That dogs are a man’s best friend is a gross understatement. Dogs are more than friends – they are loyal companions who gift their owners with unconditional love, entertainment and utter devotion.
Life is just better with a dog. And that is not just fiction – various studies have shown that spending time with a canine companion is good for our physical and emotional well-being.
Dogs keep us in better health
Owning a dog means daily walks – and that commitment, come rain or shine, keeps us in better shape and gives us the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors on a daily basis. A 2019 study in the UK found that dog owners are almost four times more likely that people who don’t own a dog, to meet their daily physical activity guidelines.
But not only. Various studies have found that dog owners have lower blood pressure and improved responses to stress – which is a major cause of cardiovascular issues. Scientists at Washington State University found that even just 10 minutes petting your dog helps lower blood pressure, heart rate, slows breathing and relaxes the tension in our muscles.
To the rescue
We all go through difficult periods and moments of crisis. And going through such moments with a loving and loyal companion is better than suffering alone. A study conducted by Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine found that military veterans suffering from PTSD do better physiologically and psychologically when they have a service dog by their side.
A two-way street
Dogs may gift us with unconditional love – but such love must be repaid with good care. And that’s because dogs are complex beings – and they also go through difficult periods and suffer stress.
A study conducted by Betway Casino found that there are many ways our dogs can become overstimulated or stressed. So how can we help dogs relax and get ready for a good night’s sleep.
Using a dog fitness tracker, Betway Casino asked dog owners to check how relaxed their best friend is while listening to different genres of music or watching a variety of TV shows. The next morning, the study participants were asked to record how well their dogs slept – in order to find out which genres of music and TV shows are best for helping dogs enjoy a good night’s sleep.
The results were very interesting. In the music charts, folk came out on top as the best genre for keeping dogs calm – with dogs relaxing for an average of 46 minutes. In second place was jazz music, with 42 minutes average rest, followed by pop music, with 41 minutes rest on average. Unsurprisingly, metal music gave dogs the least relaxation time – with just 25 minutes. Classical music and hip hop also scored low.
What about TV shows? Well, the Betway Casino study has found that the one best liked by our faithful companions is Bridgerton. On the other hand, the least favoured was The Witcher. Another show, Rick and Morty, had mixed results – during the experiment, one dog recorded the highest rest time with 52 minutes, while another dog scored the lowest, with just 10 minutes. One might think that watching another dog on TV could go down well with our furry friends – but it is not so, as when watching Pup Academy, dogs were the most anxious.
Read the full results here and enjoy some relaxation with your best friend.
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