Pets, especially dogs and cats, can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and even improve your cardiovascular health. Caring for an animal can help children grow up more secure and active. Pets also provide valuable companionship for older adults.
Spending time with your pet can be relaxing, encouraging the release of endorphins, which are brain chemicals that help us de-stress and feel good. And petting a beloved animal can even help lower your blood pressure.
“Higher survival rates, fewer heart attacks, less loneliness, better blood pressure, better psychological well-being, lower rates of depression and stress levels, fewer doctor visits, increased self esteem, better sleep and more physical activity,” are just some of the recorded benefits of pet ownership, Herzog said.
The studies found that, overall, dog owners tend to live longer than non-owners. And they often recover better from major health events such as a heart attack or stroke, especially if they live alone.
1 The German shepherd dog is a herding breed known for its courage, loyalty and guarding instincts. This breed makes an excellent guard dog, police dog, military dog, guide dog for the blind and search and rescue dog. For many families, the German shepherd is also a treasured family pet.
Approximately 35% of owners and trainers voted 8-9 months as the toughest age citing new challenging behaviors associated with their puppy's now larger size such as pulling on the leash or counter-surfing.
Studies show that dogs reduce stress, anxiety and depression; ease loneliness; encourage exercise and improve your overall health. For example, people with dogs tend to have lower blood pressure and are less likely to develop heart disease.
He's More (Or Less) Social With Other Dogs
As a puppy nears adulthood, the way that he interacts with other dogs will likely begin to change. “Sometime between 12 and 36 months of age, each dog will become socially mature.
Dogs can be there for you even when people can't. They offer unconditional love, emotional support, and constant cuddles that help stave off social isolation. A small Australian study discovered that dog ownership reduces loneliness.
Dogs can contribute to your happiness. Studies show that dogs reduce stress, anxiety and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and improve your all-around health.
Pets lower the levels of cortisol, the “stress hormone”, and provide relief of depression, anxiety and social isolation. Some neurotransmitters, including oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine, have also been studied to identify how they are affected when we interact with our pets.
As with their human owners, dogs' personalities change as they age. But some traits stay the same. All dog lovers know that their pets in older age aren't the same as they were as puppies, but owners often can't pinpoint the exact personality changes brought on by the passage of time.
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is arguably the most empathic breed of dog, with an innate skill to know how their owners are feeling. They are gentle, friendly and eager to please.
"Pets can be a fantastic support for people who are experiencing loneliness. Why? The single most important thing about them is that they are amazing social connectors," Sandra explained to CL. There is a wealth of research which has found that, if you go out with a pet, people are more likely to talk to you.
Based on this study, not only can dogs sense depression, but their ability to recognize emotional fluctuations in people and other dogs is natural or intrinsic.
According to experts, the ideal time to train a dog is when they are around 7 to 8 weeks old. This is a great time as they are still new to the world to start to understand commands and what is expected of them.
Here's the thing, though — when it comes to raising cute, helpless, and needy creatures, raising a puppy is way harder than raising a baby.
Undesirable behaviours such as barking, chewing, counter surfing, house-soiling and jumping up commonly begin to occur at around 3-6 months of age.