Many children beg their parents to adopt a dog or puppy at some point. Unfortunately, most parents view the additional financial responsibility and obligations associated with owning a dog. Unknown to them, dogs are beneficial to your kids and enhance their developmental milestones. When raised together, dogs and kids grow as best friends and offer endless mutual benefits. While there are many reasons to adopt a dog in your family, dogs can benefit your kids in the following ways.
1. Teaches Responsibility
Adopting a dog provides an excellent opportunity to teach your kids important life lessons on responsibilities. Learning to take care of their furry friends is very different from other responsibilities, such as loading the dishwasher. Walking, feeding, bathing, and picking up the dog teaches your child a lot about being responsible and gives them a feeling of achievement. Looking after the dog also helps them develop empathy and concern for others.
2. Kids Grow Up Healthier
Interestingly, kids who grow with dogs are comparably healthier than those who don’t. Dogs can boost your children’s health in the following ways:
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Immune health – Several studies on pediatric health have shown that kids who live with dogs during their first year have a better immune system. This implies that exposure to dogs positively promotes the maturation of the immune system. Additionally, such children only require a short antibiotics treatment course if they fall ill.
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Allergies – Another related study concluded that kids predisposed to respiratory allergies (either from one parent) or asthma are less likely to develop allergic reactions if they live with a dog. This additionally stresses the importance of exposure.
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Skin – Surprisingly, dogs can protect children from risks of eczema. Actually, kids with dog allergies, especially those who didn’t grow with dogs, are four times more likely to develop this skin condition than those who grew up with dogs.
3. Source of Therapy
Besides improving your kid’s health, some dog breeds are a great source of therapy for kids. They can help kids with the following conditions:
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Autism – With one in every 45 children in the U.S diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), therapy dogs have been shown to improve the development and the quality of life of children with autism. Among many benefits, dogs decrease meltdowns, anxiety, acts of aggression and provide a sense of security. They also help autistic kids increase their willingness to try new experiences, interact socially, and their ability to face fearful situations
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ADD and ADHD – A recent study found that more than 6.4 million children in the U.S. have ADHD. If your kid has been diagnosed with this condition, therapy dogs can help minimize stress in new situations, help kids cope with depression and isolation, and provide an opportunity for hyperactive kids to let out excess energy.
4. An Active Lifestyle
You should prepare your kids to live with dogs and other pets properly if you want them to enjoy an active lifestyle. Caring for dogs encourages an active lifestyle in many ways. Children with dogs exercise for eleven minutes more than those without dogs. While this may sound negligible, these few minutes add up over days, weeks, and months. Most dogs require regular walks, runs, and a lot of playtime. Due to this, several researchers have suggested adopting a dog to alleviate childhood obesity.
5. Improves Emotional Intelligence
IQ shouldn’t be confused with emotional intelligence (EQ). It turns out owning a dog can improve your kids’ emotional intelligence. Your child will grow up a compassionate individual by caring for the dog. Feeding, training, and walking them means that the kid will have to step outside their zone and become selfless. Having a dog can aid children in becoming caring and empathic for their needs and those of others.
Your child also develops good self-esteem by accomplishing simple, caring tasks. It makes them feel competent and gives them some sense of accomplishment. However, you should teach your kids to respect dogs for them to enjoy these benefits.
6. Encourage Kids to Speak
Dogs provide a great opportunity for kids to practice their developing speech. Whether it’s calling the dog, issuing simple commands, such as "stand" or "sit", or incomprehensible babbles, kids will always be eager to chat with their furry friends. Surprisingly, dogs can help kids with speech difficulties by entertaining and making them relaxed. Kids view them as non-judgmental conversing partners, making their speech therapy fun and less challenging.
7. Provide Protection and Care
The internet is full of stories about hero dogs that have saved babies from dangerous animals, intruders, and other disasters. True to this, dogs are the best guardians and activate their protective nature when around kids. They will protect kids as their own.
Endnote
Evidently, allowing your kid to grow with dogs comes with a lot of benefits. You shouldn’t have second thoughts if your kid requests you to adopt a puppy. However, you should encourage your kids to take good care of your dogs and similarly feed your dog with the best food from Earthborn Holistic.
