Social interaction with humans gives dogs longer and healthier lives says study

A study published in Evolution, Medicine and Public Health stated that socialising with humans and other pets can help dogs to live longer and healthier lives.

Researchers looked at more than 21,000 dogs and found that social companionship with both people and other animals had the largest influence on healthier ageing among dogs.

It was noted that the effect of the social interaction was five times more than anything else they compared it to, such as household children or the pet parent's age, and family finances.

The study aims to learn how genes, lifestyle and environmental factors influence ageing and disease among dogs.

The researchers focused their analysis on five crucial factors: neighbourhood stability, the overall income of the household, the amount of social time spent with children and animals, and the age of the dog's owner. These factors were examined collectively to understand their potential influence on a dog's overall well-being in the social environment.

Their findings revealed that dogs residing in households facing financial challenges and additional stressors tended to have worse health, while dogs that enjoyed more social companionship, such as cohabitating with other dogs, exhibited better health.

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