5 Reasons why Owning a Dog makes you Healthier, Happier, and Friendlier

If you’re a dog lover, then you know the positive effects that dogs can have on your life. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a bad day at work or are just in a grumpy mood in general; your dog will immediately put you in better spirits. The happiness they give you just can’t be explained sometimes, but here are five reasons that dogs make your life better.

1. Dogs Enhance your Mood
There’s nothing better than coming home after a long day to your dog wagging its tail when it sees you. How can you still be in a bad mood when you see the excitement through their body movements? If you think it’s strange that you can immediately change your mood when you’re around your dog, you’re not alone. Psychologists have found that dogs really can boost your mood and make you feel better about life in general.

2. Dogs Make you More Active
Exercising is scientifically proven to make you feel better about yourself, but sometimes it’s just hard to get up and get going after a tough day. But when you have a dog, you know that it needs to be walked to get some of their built-up energy out. By taking your dog for a walk, you are getting your own exercise as well, not to mention the bonding time with your dog. Even playing fetch with your dog in your backyard will give you more exercise than lifting a finger to change the channel on the remote.

3. Dogs Build Patience
Any dog owner has had their patience tested at least once or twice by their pet. Dogs require a lot of attention, but you also have to be patient with them. They don’t speak our language, but they are always trying to learn it. Some dogs may not learn as quickly as others, so you have to learn how to be patient with them. Scolding them for not listening or doing something wrong is bad for you and the dog. It may take a dog a little while to understand what you want from them, but being patient with them will help with your relationship with your dog and also make you a more patient person in your everyday life.

4. Dogs Make you Friendlier
When you’re out of the house with your dog, you are more likely to draw attention than if you were on your own. Even getting a smile from someone as they pass by will make you feel a lot better. Most dogs are curious and want to check out other people and dogs. It forces you to be sociable as well, which could lead to making more friends. Now don’t believe everything you hear about dogs attracting potential significant others, but research has shown that they can definitely help you get your foot in the door by being a conversation piece.

5. Dogs Make you a Better Person
If humans had the hearts that dogs have, then the world would be a better place. As much as we like to think our dogs learn from us, we actually learn a lot more from our dogs. They teach us to be friendly to others and to not overlook the simple things in life. If we truly watched our dogs and learned from them, we would have bigger hearts and have a different outlook on life. Whether it’s watching your dog play by chasing a butterfly or going up to a stranger with excitement, it’s little things like that that could teach us some lessons.

There is one important aspect about your dog that you can’t lose sight of. We all have busy lives that interfere with a lot of things that we want to do, and our dog is just a little piece of our life. However, your dog only has you in its life. It spends the day waiting for you to get home, so give it the love that it deserves and don’t ignore the excitement that it has when it sees you. It waits an entire day to see you, so even just 30-minutes of bonding will go a long way to improving your relationship with your dog and your overall health.

The post 5 Reasons why Owning a Dog makes you Healthier, Happier, and Friendlier appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.