This is the best dog breed for reducing stress
Regardless of whether you’re a dog or a cat person, you’ve most likely found reprieve from a bad day by cuddling up with a furry counterpart (or at the very least by watching animal videos on YouTube). Animals really do help cheer up a gloomy day, and while your cat can’t exactly crack open a bottle of wine and listen to you complain, pets do provide comfort through their presence.
But what if not all animals are created the same? What if some dog breeds are more able to provide emotional support than others? In what has to be one of the cutest studies ever conducted, participants were asked to play with dogs. The study, conducted by the Kennel Club in the UK, found one breed of dog in particular is the absolute best at breaking down stress. If you live a busy life and find yourself regularly seeking stress management, look no further than the Havanese dog breed.
“All the puppies produced calming effects. A lot of people nowadays have a stressful job and whether its working in or outside the city, those stress levels can be reduced by interacting with puppies,” Heidi Ancell-Day, a spokeswoman for the Kennel Club told the Daily Mail. “The Havanese had the most productive results and seemed to have the most calming effect of them all.”
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Affectionately known as the ‘velcro dog,’ Havanese pups are known to stick closely to their owner, providing emotional support without even realizing it.
The calming effect of the Havanese was discovered after the Kennel Club ran a stress-busting clinic tailored to high-stress London executives. Participants had their heart rates, blood pressure and cognitive thinking ability monitored while they spent quality time with five different dogs: a Chihuahua, a Golden Retriever, a Cocker Spaniel, a Havanese and a Eurasier. While the Havanese proved to be the best at reducing stress, merely the presence of a dog of any breed was therapeutic for the participants.
“The calming effects of owning a dog is well documented, and we saw this at the experiment,” said Psychologist Sophie Hall, who was in charge of monitoring the stress levels. “Heart rates generally dropped and the responses from those who undertook the trial appeared to show a positive influence on stress levels.”
The participants were asked to complete a puzzle before and after meeting the pups to track their cognitive function and productivity levels.
If anything, this study proves that a pet’s love goes beyond their adorable exterior.
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