10 Things Our Dogs Can Teach us About Relationships

From learning to share the bed to learning that sometimes it’s not always about you, dogs are great educators when it comes to relationships. Sure, your relationship with your dog differs than your relationship with your spouse, your friends or even your kids, but it’s not all that different at the end of the day. The biggest difference is that your dog is never going to hold a grudge whereas your kids will never let go of that one time that you forgot to bring their favorite blankie with you on vacation. Actually, perhaps you should just stick with your dog – kidding.

Dogs are excellent teachers. We learn so much from them from the time we are small children. They are our forever companions, our best friends and the loves of our lives for so much of our lives. They are never-ending friends there for us through thick and thin, through trouble and good times. Dogs are amazing creatures, and it might just surprise you how much you can learn from them that you can apply to the other relationships in your life. Go ahead, read on to find out what your dog is teaching you every single day about relationships as a whole.

Let it Go

It might seem more like Elsa taught us this lesson, but our dogs have been teaching it far longer than the ice princess that hit Disney like a tidal wave that just will not go away (and now there will be a second one, because us parents aren’t already done with this princess). Dogs do not hold onto things, except their favorite toys. They are not grudge holders. They take things and they accept them and they let them go. And they are much happier because they don’t hold a grudge. Learn it.

Exercise is Important

Exercise is not something you can ignore when you have a dog. You have to get out and get to walking. You have to do it because it is so important. Your dog needs it and it teaches you that you also need it. It also teaches you to take care of yourself, which is something that you need to do in all your relationships. If you’re not taking care of yourself and loving yourself, you’re not capable of loving anyone else or doing anything differently.

Quality Time is Imperative

The time you spend with your loved ones is the most important time you will spend, period. It doesn’t matter if you are spending time doing something you love, something you don’t love or something you aren’t sure about; what’s important is that you are spending quality time together. These are called moments in which you make memories, and they are good ones.

It’s the Little Things

I tell my husband this all the time. He is a master of grand gestures and while I do love that very, very much and would never complain about it, it’s the little things that he does that mean the most to me. It’s the snickers bar he brings me when he has to stop for gas because he was thinking about me in a random moment. It’s the fact that I take our daughter to cheer practice and we are gone for three hours every evening and get home very late and he has a healthy meal cooked and ready for us on the table so we can still eat as a family – minus the twins who are already in bed by this point. It’s the fact that when I’m in the shower at 5 am so I can get some work done before everyone wakes up, he always goes into my office to turn on my computer and set everything up for me so I can save a little time.

These are the things that mean the most, and your dog is going to teach you this with every pet, every fresh bowl of water and every game of fetch.

Listening is an Art

We listen to respond, not to hear. It’s bad. Our dogs, they just listen. And how much better do you feel when you can vent to your dog and have no judgment and no response? Sometimes the people in your life need the same thing, and you can thank your dog for teaching you to listen.

Being there is Sometimes the Best Thing you can Do

Sometimes all people need is just your presence. Be there for them to show them that you love them and do not do anything else. Sometimes it’s not that you’re helping, it’s just that you are there and that’s all the help others are looking for.

Space is Important

Just as important as it is to be there for your loved ones, sometimes it’s good to give them their space. When they are angry or upset or in a mood, sometimes it’s best to just leave them alone and move on with your own things so that they have time to calm down and chill out. Dogs are good at reading people, so learn from them.

Always be Kind

When was the last time that your dog was not kind to you? Probably never, right? So why are you not kinder to the people you claim to love? Why are we, as a whole, always so quick to mistreat those who love us the most? Let’s learn from our dogs and stop that madness right now.

Be Loyal

Dogs are nothing if not loyal. They will do anything for you. They will always stand by your side. They will never love someone else the way that they love you. Do the same thing for the people in your life. Love them the most and be loyal to them, always.

Protect the Ones you Love

Your job is to protect those whom you love the most. You cannot protect them from everything, but you can protect them from you and from other things in life that hurt. Do that. Be that person for them. Make sure that they always feel safe and secure in your arms. It makes a difference.

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