How Dogs Can Help Manage Migraines – Discover the Benefits!

Ara Hughey See Full Bio

Ara HugheyAra HugheyCertified Tier II Puppy Evaluator

Feb 16, 2023
A Shih Tzu with a long coat lies on a blue plaid blanket. In the background, a person in a blue polka dot shirt sits on a sofa, resting their head in their hand, appearing thoughtful or tired.

From the Divine Pups blog

Dogs are known for their unwavering loyalty, unconditional love, and therapeutic effects. They have been found to be helpful in providing companionship and comfort to those battling depression, anxiety, and other mental health struggles. But did you know that dogs can also be beneficial in helping people withĀ migraines?

Studies have shown that dogs canĀ provide comfort and reduce stressĀ in those with migraines. The act of petting a dog releasesĀ oxytocin, which is known to reduce stress and tension. In addition, dogs can provide a distraction from the pain of a migraine by providing an activity to focus on.

Migraines can be debilitating and difficult to manage, but did you know that dogs can help detect them? It’s true! Dogs have an incredible sense of smell and can be trained to detect the subtle changes in a person’s body chemistry that occur before a migraine.

Dogs can be trained to alert the person when a migraine is about to start. This can be helpful for those who suffer from migraines that are difficult to predict.

When a person is about to experience a migraine, theirĀ body chemistryĀ changes in subtle ways. These changes can beĀ detected by a dog’s sensitive nose. Dogs can be trained to recognize these changes and alert their owners when they detect them. This gives the person time to take preventative measures to reduce the severity of the migraine.

Dogs can be trained to provide physical comfort, such as lying on the person’s chest or providing gentle pressure on the person’s head. They can also provide emotional support by being a calming presence and offering unconditional love and companionship.

Dogs can be a great asset for people who suffer from migraines. If you suffer from migraines, consider getting a dog and training them to help you manage your condition.

Here atĀ Divine Pups, we implementĀ Early Scent Introduction (ESI)

The use of ESI in puppies has a plethora of benefits that cannot be overlooked when it comes to service dog placement. We believe in starting early, so at just 3 days of age, we begin introducing our litters of puppies to a variety of scents. Introducing new scents daily helps to kickstart the olfactory and neurological systems, resulting in accelerated development and improved performance over what would occur without intervention.

According to Gayle Watkins of Avidog, a preliminary survey revealed that early scent introduction may even lead to earlier proficiency in dog sports involving scent – from tracking, to hunting, to handler discrimination and nosework.

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​Dogs are powerful and I truly believe in the Divine destiny they have. Through temperament evaluations I can guide you in choosing a puppy that could change your life. I’m happy to chat about all the puppy things so just hit REPLY and let me know how I can help!

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Your Friend,

Ara

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Ara Hughey
Filed under: Working Dogs

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Ara Hughey

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Ara Hughey

Ara raises Shih Tzus in Houston, Texas, and writes about temperament, development and the small daily things that make a good match. Every puppy is born with a divine purpose.

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