How Dogs Support the Central Nervous System: More Than Just Companionship

When we talk about the benefits of spending time with dogs, we often hear words like comforting, calming, or uplifting. But what’s happening beneath the surface goes much deeper than emotion alone.

Dogs have a powerful, measurable impact on the central nervous system (CNS) - the system responsible for how we respond to stress, regulate emotions, and feel safe in our bodies.

For many people, especially those living with chronic stress, trauma, neurodivergence, illness, or anxiety, time with a dog isn’t just “nice”. It’s regulating.

The Central Nervous System in Simple Terms

Your central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. It constantly scans the environment to answer one essential question:

Am I safe right now?

When the answer is no, the body shifts into survival states such as:

• Fight

• Flight

• Freeze

• Shutdown

These states are helpful in emergencies - but when the nervous system gets stuck here, it can lead to ongoing anxiety, exhaustion, pain, digestive issues, emotional overwhelm, and burnout.

This is where dogs come in.

Dogs as Natural Nervous System Regulators

1. Dogs Activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system is often called the “rest and digest” state. It’s where healing, digestion, emotional regulation, and connection happen.

Research shows that interacting with dogs - petting them, sitting beside them, or simply observing their calm presence - can:

• Lower heart rate

• Reduce blood pressure

• Decrease cortisol (the stress hormone)

• Increase oxytocin (the bonding hormone)

Oxytocin doesn’t just make us feel connected, it signals safety to the nervous system.

2. Co-Regulation: Borrowing Calm From a Dog

Dogs are masters of living in the present moment. They don’t replay yesterday or catastrophise tomorrow and our nervous systems respond to that.

This process is known as co-regulation.

When a calm, well-supported dog is present:

• Our breathing naturally slows

• Muscle tension reduces

• Our nervous system mirrors their grounded state

For people who struggle with self-regulation, dogs provide an external anchor; a safe, steady presence the body can sync with.

3. Touch and Sensory Input Matter

Gentle touch is a powerful nervous system tool.

Stroking a dog provides rhythmic, predictable sensory input, which is especially helpful for:

• Trauma survivors

• Neurodivergent individuals

• People with sensory overwhelm

• Those experiencing chronic pain or illness

This kind of touch sends signals through the vagus nerve, supporting emotional regulation and reducing threat responses.

4. Dogs Help the Body Feel Safe Without Words

One of the most important things dogs offer is non-judgemental presence.

You don’t have to:

• Explain yourself

• Perform happiness

• Mask distress

• Find the right words

For a nervous system shaped by stress, medical trauma, grief, or long-term adversity, this matters deeply.

Safety isn’t always cognitive - it’s felt.

Dogs communicate safety through:

• Soft eye contact

• Relaxed body language

• Proximity without pressure

• Predictable behaviour

The nervous system understands this instinctively.

5. Why This Matters for Mental and Physical Health

A dysregulated nervous system affects everything - mood, digestion, sleep, immunity, pain perception, and emotional resilience.

Supporting regulation through gentle, animal-assisted experiences can:

• Reduce anxiety and overwhelm

• Improve emotional resilience

• Support recovery from burnout

• Ease loneliness and isolation

• Complement therapeutic or medical support

This is not about replacing treatment; it’s about supporting the body’s natural capacity to settle and heal.

Why We Do What We Do at Pause with Paws

At Pause with Paws, our sessions are designed with the nervous system in mind.

We focus on:

• Calm, consent-based interactions

• Low-pressure environments

• Gentle pacing

• Emotional safety for both humans and dogs

Because true wellbeing isn’t about pushing through - it’s about allowing the nervous system to rest.

Sometimes, that starts with sitting quietly beside a dog who asks nothing of you at all 🐾

Dogs don’t “fix” us.

But they help our nervous systems remember what safety feels like -

and from that place, healing becomes possible.

Charlotte - Pause with Paws 🐾

Sources & Further Reading

• Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H., & Kotrschal, K. (2012).

  
  

  Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human–animal interactions: The possible role of oxytocin.

  
  

  Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 234.

  
  

  – Explores how interaction with animals increases oxytocin and reduces stress responses, supporting nervous system regulation.

• Odendaal, J. S. J., & Meintjes, R. A. (2003).

  
  

  Neurophysiological correlates of affiliative behaviour between humans and dogs.

  
  

  The Veterinary Journal, 165(3), 296–301.

  
  

  – Demonstrates reductions in cortisol and increases in bonding hormones during human–dog interaction.

• Porges, S. W. (2011).

  
  

  The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation.

  
  

  W. W. Norton & Company.

  
  

  – Provides the theoretical framework for understanding how safety, co-regulation, and social connection calm the nervous system.

• Fine, A. H. (Ed.). (2019).

  
  

  Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Foundations and Guidelines for Animal-Assisted Interventions.

  
  

  Academic Press.

  
  

  – A key reference text outlining how animal-assisted interactions support emotional and physiological wellbeing.

• Barker, S. B., & Wolen, A. R. (2008).

  
  

  The benefits of human–companion animal interaction: A review.

  
  

  Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 35(4), 487–495.

  
  

  – Reviews evidence for stress reduction, emotional regulation, and wellbeing linked to companion animals.

• Uvnäs-Moberg, K. (2015).

  
  

  Oxytocin: The biological guide to motherhood, social bonding and love.

  
  

  Praeclarus Press.

  
  

  – Explains oxytocin’s role in calming the nervous system and supporting feelings of safety and connection.