The relationship you have with your dog is one of, if not the most, important relationship you’ll have throughout your life. Having a happy and healthy relationship with your dog is a stepping stone for other relationships, like human to human, human to animal, and human to environment. If you know how to have a solid relationship with your dog, you can handle just about anything.
Here are 10 things you learn when you have a good relationship with your dog.
1. Mutual Respect
Respect is something humans and animals should practice in everything they do. Having respect for those around you, as well as your environment, is important for maintaining healthy relationships. Your relationship with your dog is no exception.
Learning to treat your dog well and with respect, will teach you to respect other aspects in your life. As well, if you respect your dog, the he will respect you in return.
2. Empathy
Empathy is a deep understanding for another’s situation or emotions. Having empathy is important if you wish to relate to someone on a more personal level.
You can learn how to be empathetic toward people in your life by starting with your dog. Try to understand why he is acting in a certain way, or how he expresses himself. You will find yourself leveling with him, and your relationship will grow stronger. Learning how to be empathetic with your dog will carry over into your human interactions through life.
3. Friendship
The friendship you share with your dog will be one you cherish for the rest of your life. You will compare most of your other friendships to the one you have with your dog, as it is a building block for future relationships.
Dogs can teach us the true meaning of friendship, dependability, and trust.
4. Compassion
Having compassion, and caring for another individual is a valuable life skill. Most dog owners are compassionate people, as they understand the importance of caring for something other than themselves. They also understand how to heal their dog’s misfortune and suffering, and take their wellbeing seriously.
Having compassion for your dog, similar to empathy will help you better your understanding of him.
5. Making Sacrifices
Dog owners make sacrifices constantly. Putting your dog before yourself is almost a mantra to pup parents, and we don’t take that duty lightly. We make sacrifices for our dogs daily, whether it be cancelling plans, buying the expensive food, or simply giving your dog the good spot on the couch. We understand that our dogs are our children, and they deserve the best treatment.
In the event that we ever do have human children, we will be prepared!
6. Compromising
Making compromises with your dog is an essential part of your relationship. For example, you will have to make compromises on days where your dog wants to go outside, but you want to be lazy in the house. You can make everyone happy by being lazy outside, while your dog runs around in the yard. Learning how to make compromises with your dog will help you make compromises with people as well, which is very important.
7. Non Verbal Communication
Unfortunately, science hasn’t advanced far enough yet to help us speak dog. So, for now, we have to communicate everything by body language. You will still find yourself talking to your dog, but you will use his body language to interpret what he is saying back. Learning how to read your dog’s body language will help you better understand human body language too.
8. Patience
We must be patient with our dogs. There will be days where your dog frustrates you beyond belief. You will have moments where all you want to do is ship your dog off to puppy training bootcamp. Instead, you will need to be patient, take a minute to collect yourself, and move on. Exercising patience with your dog, whether it be with training, behavioral modification, or communication, will help you learn how to keep yourself in check. Overreacting is a killer in relationships between owners and dogs.
9. Dedication
No one is more dedicated than a pet parent. We would take a bullet for our dogs, or spend hours training them on how to be model citizens. Pup parents put all their efforts into their relationship with their dog, and often throw human relationships to the back burner.
Dogs don’t live forever. So, we have to make the best of the time we have with them!
10. Unconditional Love
There’s nothing stronger than the love between dog and mom and/or dad. Your first true love in life is, and always will be, your dog. We feel bad for the people in the world who have never known the love of a dog. All we can do is hope that they discover it one day.
You are your dog’s entire world, and he is yours. Who needs humans?
