What are the benefits of having a dog for kids? A simple question yet comes with a magnificent result! Adding a new energetic member to your family may seem too much, especially if you have a kid.
Having a kid is a tremendous responsibility because raising children means building a new generation. The more effort you give out, the more results you’re going to see in the future.
Every parent wants their children to grow up inside a healthy environment, surrounded by love and affection, while building a strong personality, mentally and physically.
Whether your kid insists on having a dog, or you have the idea in your mind as a birthday gift. This article will be useful for you because we’re going to break down all the benefits of having a dog for kids, supporting our information with proven studies and scientific views.
Here Are Ten Benefits Of Having A Dog For Kids
Having a dog in your house comes with significant responsibilities for sure. However, there are great benefits of having a dog for kids. Your kid may have the best life, getting everything they want and the best education.
However, there are gaps in kids’ life that you need to pay attention to, especially for kids without siblings. Therefore, the following are 10 benefits of having a dog for kids to encourage you to adopt a puppy without any fears.
1- Teaching Your Kid Responsibility
Kids today are tomorrow’s doctors, teachers, and managers. Thus, teaching your kid how to handle some tasks from a young age is found to have many benefits on their personality and future as well.
By speaking with your kid about taking care of their puppy and letting them know that this creature requires a lot of love, care, and time, you are doing wonders to your kid’s mindset.
Sometimes it works if you let your kid help washing their puppy/dog, feeding them, caring for them. It’s really a great way to give your kid a sense of authority, strengthening their leadership and triggering their critical thinking by being alarmed and active during challenging situations.
Kids who grow up with pets, especially dogs, are less likely to act anxious and scared during crises and challenging situations. For example, during an earthquake, a kid who is used to taking care of their dog while it is sick, hungry, and scared may be less likely to panic and immediately rush to help like a grown adult! On the other hand, a kid who is not taught to be that responsible will have a hard time recovering from the phenomena.
2-Building A Strong Bond Of Trust
Growing up, everything that happens in your life helps shape your personality and create your habits and behavior. The younger a kid is taught a habit, the longer it is going to last!
A dog in your household is going to teach your kid how a trust-worthy bond is made because dogs are loyal, and they know nothing about toxicity and betrayal.
Your kids will learn a lot when their dog shares their ups and downs with them; high values and manners like empathy, affection, and loyalty.
These elements are everything, and we need to make our kids experience them most healthily, and who can do that better than a lovely dog?
3- High Self Esteem
Many kids these days struggle with self-esteem, it is not clear why, but it might be due to spending too much time playing video games, watching TV, and sticking to activities that promote unhealthy habits.
Increasing self-esteem is one of the essential benefits of having a dog for kids. Not only will your dog give your kid enough reasoning just to get out and play, but it will help them make friends faster, as they have something to start a conversation about, which is their dog! Having a dog will encourage other kids, who might be scared, approach, interact and play with your kid, and everything will be so bright and lively!
4- Promoting Healthy Habits And Fighting Phone Addiction
Studies showed an increasing amount of health issues amongst kids lately. Many of these health conditions are linked to the kids’ community’s lack of activity, especially after the evolution of technology where the internet has invaded every house.
Nowadays, about 90% of kids spend hours in front of screens playing games or watching cartoons.
Getting a dog is going to pull your kid out of that circle, helping them become less addicted to games and encouraging them to exercise, run and play ball with their dog.
Instead of your kids sitting all day, they’ll go outside to walk the dog, which has many benefits for their health, stimulating their circulation and ensuring better habits for a healthier heart, lungs, and digestive system.
5- Perfect For Improving Your Kid’s Social Life
For some kids getting along with each other might be considered tough and uncomfortable. If your kid is the shy type who struggles with social interactions, then getting them a dog is going to be a fantastic idea.
One of the most exciting benefits of having a dog for kids in developing their personalities and overcoming social panic and discomfort.
Overall, you’ll get amazed at how much growth your kid is going to achieve after a couple of years of living with a pet, let alone growing up with it! I am sure that you will not have to worry about your kid preferring isolation or feeling lonely anymore.
6- Having A Dog Means Healthier Babies
Recent studies showed that early exposure to animals, especially dogs, helps build a healthy immune system at a very young age.
Because babies are in a phase where their systems, and to be specific, their mechanism against bacteria and other microbes, is still under development. Thus, it kind of makes sense that early interactions with animals will give your kid’s immune system a boost!
Another study has shown that babies who were exposed to dogs are less likely to develop some allergies! This is pretty interesting, and the fact that it’s proven by science gives out a big bonus for dog owners.
Another study published on PubMed says: “Children own or exposed to pets during the first year of their life had a lower frequency of allergic rhinitis at 7-9 years of age and asthma at 12-13 years.”
7- Strong Guardian
We all know how caring, and loyal dogs are, and if they’re trained well, then it’s like hitting two birds with one rock (sorry birdies, I had to) Because not only are you blessing your kid with all that advantages, you’re giving them a full-time bodyguard!
Your dog is like a parent to your kid; it is just their instinct to be protective. Of course, you will not leave your toddler to go outside alone with your pet dog, but there are hundreds of times when dogs have saved kids from hazardous situations.
It’d be perfect for letting your kid play with your dog in the park with you keeping an eye on them from afar, and with your dog’s awakened instincts, the whole place is going to feel ten times safer.
8- Works As Anti-Depression
Depression is one of the most common diseases in the world. It affects so many people from a wide variety of ages.
If you think that kids can’t have depression, well, unfortunately, they do. Kids who are older than two years can experience depression due to many reasons, such as loneliness.
And what’s tricky about it is that your kid might not have the typical symptoms like adults. Depression amongst kids might represent itself by destructive behaviors, sulking, violence, losing interest, and many other misleading signs.
By adopting a dog into your household, you’re giving your kid an excellent opportunity to get rid of their psychological problems and ensuring them good mental health.
9- Make Your Kid Happy
It is quite frustrating when your kid is all hyped and excited to get a pet, and you go with “No.”
If that’s your kid, then I am pretty sure that getting a dog is going to solve the puzzle for you because a dog is not only there to eat and sleep. But it is going to be your number one assistant in many things.
Dongs have always been a great help to humanity ever since ancient times. Even now, dogs are trained to take care of many tasks throughout the day, and playing with your kid will be the easiest one.
10- Benefits For Having A Dog For Kids – When Your Kid Goes Through Hard Times
If your kid went through some kind of tough times; grief, health disorder, chemotherapy, or surgical procedure, then having a dog is the best thing you do to help your kid recover.
Having a furry friend will change your kid’s mood, cheer them up and help them cope with challenging situations.
Are These Benefits Of Having A Dog For Kids Enough?
Without a doubt, having a dog is a great opportunity not only for your kids but for you as well. Coming home tired after a long day to find your puppy and kids waiting for you is the best feeling. Of course, these benefits also apply to other pets such as cats or parrots. But dogs are unique in their own way.
A dog may need many things and extraordinary responsibilities, such as getting them healthy food, walking them, or cooking recipes to feed them. But that is well worth it as your dog is your kid now!