Bringing a new furry friend in to your family can be a daunting experience (read our tips on bringing a new puppy home here) however it also comes with the most incredible rewards. While you are teaching your dog the basics of fetch, sit and roll, they in turn can teach you so many lessons. Here are five things we can learn from our four-legged friends.
1. Living in the moment
As humans we tend to get caught up in the memories of the past or the worries of the future, however the beautiful thing about dogs is that they appear to have little thought about either the past or the future, rather they fully embrace the present. Having a clear mind is addictive and while the pressures of modern life may not allow us to be completely worry-free, being mindful of not spending all of our time in our own heads stressing about what has gone and what is yet to be is a great lesson we can all learn from.
2. How to Not Judge
A dog’s love is unconditional, they don’t judge you on what you are wearing, how you look, how much money you earn or your race or religion. They are simply willing to give you all of their love, affection and loyalty in exchange for food, cuddles and the occasional walk. Most dogs are willing to give everyone a chance, if we all embraced a little more of this in our daily lives the world might just be a kinder place.
Let’s face it dogs are the queens of sleeping, and they seem to embrace every available opportunity to get some shut eye. Their ability to go from zero to 100 and back to zero in the course of a few minutes is admirable, they appear to fall asleep at will and without a care in the world.
They will sleep when they are tired, not because they have to cram in the obligatory 6 to 8 hours a night. While it’s not possible for most of us to nap at leisure, learning to listen to our bodies and rest when we need to is a skill worth learning from our dogs.
3. How to Get Ready Quicker
As soon as a dog wakes she is ready to head out the door, there is no stopping to apply make-up, to worry about how her hair looks or what she is wearing. Dogs don’t worry about someone not seeing them at their best or without the right outfit on. They simply want to get out and explore, enjoy the day and meet new friends. Applying some of this thinking to our own lives would help to relieve the pressure many people feel to look Instagram worthy every minute of the day.
5. Family Is Who You Choose It to Be
For many of us our own families can be complicated and messy, but dogs can teach us that family doesn’t have to just be by blood but can be anyone we choose to love and cherish in our lives. Finding those people (or furry friends!) that make your happy everyday is something that we all can benefit from.
Have you learnt anything from your pets? If so we would love to hear from you below!
Bringing a new furry friend in to your family can be a daunting experience (read our tips on bringing a new puppy home here) however it also comes with the most incredible rewards. While you are teaching your dog the basics of fetch, sit and roll, they in turn can teach you so many lessons. Here are five things we can learn from our four-legged friends.
1. Living in the moment
As humans we tend to get caught up in the memories of the past or the worries of the future, however the beautiful thing about dogs is that they appear to have little thought about either the past or the future, rather they fully embrace the present. Having a clear mind is addictive and while the pressures of modern life may not allow us to be completely worry-free, being mindful of not spending all of our time in our own heads stressing about what has gone and what is yet to be is a great lesson we can all learn from.
2. How to Not Judge
A dog’s love is unconditional, they don’t judge you on what you are wearing, how you look, how much money you earn or your race or religion. They are simply willing to give you all of their love, affection and loyalty in exchange for food, cuddles and the occasional walk. Most dogs are willing to give everyone a chance, if we all embraced a little more of this in our daily lives the world might just be a kinder place.
3. How to Sleep
Let’s face it dogs are the queens of sleeping, and they seem to embrace every available opportunity to get some shut eye. Their ability to go from zero to 100 and back to zero in the course of a few minutes is admirable, they appear to fall asleep at will and without a care in the world.
They will sleep when they are tired, not because they have to cram in the obligatory 6 to 8 hours a night. While it’s not possible for most of us to nap at leisure, learning to listen to our bodies and rest when we need to is a skill worth learning from our dogs.
3. How to Get Ready Quicker
As soon as a dog wakes she is ready to head out the door, there is no stopping to apply make-up, to worry about how her hair looks or what she is wearing. Dogs don’t worry about someone not seeing them at their best or without the right outfit on. They simply want to get out and explore, enjoy the day and meet new friends. Applying some of this thinking to our own lives would help to relieve the pressure many people feel to look Instagram worthy every minute of the day.
5. Family Is Who You Choose It to Be
For many of us our own families can be complicated and messy, but dogs can teach us that family doesn’t have to just be by blood but can be anyone we choose to love and cherish in our lives. Finding those people (or furry friends!) that make your happy everyday is something that we all can benefit from.
Have you learnt anything from your pets? If so we would love to hear from you below!
Want more Personal Development and Wellness? Click here for our tips on How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep and here for tips on How to Overcome Procrastination.
*Full modelling credits in this article go to little Ellie, our Editor-in-Chief’s 5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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