Thread by @DrDarleneKertes

In honor of #NationalPetDay this thread shows some of the cool findings on #Children and #pets especially #dogs from our research lab @UF
First up: when kids are in a new stressful situation, having their #Dog with them makes them feel less #stress doi.org/10.1111/sode.1…

#Children who call their #Dog over to be petted have lower levels of the #stress sensitive hormone cortisol than children who don't call their dog or children whose dogs hover around them anyway doi.org/10.1111/sode.1…

What leads some #Children to pet their #dogs more than other kids? The results may or may not surprise you...

#Genetics may matter. #Children with a particular genotype at the oxytocin receptor, called OXTR, pet their #dogs more than children with a different genotype in that same gene. Oxytocin is sometimes called the "cuddle hormone" doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.…

How #children feel about their #Dog also matters! Children who say that their dog sometimes annoy them pet their dog less than other kids. Not surprising to you? Surprisingly, no one has studied kids negative feelings about their dogs!

But most #Parents want to know how to promote warm, positive relationships between their #Children and #Dog right?

We have found that #Children who participate in caring for their #Dog like walking and feeding them, have dogs that are more responsive to their commands... ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

In turn, when #dogs are more responsive to children, kids' feelings of warm, emotional bonds deepen. Win-win for #children and their pets!

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