Your Brain’s Best Friend? It Might Be Your Dog

Feeling sluggish? Not feeling mentally alert? Struggling to make decisions?

You may just need to pet a dog…

At least, that’s what the initial findings from a group of researchers have to say!

While all research can have limitations, the findings of the effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity study are quite eye-opening.

Let’s dive right into it. ⬇️

Each participant took part in 6 sessions, 3 that included a dog and 3 that included the plush toy. Every session followed the same format.

With the participant sitting on a couch, they did the following for 2 minutes while their brain activity was monitored with the fNIRS machine. Additionally, their heart rate and electrodermal activity (essentially sweat levels) were monitored.

Staring at a blank wall (neutral)

Only looking at the dog or toy from about 3 feet away (watching)

Having the dog lay near them or the toy placed on their thigh (feeling)

Actively petting the dog or toy (petting)

Staring at a blank wall (neutral)

This was repeated 6 total times (3 with a dog and 3 with a toy).

The data found through these sessions was astounding! 

REAL DOG VS PLUSH TOY

While there was actually increased brain activity when interacting with the plush toy, the gains in activity were significantly higher when interacting with the dog.

As the dog or toy entered the room, was next to, and then was interacted with by the participant, brain activity increased. 

And while this is true, the gains in prefrontal brain activity were significantly higher when the participant interacted with a real dog compared to a toy!

Simply put, a real dog was more effective at activating brain activity than a plush toy. Not much of a surprise there.

WATCHING VS FEELING VS PETTING

What I found most interesting was the significant jump in brain activity when participants were actively petting the dog!

One of the largest jumps in brain activity occurred when the participant when from being near the dog (feeling) to actively petting the dog (petting).

It seems as if there is some scientific evidence as to why we (or at least I) always want to go pet dogs that we see on the street. That petting of a good boy or girl can actually increase our brain activity.

WHAT ABOUT WHEN THE DOG LEFT THE ROOM?

Another piece of data that the researchers uncovered was that even after the dogs left and the participants went back to staring at a wall (neutral phase), brain activity stayed measurably higher than compared to the first neutral phase.

So, not only can petting a dog get our brain moving at that specific moment, but it can even help once the dog is gone!

No study is perfect and no study can give us complete answers, but this study did show statistically significant evidence that petting and closely interacting with a dog can have positive effects on our brains.

This type of hard data and evidence can ideally provide therapy dog groups with a better ability to secure funding, expand operations, and overall better serve people worldwide.

The bottom line is that dogs are amazing creatures that we are truly lucky to have in our lives and further research is certainly needed to better understand our relationship with them. 

And we should treat, raise, and train dogs with that level of respect in mind. 🙂

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is the perfect pup podcast.Helping you build a better
relationship with your pup presented by pop furred.
Hello pup parents and welcome totoday's episode of the perfect
Pub podcast. My name is Devin, this was maybe
one of my favorite episodes. I've done, the research was
fascinating. We're gonna dive into the effect

(00:22):
that being at near and petting adog can have on our brains and
what those implications might befor our Ourselves but also for
therapy dogs and how we interactwith dogs in the world.
So let's get right into it. Let's define a few quick terms.
So we'll talk a lot about brain activity.
Specifically, prefrontal brain activity or activity in the

(00:45):
prefrontal cortex. Essentially, what this part of
our brain does is it helps with things like cognitive, behavior,
personality, expression, decision-making, social
behavior, and even understandingourselves and others around us.
So, Very important part of our brains.
We also need to Define what is called, functional near
infrared, spectroscopy or F and IRS essentially it is you've

(01:11):
probably seen it before it kind of looks like a rugby cap.
It goes on the person's head hasall these cords connected to it,
which are hooked up to machines,which are reading changes in
your brain. Specifically looking at things
like oxygen saturation, levels of hemoglobin things that I
don't completely understand but brain activity as A whole a
group of researchers in Switzerland, they wanted to

(01:33):
determine what heading a dog andbeing in close contact with a
dog can do to our brain activity.
So they had about 20 participants each of them
participated in six session. Three of the sessions were with
a real dog and three of the sessions were with a plush toy
and the plush toy was soft and kind of had hair.
They even put a warm water bottle in there to have it act

(01:56):
as a control for a real dog and they presented the Plus story
being named Leo. So they tried to kind of make it
more human, make it more realistic, the dogs that were
involved, there was a Jack Russell, a Goldendoodle, and a
golden retriever retriever all happened to be females.
And all of them were trained with interacting, with humans
specifically in hospital settings, basically, therapy

(02:17):
dogs, as you would generally think of it.
Here's how the study worked eachparticipant in these sessions
again. Six total three with a real dog
through the plush toy. This is how it worked.
They had two minutes of What wascalled neutral, which was just
staring at a wall. No dog, nothing involved.
The next was two minutes. Looking at a dog or a plush toy

(02:39):
from about 3 feet away. The next phase was having the
dog lay near them as they were sitting on a couch or for the
plush toy. Putting it on their thigh for
two minutes. The next phase was the petting
phase where they were actually physically interacting with the
dog or the plush toy padding, itthose types of things.
And then there was a fine. Fifth phase of what they called

(03:01):
second neutral. Where again, they were just
staring at a blank wall. The dog was gone.
The plush toy was gone and this was repeated again, three for
the dog, three for the plush. Toy, the results were extremely
interesting, as you would, probably guess, as the dog was
introduced, brain activity was increasing with each phase.

(03:24):
So, as they were, just looking at the dog brain activity
increased as the dog was just near them brain activity
increased. And then of course as they pet
the dog brain activity increased.
What was interesting was that the bolt?
The plush toy and the dog showedincreased levels of brain
activities. So kind of interesting that even
a toy that kind of simulates an animal can help with our brain

(03:46):
activity. But there was a significant
increase in a you know statistically significant
difference between the real dog and our brain activity and just
a plush toy, what was really fascinating?
Was that the biggest jump was When the participants went from
just having the dog near them toactively petting the dog and
we'll of course, you know, doingsomething physical the movement

(04:09):
of petting, a dog could definitely lead to some of that.
There was statistical significance to show that the
dog, the petting, the dog itself, the interaction with
that, dog led to an increased inbrain activity, and another
point that I don't think the researchers were necessarily
expecting, but that they did find through the data.
Was that, even that, At second neutral phase.

(04:31):
Once the dog left there was still kind of the same level of
brain activity. So Not only was petting the dog
and having the dog physically there.
But even after the dogs left, there was some of those
lingering effects and some of that increased brain activity
for the participants, you might be wondering, okay, why does

(04:52):
this matter is? Is it important?
I think there are multiple applications, but one that's
really important to think about is, you know, as we are SS as a
society, starting to understand more and do more with things
like therapy, dogs and service dogs, and and you know, bringing
dogs into other parts of I guessHumanity that we haven't in the
past. It's good to have this actual

(05:13):
evidence to show what we're doing is helpful versus, oh, I
feel good or it seems nice. There is data and evidence to
support what therapy dogs are doing.
And hopefully, this type of research will help therapy dog
groups and other groups who are trying And to make these
interactions with dogs and people who need the help of a

(05:34):
dog. Hopefully they can get more
funding and expand their operations, those types of
things. But I also think we can look at
it on a more personal level and hopefully find ways to utilize
dogs in our own lives and maybe in the workplace and some of
these ideas that I have, some ofthem are already happening.
Others may be are unrealistic but for example, you could put,

(05:56):
you know, dogs outside of testing centers, as high
schoolers are going to take the CT.
Or the SAT, having them pet, a dog for a minute or two before
they go in and see what that does for for test results and
just improving their confidence.You can also try maybe pairing
dogs into real counseling and therapy sessions as you know the
prefrontal cortex can help with understandings understanding of

(06:19):
ourselves and others around us, you know.
It could help make those counseling and therapy sessions
more valuable and have more positive outcomes.
This is An existence now, but itcould always be used more of
bringing dogs into classrooms ofstudents with developmental
disabilities and using those dogs as a way to kind of open

(06:41):
them up and get them to express themselves and ideally even
learn better either. We could try to have politicians
pet dogs before they start, you know, working on bills and laws
or whatever they do and maybe we'd have better decisions made
and then, you know, even something like as as kids are.
No teenagers are going into a middle school or high school

(07:02):
dance and they're not feeling confident.
Maybe they could pet a dog and on an individual level.
You know, I found for myself even as I Was preparing for this
episode as I was writing and as I was kind of studying and
getting distracted or feeling sluggish or feeling like I was
hitting a writing wall. I would just stop take a minute
or two pet. My dog's kind of resent her.
And, you know, I didn't have a lightning bolt moment of

(07:25):
creativity like you see in cartoons but I definitely felt
more like my brain was actually,Activated.
And like I was, I was thinking more clearly.
So I hope that this episode and these types of scientific
studies. I really loved looking at data
and really looking at things from a more evidence-based
standpoint especially with our dogs because there's so much
that we don't know. And so much information that

(07:47):
we're trying to understand that studies like these are so
important and I just wanted to you know share what I learned in
hope that you could share this with other people and you know,
gain some insights and start looking at how you can use your
dog to help people around you. Or help people in your
community. And I really also has a main
point want people to just take astep back, take a deep breath.

(08:07):
And remember, the dogs are amazing creatures and that we
are lucky to have them in our lives.
And there are so many applications on how we can
better utilize our relationship with our dogs to improve
humanity. And I hope that with that, in
mind, we approached raising our dogs and training, our dogs with
a level of respect for these creatures and what they can do

(08:29):
and the a boost that they can provide to our lives.
So if you haven't already, please leave a review on Apple
podcast. I read every single one of them,
I really truly appreciate them. If you're on YouTube, subscribe,
leave a comment. I try to reply to every single
comment that we get on YouTube, but other than that, we will
catch you on the next episode. aboost that they can provide to
our lives. So if you haven't already,
please leave a review on Apple podcast.
I read every single one of them,I really truly appreciate them.
If you're on YouTube, subscribe,leave a comment.
I try to reply to every single comment that we get on YouTube,
but other than that, we will catch you on the next episode.