “Whenever I incorporate an animal into a therapy plan, it seems a lot easier to achieve goals, because there’s some other form of motivation at work.” says Feinstein. Extrapolating this sense of commitment and the reward it offers can help teach kids routine and responsibility in a way they relate to.

Fitness & Health

Childhood obesity is on the rise, and with the popularity of smart devices, kids are getting way less exercise than they used to. This can lead to an increased sense of isolation and a sedentary lifestyle. Studies have also shown that overweight people tend to have less friends and are more emotionally invested in their pets.

New studies are exploring the best way to leverage this connection as a motivator, but in the meantime, playing with a pooch is one of the best ways to pry the screen out of kids’ hands and get them outside for some fresh air.  You can check out more ways to incorporate dogs into a healthy lifestyle here.

Nurturing Behaviour

Many have argued that the building blocks of good parents are laid during childhood, and a dog can seriously assist in that process. In fact, even having particularly nurturing parents often doesn’t rub off on adults later in life - it’s a skill that should be learned early and practiced often, and makes for more caring, attentive and well-adjusted adults.

Plus, caring for a pet is a gender neutral way to teach parenting skills, which can sometimes be seen as overtly feminine when the subject is dolls or younger siblings instead of an animal. Studies have shown that by age 8, girls remain likely to engage in “nurturing” play with dolls and siblings, but in boys, the behaviour has fallen off completely. Having to feed, walk, brush or play with a dog is a great way to teach children how to be a caregiver, even after they’ve grown too old for toys.

Decreased Anxiety

Kids aren’t immune from high-stress situations, especially in today’s always-on world. There are many studies that show that interacting with animals reduces blood pressure, and releases the calming hormone oxytocin. Lack of anxiety can also lead to increased confidence, both in school and in social situations, which leads to a happier, healthier adult life, too.

Did you grow up with a dog? Do you have, or plan to have, a dog for your kids? Tell us on Facebook or share your snaps on Instagram.