The Many Benefits Of Dog Ownership

By Garrett McMahan


For those who adore dogs and cannot imagine life without a dog, you probably already know that these canine friends benefit the lives of their human companions in many ways. Aside from just being excellent companions, studies have shown that owning a dog provides many additional benefits for humans.

Your kids will gain a lot from having a dog around the house. While parents might be worried that having a dog will provoke allergic reactions in babies, the opposite actually seems to be true. Studies show that infants who live in a home with a dog are much less likely to develop pet allergies. In addition, if you have a child with a seizure disorder, specially trained dogs can run and alert a parent when a child is having a seizure or simply lie next to them to keep them safe from injury. Plus, your children gain much from simply having the responsibilities associated with pet ownership, such as feeding, walking, brushing, bathing and playing with a dog.

Both children and adults with emotional difficulties or those who have suffered a loss or trauma also benefit from interaction with dogs. People who own dogs have been found to be less affected by depression as well as seasonal affective disorder. Dogs also help us combat loneliness as they not only give plenty of love, they also enjoy receiving love and attention. It also has been shown that simply petting a dog can lower your blood pressure and dog owners also tend to heal from illness or a traumatic injury faster than those without pets.

Dogs also make us healthier in general because dogs need exercise and so do we. When you head out for that morning walk, you and your pet are enjoying some excellent cardiovascular exercise. While this exercise certainly benefits your dog, people who exercise regularly have lower rates of heart disease, as well as lowering their risk of diabetes and other serious ailments. Owning a dog is also very social as dog owners frequently chat while they are out walking their pet. Head to the dog park or go out for a walk, and you and your dog both might make some new friends.

Dogs also provide a good source of home security. After all, if you were a burglar, wouldn't you be less likely to enter a home when you hear a barking dog? Even if the dog is small, the noise can alert the owner or neighbors that suspicious activity is occurring. Dogs also have been known to wake up family members when a house is on fire, and this could truly save your life or the life of your loved ones. If you fall and injure yourself, whether at home or perhaps while hiking or jogging, a dog can run and find help and then lead assistance back to you. There are also stories of dogs keeping children and adults safe from wild animal attacks or attacks from vicious dogs.

One key to a successful dog-owner relationship is training. Often it is lack of training that causes a dog to end up in a shelter. However, with a simple dog training program, your pet can learn all of the essential behavior skills that are needed. This includes learning how to walk properly on a leash, come whenever you call him, to cease barking on command and to sit and stay. Using a DVD system can make it easy to train at home and The Dog's Way provides you with 12 lessons that teach all of the basics. The lessons are spread among five dog training DVDs, and the system also includes reminder cards ideal for taking on a walk and a helpful workbook that follows each lesson. The sooner you start training, the sooner you will have a companion that is well-behaved and fun to have around each and every day.




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