: Incidents of aggressive or delinquent behavior are significantly reduced.

According to data tracking adolescents in the Tokyo Teenager Cohort Study , 13-year-olds who own dogs show measurable psychological advantages by age 14. Dog ownership heavily correlates with a decrease in several problem areas:

: The study discovered that certain bacteria promoting empathy and prosociality were abundant in dog-owning teens.

: Teens who own dogs have a distinctly different composition of oral and gut bacteria compared to those who do not.

Outside of the microbiology, experts at institutions like the Tufts PAW Lab point to the foundational social support dogs provide. PAW Lab's Teen & Dog Study Recognized