We have all heard the phrase, ” a dog is a man’s best friend.” But why is that so, and where did that idea come from? Doing some Google researched revealed that the phrase is attributed to King Frederick of Prussia in 1789. It is claimed that he said, “the only, absolute and best friend that a man has, in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him, is his Dog.” If that is true, what are the actual benefits of owning a dog. This post will explore this topic.
Physical Health Benefits of owning a dog
We all know that most all dogs like to romp around, and be active. If you are like me, and work at a computer all day, you sit most of the day. By owning a dog, you will be more likely to exercise more just by taking
the dog on walks after work, or before work, or during lunch times. A dog will help keep you moving and active.
When I googled health benefits of owning a dog, I found this interesting tidbit. “Research suggests dog ownership may improve heart health, decrease depression, and even help you live longer – it’s a symbiotic relationship that has been as beneficial for humans, as much as our canine companions. And it’s a bond that stretches back at least 15,000 years.
We all know that dogs like to walk, and that we should be walking too. Having a dog can help your physical body, if you decide and act on walking with your dog. Speaking of walking your dog. Let your dog be on your left side, or behind you. Never let them lead you by being out in front of you. Not only can’t you control your dog as well when its out front, but it will think it is the lead dog and you are the pack. You want to be the lead or Alpha dog in your dog’s family. It will help them fit into your family life better.
Mental Health Benefits of owning a dog
Dogs think of you as their family. They will love you, protect you and sense when you need to be uplifted. You have heard of “diabetic dogs?” They can sense when their owner’s blood sugar starts to fall. They bark and gets the owner’s attention, so that he or she will do something about their blood sugar.
It is widely believed that interacting with dogs helps with depression and anxiety. By rubbing a dog’s fur, the human can be soothed. Dogs have a zest for life and will keep us in the present moment, so that we will not have time to ruminate about the past, or about what could have been. Dogs keep out minds and thoughts on them, and on the world around us.
By improving your mental health, dogs can make your life better, and longer. When I googled this topic, I found out more information about this from reading an article on Google by Lee Sargent, dated June 18, 2021. In the article on “A Man’s Best Friend,” he says that because a dog can help with mental concerns and with physical concerns, that dog ownership creates a 24% reduced risk of all causes of mortality. He further says that this is explained by an increase in physical activity and a decrease in depression and loneliness. Dogs truly can make us both healthier and happier.
Dogs can teach us a thing or two
Knowing your dog is the beginning of having a relationship with your dog. You’ve got to know what makes them tick. This will produce in you new skills in relationship building, being more sensitive to their needs, and knowing what they like and don’t like. Not only will you learn new things by reading up on your dog’s breed, or about dogs in general or dog training, your daily experiences with your dog will teach you many things.
For example, I know what time exactly Tina wants to eat a meal. It’s like clock work. If I am busy and don’t feed her at 6pm, she comes around and nudges and whines a little bit to me. She is telling me its time to eat. I know when she needs to go to the bathroom. I know when she is afraid. I know when she is happy and just needs some extra attention. Dogs are easy to read and learn. You just need to hang out with them and get to know them, what they like, dislike and what they want.
Dogs can love us and do many things for us
Dogs offer no pressure to perform. They love you like you are with messy hair and all. All they want to do is to be around you and love you. What could be better than that? I will even be bold enough to say that dogs can show you more love at times than humans can. Yes, other humans will judge us, be mean to us, cuss us out, text bad things to us, and make us feel angry and hurt. Dogs don’t text or cuss you out. They just want to be loved and to love you.
Humankind has had relationships with dogs for centuries. We have taught dogs how to do the work that we need done, but don’t want to do. They catch critters for us, they bark and protect the house, they offer a loving embrace to new friends. In fact, that is why there are so many dog breeds. They were bred for a specific purpose. The terrier breed was made to be an earth dog, to go after critters and rid the place of mice, rodents, squirrels, you name it. The hunting dog was bred to be alert, use their nose to its full capacity as well as their eyes to find the quarry. The Lab was bred to bring back ducks from the pond after they had been shot. Dogs have many useful skills, but none is better than just plain loving us back.
If you want to teach your dog some new skills and tricks, why not get some books on dog training or take a dog class. I took Tina through the Canine Good Citizenship class and we learned more about each other. I think anytime we can create new learning adventures with our dogs, it brings us closer together as a pack.
Conclusion
Dogs do many things for us. Their main goal, no matter what the breed is to love us. Remember, up above, I said dogs can teach us about many things? Well my dog just made a noise and it is 6pm. She is ready to eat so I better go and feed her. If you have a dog, enjoy them. If you don’t have a dog, get one. Its as simple as that. I hope you agree with me that there are many benefits of owning a dog.