You may or may not know some of them already, but there are many advantages of having a pet at home, and specifically, a dog. Did you know that these animals are capable of reducing stress or blood pressure? Or that they help us strengthen our immune system and reduce sedentary lifestyle?
In this article on our site we are going to explain all the benefits of petting a dog, which can be both physical and psychological, and although it may be obvious to most people, many other people surely do not even imagine the positive effects that petting a dog can bring them.
If you want to know the benefits of having a dog at home and petting him frequently, keep reading!
Reduces stress and anxiety
Did you know that the main benefit of petting a dog is that it helps reduce stress and anxiety levels in your your body? And not only you but also your pet, since for them, the fact of having contact with you also relaxes them and calms them down when they are restless.
And why is this? Because the frequency of our brain waves associated with the decrease in the stress hormone (cortisol) increases significantly after spending time touching a dog, in ways that help calm us down and make us feel better. This explanation is part of the study formulated by the psychiatrist Sandra Baker in Virginia (USA) in which it was shown that people, both children and adults, who interact with animals are generally less stressed. In some countries it is already common to find employees who bring their pets to work and they are much less stressed than in other countries where this activity is not customary.
Therefore, petting a dog can also help people with depression or anxiety improve their mood and feel less nervous or apathetic.
Prevents heart problems
It has also been shown in several international studies, such as that of the American Heart Association and in line with the previous section, that another benefit of petting a dog is that it helpslower the heart rate and blood pressure of people who do.
And the fact is that the simple fact of touching a dog or talking to him makes you relax as we mentioned before and also lowers the rhythm of your heartbeat. For this reason, people with heart problems are advised to have a dog at home because apart from learning to be more responsible, they also stay more active because they have to walk their pet a few times a day, and exercise is also recommended for people with heart conditions.
Improve your immune system against allergies and diseases
Another benefit of having a dog is that they help strengthen your immune system, precisely because they are always full of bacteria and germs… And how can this be? Well, because in a world where everything is "over-disinfected" thanks to industrial chemical products that allow us to thoroughly clean everything we need, we are becoming more vulnerable to contracting allergies or diseases because we are not exposed to these possible germs because, for a On the one hand they disinfect everything but on the other hand they do not allow us to strengthen our defenses by fighting them, and that is why our pets help us to become more resistant and immune to these bacteria that they continuously transport to our home and that we come into contact with when they we caress
There are even studies that show that babies who are raised in homes where there are dogs are less likely to develop allergies or asthma throughout their lives for this reason, especially if the babies have been in contact with dogs or cats before 6 months of age..
Reduces sedentary lifestyle and improves socialization
The fact that you have to take your animal for a walk for at least 30 minutes a day because it depends completely on you means that even people who are less active have to get up from the sofa and go down to the street to walk, that's why one of the benefits of having a dog is the increased physical activity And it's even better if you do some sport at his side. In this sense, if you want to teach your dog to run with you, don't miss this article: "How to teach my dog to run with me?".
Like us, many people go to the same park or place every day to walk their dog and it is very common that we always see the same faces and meet the same people. Then your dog starts playing with the other dogs and you start talking to the respective owners. That's why these animals help us to be more sociable and to interact with other people that we don't know and to whom we wouldn't say anything if we just ran into them. So many people meet every day at the same time to walk their dogs together, for example, or go to the park and meet there every day.
Studies have shown that people who own dogs trust those who also have dogs more and are therefore more likely to bond with each other.
Improves emotional state
Everyone knows that people who have dogs are happier than those who don't, and that is that petting and having contact with these animals makes us, in addition to being calmer, get affection, we feel more loved, we release endorphins and at the same time, we live longer.
Who doesn't like to be greeted warmly every day when they return from work for their dog? Well, everyone. That is why it is even recommended to people who suffer from loneliness or depression, and it does not have to be just older people, to own a dog, because it helps improve their emotional state by offering them company, a shoulder to cry on and unforgettable moments without asking for anything in return
Help with some medical therapies
Connected to the previous section, this other benefit of petting a dog is related, since these animals are widely used in some medical therapies to rehabilitate patientswith, for example, autism, socialization problems, or other physical and psychological illnesses.
This therapy is known as zootherapy, and more specifically as canine therapy, and consists of treating people with sensory activities involving dogs. These animals are called therapy dogs and guide dogs for blind people are also included.
How to pet a dog?
Finally, it is important to know that there are different ways to pet a dog and that depending on how we do it, our pet will receive one stimulus or another.
If you pet your dog in a fast and agitated way, this will cause your dog to start to get upset and nervous, since what we are transmitting in a sudden movement, like when we congratulate him when he has did something very well.
On the other hand, if you caress your dog gently and slowly, especially on the back, belly or chest, which is where they like it best, we will convey a sense of calm and tranquility and therefore, we will be relaxing our pet at the same time that we also relax, as if we were giving them a massage.
So, as we have verified, not only do we obtain benefits by petting a dog ourselves, but it is a reciprocal act, in such a way that it is recommended that we dedicate ourselves to touching our pets every day so that they sit, just like their owners, loved and cared for.
