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New Study Finds Young Children Who Grow Up With a Dog Are Better Behaved

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3 years ago

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A new study has found that young children who grow up with a pet dog in the home are better behaved.

According to the study, kids coming from dog-owning homes are 30 to 40 percent less likely to have behavioral issues, People reports. Behavior issues further improved the more the child interacted with the pet pooch through playing and taking for walks.


The study was carried out by the University of Western Australia and the Telethon Kids Institute and surveyed 1,646 parents. According to People, kids aged between 3 and 5 who had dogs “had a reduced likelihood of conduct and peer problems, as well as increased pro-social behaviors such as sharing and cooperating.”

“We’re increasingly learning that pet ownership within families can have fantastic benefits for children’s physical and social development,” one of the researchers, Hayley Christian, said in a Telethon Kids release reported by People. “Our previous research showed that pets can be particularly helpful for school-aged children, but this latest research shows the benefits begin even sooner – right from early childhood.”

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Mommy, ‘can we get a new puppy?” Y’all my kids have been asking for a puppy for 3 years🤦🏽‍♀️ yeah, I’ve been telling them “no” for the last three years. As soon as I think about the responsibility of having a puppy, I immediately digress. I thought about how we would vacation as much as we do with the responsibility of a puppy. I really had to take everything into consideration. However, this pandemic has really brought out the best in us! We have been searching for a dog for the past 4 months. Lisa, (my oldest) found a poodle breeder on puppy finder. We did not originally want a poodle. My husband thinks poodles are girlie dogs. However, after doing our research of course, we learned that the poodle is one of the smartest breeds. They are known to be highly intelligent, and people pleasing dogs. Therefore, right away we begin to gravitate towards this breed. After praying about it, we have decided to move forward and are now waiting until she’s ready to come home! We met her yesterday for the first time after waiting 6 weeks. She was perfect! The kids didn’t want to leave her! This is by far the best experience we’ve had in purchasing a puppy. Can’t wait to bring her home! We have 3 more weeks🥰 How many of y’all have pets? Do any of you have a poodle? How was your experience in purchasing?

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“While we expected that dog ownership would provide some benefits for young children’s wellbeing, we were surprised that the mere presence of a family dog was associated with many positive behaviors and emotions,” she added.

“Given how important physical activity is to a child’s health and social and emotional development, we really need to make the most of any opportunity to get kids moving,” Christian said. “Our research suggests family dog ownership could be a valuable strategy in achieving this.”

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