How did humans get so lucky to have an animal decide that they are going to dedicate their lives to being our best friends? Wolves hung around campfires in our caveman days and slowly became part of our families. Over the centuries, they became man’s best friend and started looking less like a wolf and more like the amazing animal we have running around our houses today. They gave up their wolf genes and developed the modern dog behavior that best suited the desired behavior of their human companion.
Dog lovers everywhere took on the role of the human owner with open arms and developed a profound relationship with our furry companions that is truly remarkable.
Let’s explore some of these extraordinary dog and human relationship facts and shed some light on this unbreakable bond.
Fact 1: Improved Mental Health
A pet dog is one of the best ways to improve mental health for humans:
- Studies have shown that dogs alleviate stress and anxiety. Interacting with dogs reduces stress hormones such as cortisol. Emory University actually brings in dogs to alleviate stress during exams for their students.
- Emotional support: Have you ever had a bad day that shifted immediately after petting your dog? A dog is a source of emotional support that never judges or criticizes. They are like little warriors who fight off feelings of loneliness and depression. Their presence alone can significantly improve our emotions and fill us with love.
- Companionship for the elderly: Loneliness is a constant struggle for older adults, but owning a dog can combat feelings of social isolation through the miracle of a faithful companion.
Fact 2: Physical Health Benefits
Human-animal interaction has tremendous benefits for our physical health:
- Increased physical activity: Dogs don’t need motivation to get exercise, but we humans sure do. Dogs are natural motivators for exercise. Regular walks and playtime create an active lifestyle. An active lifestyle leads to improved cardiovascular health. All of this can lead to weight management, which reduces the risk of chronic illnesses.
- Lowered blood pressure and cholesterol: A recent study by the National Library of Medicine showed the impact of owning a dog in relation to our cardiovascular system. The researchers observed lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- Enhanced immune system: Dogs can get dirty, which can be good. They expose a household to new things that our immune systems can get accustomed to. Growing up with dogs in the house has been linked to stronger immune systems in children. It is hypothesized that they help reduce the risk of allergies and asthma.
Fact 3: Evolutionary Connection
As we referenced at the beginning of the post, our human-animal bond has evolved over thousands of years. This helped shape both species in the process:
- Domestication: Dogs are descendants of wolves and were domesticated by humans thousands of years ago. Over the years, this process has led to a range of diversity from one dog breed to another, and their wolf genetics are hardly noticeable anymore. Domestic dogs may have some wild animal behavior left in their DNA, but they have been bred to be the perfect little angels we have in our family today.
- Canine companionship: Throughout history, dogs have helped humans. They began as our hunting partners. They became our protectors. In today’s society, they are even therapy dogs. Dog history will always be intertwined with ours.
- Coevolution: The close interaction between humans and dogs has influenced their development and their character traits. Dogs have developed the ability to understand human cues and emotions. They read body language, making them highly attuned companions.
Fact 4: Unconditional Love and Social Connection
We aren’t saying dogs are better than cats, but dogs give us a lot more emotional connection than other pets who do not have a pack mentality:
- Unconditional love: Dogs are the poster child for unconditional love. They provide us with a sense of belonging and offer endless emotional support.
- Social facilitators: Dogs are the best social catalyst the world ever created. Walking around town with a dog is the ultimate icebreaker and helps us initiate conversations with other dog owners or animal lovers. They bring people together and encourage social interaction.
- Therapy dogs: Dogs have cats beat on the topic of therapy animals, in our humble opinion. Dogs are a staple in therapy settings and offer comfort and emotional support to individuals who need some love. Their presence can profoundly impact human well-being and often lead to a more comfortable recovery setting.
Fact 5: Dogs Can Sense Human Emotions
Dogs can teach us a thing or two about emotional intelligence. They seem to have a sixth sense that enables them to read our emotions:
- Empathy: Dogs can sense when we’re feeling an emotion such as sadness. They jump to the rescue and try to cheer us up.
- Mirror neurons: A dog’s brain has mirror neurons that allow them to mimic human emotions and empathize with our emotional states.
- Bonding through shared emotions: Just like humans, dogs form deeper connections when they experience shared emotions. Our dogs can sense our joy when we are having fun together, and it strengthens our bond.
Fact 6: Dogs Enhance Child Development
Growing up with dogs can be a great tool for child development:
- Emotional development: Interacting with dogs teaches children how to care for another living being. Caring for a pet helps them understand the importance of nurturing and fosters emotional intelligence.
- Social skills: Dogs can be a great way for kids to practice social skills. They learn to respect boundaries and relate to another living being without words. They can learn to play nicely with some boredom buster dog toys with their best friend.
- Confidence boosters: Unconditional love from a dog can boost a child’s self-esteem and confidence. They provide a non-judgmental presence that encourages children to express themselves freely and won’t have to worry about their friend disclosing their personal information (like who they have a crush on).
Myth: Dogs Understand Human Language Completely
Dogs are highly intelligent, but they do have some small limitations:
- Dogs rely on context: Dogs primarily rely on non-verbal cues from our body language. They don’t really understand words, they understand our tone of voice. They use cues outside of language to interpret human communication. They don’t understand the literal meaning of words, but they associate the tone and setting with specific actions or behaviors.
- Training enhances understanding: Consistent training is important for dogs to learn how to associate certain words with specific commands. It’s vital to use clear and consistent signals to ensure effective communication.
- Emotional intelligence: As we referenced earlier, dogs are able to understand human emotions at a deep level, but their comprehension of language is limited to basic commands and familiar phrases.
You don’t have to be Jane Goodall to learn how to bond with your dog. The bond between a dog lover and their furry friend is one that is accessible to anyone. As dog owners, we should celebrate these wonderful creatures and feel blessed to have the privilege to experience the profound joy and companionship that our four-legged friends bring into our lives.