Does Owning a Dog Improve Your Mental Health?

Many people believe that living with a dog improves mental health. Dogs are often described as providing companionship, reducing loneliness, encouraging exercise, and helping owners connect with other people.

These claims are plausible, but the scientific evidence is more complicated than the popular message suggests.

A recent study by Koyasu and colleagues examined whether dogs and cats influence human well-being directly or through their effects on human social relationships. The study was published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2026.

The researchers found no significant direct effect of owning a dog or cat on well-being. Instead, the findings suggested that dogs may influence well-being indirectly by helping people develop or maintain relationships with family members, friends, neighbours, and other community members.

This distinction matters.

The difference between direct and indirect effects

A direct effect would mean that owning a dog, by itself, reliably improves a person’s well-being. For example, a person might become less lonely or less distressed simply because a dog lives in the home.

An indirect effect occurs when the dog changes something else that may influence well-being. For example, walking a dog may increase opportunities to speak with neighbours. Training classes may help an owner meet other people. Visiting a dog park may create regular social contact. These social interactions, rather than dog ownership alone, may improve well-being.

Koyasu and colleagues found that dog ownership was associated with closer relationships with other people. However, the researchers found no evidence that owning a dog or cat directly improved well-being.

This suggests that the animal’s social environment may matter.

Dogs may act as social facilitators

Dogs are often present during activities that naturally bring people together. Owners may meet while walking their dogs, attending training classes, visiting parks, or participating in dog-related activities.

A dog can also make social interaction easier. Talking with someone while walking may feel less awkward when you have an obvious shared topic. The dog provides a reason to start a conversation and a common point of interest.

This does not mean that every dog owner becomes more socially connected. Some owners may rarely interact with other people. Others may find dog ownership isolating when the responsibilities of care become overwhelming.

The benefit may therefore depend on what the owner does with the dog and how the dog fits into the owner’s life.

The quality of the relationship matters

The study also found that the effects were not uniformly positive. When interactions were largely confined to the household, they were not associated with better well-being. In some circumstances, family interactions were associated with lower well-being when they were not accompanied by broader social contact.

This finding challenges the idea that a dog automatically improves a person’s mental health simply by being present.

Living with a dog can be rewarding, but it also involves daily responsibilities. Owners must provide food, exercise, veterinary care, training, supervision, and appropriate behavioural support. Dogs may bark, shed, become ill, develop behaviour problems, or require more care than expected.

If an owner is already struggling with time, money, sleep, housing, or family relationships, adding the responsibilities of dog ownership may create additional stress.

The relationship between a person and a dog can be supportive, but it is not automatically beneficial in every situation.

What about loneliness?

Dogs may help some people experience more social contact, but they should not be considered a treatment for loneliness, depression, or social isolation.

A dog cannot replace human relationships or professional mental-health care. An owner may feel emotionally connected to a dog and still experience significant loneliness. Conversely, an owner may have a strong social network and enjoy a dog’s companionship without relying on the animal for emotional support.

The study’s findings support a more cautious interpretation. Dogs may contribute to well-being by helping people connect with others, participate in activities, and build stronger relationships. However, the animal is only one part of a much larger social and psychological picture.

Dogs are individuals, not mental-health tools

It is also important to consider the dog’s welfare. Choosing a dog solely to improve a person’s mental health can create unrealistic expectations.

Dogs have individual temperaments, needs, preferences, and limitations. Some enjoy meeting unfamiliar people. Others are fearful, anxious, or uncomfortable in busy environments. Some dogs enjoy long walks, while others have medical or behavioural conditions that limit their activities.

A dog should not be expected to attend social events, tolerate unwanted handling, or provide constant emotional comfort simply because the owner believes that these activities will improve human well-being.

A healthy relationship considers both sides. The owner’s needs matter, but so do the dog’s behavioural and physical needs.

What the evidence actually supports

The current evidence does not justify saying that dog ownership automatically improves mental health.

A more accurate conclusion is that dogs may support human well-being through several possible pathways, including:

• encouraging outdoor activity;

• creating opportunities for social interaction;

• providing companionship;

• supporting daily routines; and

• strengthening relationships with family, friends, or community members.

These potential benefits depend on the individual owner, the individual dog, the quality of the relationship, and the wider social environment.

The Koyasu study was observational, which means it identified associations rather than proving cause and effect. The participants were also studied within a specific cultural and social setting, so the findings may not apply equally to every owner or community.

The most responsible message is therefore neither that dogs are a cure for poor mental health nor that they provide no psychological benefit.

Dogs may improve some people’s lives, particularly when the relationship encourages meaningful social connection. However, dog ownership is not a universal treatment, and it should not be viewed as one.

A dog is a companion animal, not a mental-health intervention. The best relationships are built on realistic expectations, appropriate care, and consideration of both the owner’s and the dog’s needs.

Reference:

Koyasu H, Ogasawara S, Miyauchi E, Tsuda K, Kikusui T and Nagasawa M. (2026). Social and biological pathways linking relationships with companion animals to human well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 17:1810355. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1810355