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Pet Ownership: How It Benefits You & Your Family

By Garrett McMahan


If you already own a dog or several dogs, it's probably no surprise to you that having a dog in your life has many benefits. Not only are they great companions, they also can improve your health in many ways. Here are just a few of the many positive aspects of pet ownership.

Children with dogs often enjoy many important benefits. For instance, in a home with a dog, infants were less likely to acquire pet allergies than those who lived in a home that did not have a dog. Some dogs also can be a helpful companion for child with epilepsy, and seizure dogs can be trained to alert family members if a child has a seizure or to simply lie next to someone having a seizure to help prevent injury. Children also benefit from the added responsibility associated with the care of a pet. They can help with feeding, grooming, walking and playing with your dog.

Dogs often can help people who have suffered a trauma, and this includes children or adults that have lost a loved one or perhaps have simply had to deal with a difficult, depression or violent episode in their lives. Having a dog has been shown to reduce the effects of stress, trauma and depression including seasonal affective disorder. People with dogs also tend to be less lonely as they have a warm and fuzzy creature always ready for some love and attention. Pet ownership also has been linked with lower blood pressure and even petting a dog can lower someone's blood pressure. People who have been badly injured or had a heart attack or surgery have been show to recover more quickly if they have a dog.

People who have dogs also tend to be a bit more physically fit, as dogs make us get out into the fresh air and take walks. This is good for both of you and regular exercise reduces our risk of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. There are also some social benefits that people with dogs enjoy. After all, we meet a lot of fellow dog owners and dog lovers while we are out walking our dogs, and it is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. This can be great if you have moved to a new area and don't know a lot of people, Just find the dog park and you are sure to meet many interesting locals and, of course, Fido will make some friends, too.

We've all seen "beware of dog" signs tacked to homes, and owning a dog definitely can be a deterrent to burglars. You don't have to have a German shepherd or a trained attack dog in order to be safer. Dogs have excellent hearing and they will begin to bark before you hear or sense an intruder. The barking can even keep burglars from taking a chance at breaking into your home. Additionally, dogs also have saved many people from house fires and even go out to seek help if their owner has been injured and needs assistance. A dog also can protect your children from wild animals or other dogs, if the occasion arises.

One key to a successful dog-owner relationship is training. Often it is lack of training that causes a dog to end up in a shelter. However, with a simple dog training program, your pet can learn all of the essential behavior skills that are needed. This includes learning how to walk properly on a leash, come whenever you call him, to cease barking on command and to sit and stay. Using a DVD system can make it easy to train at home and The Dog's Way provides you with 12 lessons that teach all of the basics. The lessons are spread among five dog training DVDs, and the system also includes reminder cards ideal for taking on a walk and a helpful workbook that follows each lesson. The sooner you start training, the sooner you will have a companion that is well-behaved and fun to have around each and every day.




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