Confiding in a dog may help you deal with stress and other psychological problems. One of the foundations of psychoanalysis, originally articulated by Sigmund Freud, is the idea that talking about your current emotional states and problems has a therapeutic effect. This idea has been adopted by many of the psychotherapeutic systems that followed the introduction of psychoanalysis. While some of us have family members who are understanding and trusted enough to confide in when we have emotional trouble, others can have difficulty finding someone other than a trained therapist.