Don’t Just Walk for Your Dog—It May Calm Your Mind Too

If you love walking your dog but haven’t thought of it as a stress relief ritual—science says it might be doing more for you than you realize.

A study published in Animals (Basel) measured how walking with your dog affects stress-related brain chemistry. The findings? Not only is dog walking pleasant—it actually appears to dial down the brain’s stress response.

What the Study Did

Researchers enrolled 34 dog-owner pairs and measured saliva at four points: before the walk, mid-walk, end of a 30-minute walk, and 10 minutes after. They tested:

• Oxytocin (often called the “bonding hormone”)
  
  

• Cortisol (commonly linked with stress)
  
  

• MHPG, a marker of noradrenergic activity (associated with stress response)
  
  

• GABA, a calming neurotransmitter in the brain
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There were two conditions: walking with the dog vs. walking alone.

What They Found

1. Oxytocin & Cortisol
   
   

   • Neither hormone showed significant differences whether owners walked with or without dogs.
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2. MHPG & GABA
   
   

   • Walking with the dog significantly lowered salivary MHPG compared to walking alone.
     
     

   • At the same time, GABA levels increased—notably by about 40% during walks with dogs.
     
     

   • In fact, the more MHPG dropped, the higher GABA rose—indicating reduced stress and more calming neurological activity.
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What This Means for You

• Dog walking isn’t just for your dog’s health—it supports your own brain health.
  
  

• Unlike oxytocin or cortisol, the study found a clear neurological effect: dog walking suppresses stress-related nerve activity (noradrenergic) and enhances calming signals (via GABA).
  
  

• If you own a dog, that daily walk can be more than bonding or physical activity—it’s also a moment of natural stress regulation.
  
  

Reference

Akiyama J, Ohta M. Hormonal and Neurological Aspects of Dog Walking for Dog Owners and Pet Dogs. Animals (Basel). 2021;11(9):2732. PMCID: PMC8465204
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Quick Takeaway

Walking with your dog doesn’t just lighten your mood—it may literally quiet your stress response, fostering mental calm through neurochemical pathways.

If you’d like to explore more simple, evidence-based habits for stress relief and calm, feel free to book a free discovery call.