Dogs and people have a special bond. Not only have dogs worked for people, but they have an emotional dependence as well. Dogs improve our mood. Here are 5 ways dogs bring you peace.
5 Ways Dogs Bring You Peace
Today, dogs are an integral part of many people’s families. We care for them, feed them, and take time out of our days to groom them. Many people sacrifice their time and money to care for their dogs. And for the most part, this is because dogs bring us peace.
There is something special about dogs. Dogs can bring joy and peace into your home and into your life. But what is it about dogs that enrich our lives?
Dogs Help You Connect with Other People
Not only do dogs make great companions, but they can help you find new friends too. A dog attracts a lot of looks when out on a walk. Some people just can’t help but express how they feel when they see a dog. And the attention on them often gets transferred to their owner. Simply walking a dog helps in just getting social contact.
Even if your dog’s not drawing looks, many dog owners can form a friendship with other dog owners who share the same schedule. Dog owners usually keep their dogs on a schedule and often run into the same people day after day. This shared experience can help you to make friends and get to know each other. You can bond together while your “pup children” play together.
Dogs Keep You in The Moment
With our busy lives, we sometimes feel like we don’t have the luxury of slowing down. The good news is that a dog brings you peace by reminding you that you deserve to slow down. It’s hard when you have meetings, appointments, and everything else that comes with life to take a breather. But once you get in the door and you see how excited your dog is that you are home, it’s hard to put their needs off any longer.
Even just creating a normal schedule where you care for and exercise with your dog brings calm into what might have been an otherwise chaotic day. If this is your schedule, you will even look forward to these “meditations” you have with your dog.
Dogs Make Sure You Feel Loved
Seeing that wagging tail can help pull you out of a sour mood, but your dog can actually make you feel loved too. A 2015 study took a look at how people and dogs can interact. This study found that when dogs and humans interact and look each other in the eyes, it causes both parties to have an increase of oxytocin.
Oxytocin is also known as the “love drug.” It’s the same drug that mothers and infants produce when they look at each other. This study found that dogs and humans produce this drug when they gaze into each other’s eyes. Not only that, but continued gazing creates a feedback loop that can intensify the reaction as well.
Simply sitting, petting, and looking into your dog’s eyes can literally make you feel love, and there’s scientific proof to back it up.
Dogs Lower Your Stress
Not only does interacting with your dog make you feel loved, it can help lower your stress levels.
Petting your dog will raise your oxytocin levels and decrease your cortisol levels. Because of this decrease of the “stress hormone,” it has been found that interacting with a dog helps people recover from a stressful situation faster and lower your stress level overall.
Dogs Keep You Active
Dogs also help your physical fitness! Even the smallest of dogs need attention and physical exercise. Whether that is just playing catch in a long hallway or hiking miles at a time, a dog will get you off your feet and physically working more than you would have otherwise. When many people spend time sitting at a desk to work, that little extra boost of activity makes a big difference in your life.
Tips to Bring Your Dog Peace
Your dog brings you peace whether you realize it or not. How about bringing them some peace, too? Here are a few ways to put your dog at ease:
- Use a soft, calm tone of voice
- Be relaxed in your demeanor (hands at your sides, crouched to meet them or sit in a chair)
- Lots of belly rubs
- Keep to their routine to avoid stress
Dogs help improve our quality of life in so many ways. Be sure to take some time out of your day to show them just how much you care for them.