Friday, May 20, 2011

Dogs Can Help Children Develop

By Adriana Noton


There is a variety of ways in which dogs can help children to develop in a host of ways. This can apply to their emotional development as well as other elements as well. By having a pet they learn vital things, especially so when that pet happens to be as loyal and loving as a dog. In addition to learning about emotional bonds and development they can understand what responsibility for something other than yourself really means.

With a dog there is also the fact that it helps all of the family to embrace an active outdoors lifestyle which has been proven to be better for your physical and mental health. It encourages regular walks in all kinds of weather which makes them more formidable and less likely to be put off by minor inconveniences like rain or wind.

They may also learn other lessons about the natural world and the outdoors involving activities like tracking and hunting for example. It can be a useful way in which to introduce activities like catching, running and throwing. They will become more appreciative of the importance of having a healthy heart and it can lead them to be better equipped to appreciate the simple things in life.

Routines are established early on when they are introduced to the household and these will involve feeding, walking and bed times. Establishing a structure of this nature and having a young mind exposed to it is beneficial and will give them a positive example of how routines benefit others and how we can establish them in our own lives to underpin the importance of discipline.

The emotional bond that exists between a person and an animal should not be underestimated and the memories we have ourselves about family pets often live in our memory for many years. It is a part of the growing experience, even if it does mean that some feeling of loss will eventually have to happen when the dog ages and then passes on.

This can be applied to young people and how they experience life and can prove very helpful as these are things they will need to go through in life. They need to build the understanding that for our lives to really have meaning we will need to open ourselves to experiencing feelings which can often be incredibly difficult for us to deal with.

This may also prove helpful with regards to assisting them to understand their own emotional responses with matters of grief and sadness that they are bound to encounter during their lives. This will be of use to them when they encounter issues of a similar nature with older relatives.

A wealth of research has been done which has shown that dogs may also be of use with helping children with aspects of their education too. If a child has difficulties reading out loud they can improve upon this by using their pet dog to read to. This can be useful in overcoming shyness that is felt and will mean they are better prepared for activities involving reading they will encounter throughout their education. Puppy training will also be beneficial in helping your children learn more effectively.




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