I love dogs.  I’m sure it’s very subtle, given my Instagram feed, but I truly love them.  Over the last 5 years, I’ve fostered almost 20 dogs and am proud to say that I’ve personally gotten 12 of them adopted.  Just over a year ago, I fostered the cutest, funniest, and most asshole-ish (at times) dog I could have hoped for, and I fell in love with him within the first 2 days I had him. So I adopted him. Never would I have thought that I could learn about human interaction or social dynamics from a dog, but that’s exactly what happened.  Here are 3 things I’ve learned from my dog in the last year.

Play well with others, but set boundaries

If there’s one thing you see at the dog park often, it’s dogs play-fighting and chasing one another around the dog park. Generally everything is fine, but often enough, there are times where things get out of hand or one dog might go too far and play a little too rough. This is where it gets interesting. The dog who is being pushed too far can either run away or snap at them.  Some owners freak out when the dogs snap at other dogs, and to be sure, if a dog does so unnecessarily, that’s behavior to be corrected.  However, when it’s in response to another dog being too aggressive, it’s just setting boundaries, and most dogs will retreat when they receive pushback like that.  The important thing to note is to always try to be friendly, open, and gregarious, but you need to teach people how to treat you.

Get out of the house and be in nature

Getting exercise is an important part of a dog’s life. When we go to the dog park, though, it’s not just running around that he wants (which is certainly one thing he wants). He always pulls toward a trail that goes through the woods. Why? Exercise? Sure. But if it was just exercise, then why the trail? Why the woods? He hasn’t told me directly yet, but I like to think that he just loves walking in nature and being in his natural habitat. There’s a certain peace of mind that comes with taking walks among the green, and dogs are not encumbered by the lack of self-awareness that we humans create for ourselves.  

Be authentic

Dogs are some of the purest beings in existence. They show their love for their owners without any reservations. They bug you when they’re hungry, wag their tails when they’re happy, and sigh and sleep when they’re tired. It’s not a wonder what dogs are thinking or feeling. We humans are so preoccupied with looking good or keeping up appearances that we are so often inauthentic, even with those we care about. We don’t ask for or let others know what we want, and then we wonder why we don’t get it. You don’t have to necessarily wear your feelings on your sleeve but be authentic to who you are and what you’re feeling, and what you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, there’s a lot we can learn from animals, particularly dogs. Their authenticity especially is to be appreciated and emulated. Authenticity, if nothing else, is the key to happiness.