I really like an article I just finished reading by Jen Gabbard of Puppy Leaks.
She wrote about some of the helpful discoveries science made about our dogs. (It’s very likely that we already sensed or observed some of them. Now science is offering evidence.) We can use it to further develop our bond with dogs, understand them better, and to help our own lives.
Jen wrote a few more ideas in her articles. I’ll just mention 5 of them here.
- Dogs avoid people who aren’t nice to their owners.
- Dogs can be soothed by classical music.
- Dogs may help prevent diabetes in children. More research is being done.
- Dogs help children with anxiety.
- The direction our dog wags their tail can indicate whether they are feeling relaxed or stressed.
Here’s an excerpt from her article:
2. Those “Puppy Dog Eyes” Create a Strong Bond
When your dog maintains eye contact with you you’re both producing extra oxytocin – the “love hormone” associated with attachment and nurturing. This is the same reaction that mothers have with their babies, and researchers suggest that dogs may have gotten their way into our hearts and lives by tapping into this form of bonding.
5. Dogs May Help Prevent Diabetes in Children
Earlier this year 3000 children who were part of a diabetes prevention study helped researchers find that children with dogs were at a much lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
We can show from previous studies that exposure to dogs prevents airway inflammations,” says research professor Suvi Virtanen of THL. “The evidence we have now gained points to a significant protective effect in relation to type 1 diabetes, too. The results are unique on a worldwide scale, and additional research evidence is still needed to support our findings.
You can read the entire article here.
Article source: Puppy Leaks
Image source: Reader of the pack on Flickr.com
