Dogs Taking Humans for a Walk! The Surprising Health Benefits of our Canine Companions and the Human-Animal Bond
By Anya Higashionna
If your pets are anything like my dog, then the title of this article isn’t anything unusual. As much as I like to give my dog an opportunity to converse with the outside world, he thinks that it is more of an opportunity for him to take me for a walk where he wants to explore. While it does get a little frustrating when he decides to morph into a concrete post when we start to walk home, a 2017 research article titled “Dog Walking, the Human-Animal Bond and Older Adults’ Physical Health” talks about the benefits of my dog’s stubbornness to stay out walking.
After previous research was published that concluded dog ownership led to increased physical exercise, Dr. Curl et al. (2017) set out to discover if dog walking was the determinant of better health and health behaviors compared to those who don’t own dogs or don’t walk their dogs. Using data from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study run by the University of Michigan the authors tested if dog ownership was associated with health and health behaviors and if pet bonding was associated with dog walking characteristics (frequency, length in time, distance). To study the owner-pet bond relationship the researchers asked questions such as, “Do you consider your pet a friend?” and “Do you talk to others about your pet?” The amount and type of exercise, and the amount of contact they had with doctors and self-reported body mass index (BMI) were also measured.
Pawesome Findings
As hypothesized, “Dog walking was associated with lower BMI, fewer [Activities of Daily Living] ADL limitations, fewer chronic health conditions, and fewer doctor visits. It was also associated with more frequent moderate exercise and vigorous exercise”. All these health benefits that can come from giving our canine companions a good time outdoors. It is like your own lifetime workout program with additions that come with having a furry friend. Particularly in older populations there were also, “self-reports of walking more often, faster, and further with their dog(s) than without their dog(s)”. Thus, as we lace up our shoes and leash our furry companions, it is not just a walk in the park, but a walk towards improved health and vitality.
Based on the last paragraph, dog walking was specifically associated with all these benefits. This is important to note as one of the limitations to this study included the fact that this was a cross-sectional study which does not imply causality. Similar to the last post I had co-written called “A Step-Up to Health: The Power of Stairs”, dog walking is a small activity you can do consistently throughout your days that simply lowers your risk for chronic health conditions, but doesn’t make you immune. Lifestyle medicine is in the name and I find integrating healthy practices into your daily life make them feel like less of a chore and become lifelong habits. Even then, dog walking does not have the same effect on everyone. The breed of dog and even the owner’s bond to the dog may have impacts on how much activity is being done.
Time for a W-A-L-K!
Chaplain Bruce Feldstein, MD, BCC, leads Stanford Lifestyle Medicine’s Gratitude and Reflection pillar, offering insightful perspectives on the practice of gratitude and its positive effects on physical and mental well-being. He notes, “Relationships with pets can be a source of unconditional love, immense gratitude, caring and joy. In addition to exercise, taking a dog for a walk promotes social engagement. All together these provide a recipe for good health and well-being.” Chaplain Dr. Feldstein brings forth a unique perspective to this article. While the research focuses on how less sedentary behavior and more physical activity, can increase health outcomes, Feldstein notes the deeper gratitude and connection, that comes with this practice also benefits one’s health.
While it is not necessary to own a dog to unlock these benefits nor guaranteed just because of dog ownership, since these results are strictly associated with those who own dogs and walk them and not by non-dog owners or dog owners who don’t walk their dogs. The key is decreasing sedentary behavior, and owning a dog can boost this lifestyle choice. I find the feeling of being part of a team similar to my feelings of my dog. The days that I feel more tired than usual, but I have a basketball practice, I find myself more motivated to go because of my team. Similar to this situation, my dog relies on me (even in the winter days) and it is extra motivating when I know it will be a walk where I will have more fun than being on a walk by myself. As Levi Frehlich, a PhD Candidate notes, “My research looks at how where you live influences your physical activity, for example, high and low walkability. Interestingly I have to take into account if the people I am studying own dogs, because even if you live in a low walkable neighborhood, the dog needs to get walked.”
