“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”– Josh Billings
The above quotation is very true in fact. A dog gives you unconditional love throughout his life. No matter what’s your behavior towards your dog, he loves you in every situation.
Dogs are arguably man’s best friend. Dogs offer more than just companionship. Whether they’re barking at their leash to convince you to take them on a walk, begging for your food or simply greeting you when you come home, dogs do tons of things that put a smile on your face.
Dogs are cute, intelligent, lovable, and energetic-to put it simply, dogs are awesome. You are very lucky if you have a dog at your home. In fact, studies have found that a dog encourages physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. But a dog does more than that for you in his lifetime.
Here are just a few things our dog teach us in their lifetime
1. Teach the lesson of love and loyalty
There are few species on the earth that boast the devotion that comes naturally to a dog. No matter how bad your day, no matter how stressful your job and no matter what is your mood, just seeing our dog lifts our spirits, brings a smile to our face. They are faithful, they never lie to us and no matter the circumstance, dogs love us unconditionally.
Dogs are fiercely loyal throughout their life. A dog does more than what you expect and will always be there for you. From your child to your property, a dog protects what is important to you. Focusing on being loyal to the people you love is the great way to make your relationship even stronger. Being loyal is such an admirable and important quality and a dog teaches you that in a perfect manner.
2. Teaching your kids to be responsible
A dog can help kids learn the lesson of responsibility. By giving your kids a responsibility to feed your dog on a regular basis gives them a good opportunity to learn how to take care of another creature. Moreover, by spending time playing outdoors with your dog promote regular exercise. The best thing about hanging with your dog is that it gives the opportunity to engage in exercise that does not feel like working out.
3. How to respect others
Having a dog in your home teaches you how to respect others. They give you a kind gesture whenever you come home; they touch you gently, tend to your needs, and learn not to disturb you when you are busy somewhere, eating or sleeping. It’s a great lesson on respecting boundaries of those around you.
4. Be yourself
When it comes to being yourself, it’s very difficult to protect your identity in a world where everybody tries to influence who you are. It’s important for you to always be yourself from the inside out. When you deeply know yourself and don’t care what people think about yourself, you are most likely to experience a fulfilling and rewarding life. Dogs teach that never to pretend to be something you are not. Dogs don’t care what other dogs think and love the way they are. They have charming personalities and we love them for it. So dogs teach to embrace our own adorable personality.
5. The importance of the family
Because dogs are pack animals, they depend greatly on their human’s companionship. They set an excellent example of the importance of family, and also bring families together. With a dog, a family will end up walking, hiking and spending time with the animal as a family, bringing everyone closer together.
6. Communication
Reading your dog body language can help you to learn non-verbal communication between humans. When we communicate with our family or friends, we use language to describe our feelings. But there are many other ways that we portray our inner world. Our facial expression, our posture, gesture, the tone of our voice, our movements communicate our thoughts, intention, and emotions etc. often more reliable than the words we choose.
7. Patience and compassion
Bonding with your new dog takes time. As your dog ages, they will require special care and attention. Understanding that your dog can’t do all the things that you can help you learn to be patient and compassionate with those who suffer from the disease, disabilities, elderly and young children.
8. Stay active
Dogs love to be physically active. Dogs provide a wealth of opportunities for you to get active-romping around the backyard, going for a walk, or playing a game of fetch. Physical exercise is very important to stay active and it’s scientifically proven to release endorphins, resulting in an increased happiness. That’s why dogs often look to be happiest when they are running around playing. A dog teaches us that you are never too old to play. Life is short, go out, enjoy your day and make the most out of your life.
9. Live for the moment
Dogs teach you how to enjoy the moment because they do not worry about the future or the past – they live in the present moment. Dogs know only present tense. They don’t dwell on the past and not worrying about the future- that’s just how their brain works. The same thing goes for you, if something makes you happy, just go and enjoy. Life is so beautiful and you need to see it differently. Drop your anxieties and revel in what’s happening right now.
10. Forgive and move on
There are days when you are so close to your dog. You love them and spend the whole day playing with them. But then there are days when you have to go to work, have a headache, feeling unwell and don’t want to play fetch. No matter what’s your attitude towards your dog on a particular day -they always forgive you. They might mope for a few minutes, but soon they will be right back to your side. Holding a grudge magnifies what was in all likelihood and unimportant issue, and minimizes the much more significant relationship. Forgive is the attribute of the strong, weak can never forgive. A dog teaches you to forgive all the things that hurt you and move on.
