Owning a puppy keeps children out of trouble, new study reveals

7 July 2020, 14:10

Dogs are too pure for this world but did you know they could also have a positive impact on your children's behaviour?

Dogs bring us so much joy and are wonderful family members for many across the world, growing up with many of us and becoming huge parts of our lives.

Well, that's not the only positive impact they have on our lives, as a new study has found that our furry friends actually improve children's social skills and steers them away from their bad behaviour.

The research has revealed that pups can boost emotional wellbeing and all in all improve behaviours, aren't dogs amazing?!

The University of Western Australia conducted the study, and in it they looked at the emotional wellbeing of over 1,600 children between the ages of two and five years old.

Over the five years it took to complete the study, scientists found that children who regularly interact with dogs or take them for walks at least once every week are then more likely to have better social lives and are less likely to engage in anti-social behaviour.

Kids from dog-owning homes were 20 per cent less likely to have emotional problems and 30 per cent less likely to engage in anti-social behaviour.

Researchers also found them to be more considerate and 40 per cent less likely to have problems with making friends.

Study author Associate Professor Hayley Christian, said: "While we expected that dog ownership would provide some benefits for young children's well-being, we were surprised that the mere presence of a family dog was associated with many positive behaviours and emotions."

She continued: "Our findings indicate that dog ownership may benefit children's development and wellbeing and we speculate that this could be attributed to the attachment between children and their dogs.

"Stronger attachments between children and their pets may be reflected in the amount of time spent playing and walking together and this may promote social and emotional development."

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The study was published in the journal Pediatric Research, and found kids who played with the family pooch two or three times a week were more likely to exhibit "considerate behaviour" like sharing.

If you haven't already got a pup for the family, surely this has convinced you to get one?