"Many people think pet dogs are great for kids but scientists aren't sure if that's true or how it happens," said Darlene Kertes, from the University of Florida in the US.
Kertes reasoned that one way this might occur is by helping children cope with stress.
"How we learn to deal with stress as children has lifelong consequences for how we cope with stress as adults," she said.
Researchers recruited about 100 pet-owning families, who came to their university laboratory with their dogs.
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The children were randomly assigned to experience the stressor with their dog present for social support, with their parent present, or with no social support.
"Our research shows that having a pet dog present when a child is undergoing a stressful experience lowers how much children feel stressed out," Kertes said.
"Children who had their pet dog with them reported feeling less stressed compared to having a parent for social support or having no social support," she said.
Results showed that for kids who underwent the stressful experience with their pet dogs, children's cortisol level varied depending on the nature of the interaction of children and their pets.
"Children who actively solicited their dogs to come and be pet or stroked had lower cortisol levels compared to children who engaged their dogs less," said Kertes.
"When dogs hovered around or approached children on their own, however, children's cortisol tended to be higher," she said.
"Because we know that learning to deal with stress in childhood has lifelong consequences for emotional health and well-being, we need to better understand what works to buffer those stress responses early in life," she said.
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