Our dogs can teach us so many life lessons—some might not impact us right away and others will hit us like a lightning strike. Walks are something we, as dog owners, might take for granted, letting it become a second-nature part of life.

But over the years, walking my dog has taught me some fine lessons. Some might seem obvious, but others, not so much. Each relationship of the canine-human kind is unique, and we will all draw different lessons from the situations we are in.

The 8 Lessons Walking My Dog Taught Me About Life

1. Take It Slow

I am always running around and never quite timing things correctly. Amid my stressful time management downfalls, walking my dog taught me that for just a brief few minutes of the day, I can be completely in the zone.

There’s nothing wrong with just taking it easy on a walk with your dog.  It can remind you to just take a deep breath and let go of the day. You have those moments where it’s just you, your dog, and the quietness or bustling of all things around you.

Stress is real, and the combination of spending time with your best friend and the outdoors can really do a lot for you emotionally, physically, and even spiritually.

2. It’s the Simple Things

My dog can walk around leisurely and just let go. He can take time to smell the roses, literally. I remember walking alongside my dog, watching as he seemed mesmerized by everything around him. It’s like a baby seeing something magical.

It reminds you that life is full of awe and wonder if you take the time to experience it. When you take your dog out, they will notice every little squirrel, bee, and movement around them. If you take time to focus on exactly everything happening around you, you can relax into it.

3. Excitement Is Okay No Matter the Occasion

Have you ever seen the way that your dog lights up and almost loses control of their body every single time you get ready to go on a walk? This showed me that we can have the same excitement about the normal, everyday mundane things that we do.

Every person who wakes up has at least one thing they can be grateful for, even in the grimmest times. Seeing my dog light up has literally taught me to try to get excited even about the things that I consider to be annoying, daunting tasks I do every single day.

4. Be Silly If You Feel It

I never see my dog turn down a chance to be goofy. The occasion doesn’t matter; he seems perfectly content just being himself. Maybe that’s why it’s so important to truly feel the sillies when they creep up—in public or otherwise.

There’s nothing wrong with being a little silly, even if others can see. Your dog might have taught you to play at opportunistic times or live in the moment.

5. No One Has Your Back Like Your Dog

If you’ve ever been on a walk with your dog, they might have run to your rescue a time or two to protect you against another approaching dog, a suspicious stranger, or anything else they perceive as a threat, even if it isn’t really one.

It is very rewarding to know that no matter the situation, your dog is right there to protect you. Even if they can’t do much, their willingness to stand by your side speaks volumes. It’s very rare that you find the amount of loyalty that a dog is willing to give you in a human being.

6. The A.M. Isn’t So Bad

I can’t count how many times I have angrily tossed off my covers, put on my shoes, grabbed my coat, and slung the leash off the wall getting ready to take my dog outside at what I considered far too early in the morning.

But I also can’t count the times that I have been walking my dog and seeing something that I would never have seen if I had been inside in bed. There’s something so beautiful about early mornings.

The wildlife seems to emerge, everything is still quiet, and the world seems to be a very different place when it’s early. If it weren’t for my dog waking me up, I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of watching a foggy landscape set over the horizon or a pair of birds fluttering overhead.

Sometimes it’s taking that step outside of your usual realm into nature that can really just satisfy the heart.

7. Walks May Be Better Than Toys!

If you and your dog sit down and have a discussion, it’s probably a pretty hot debate. Which one is better? Toys or walks? Because most dogs have such wanderlust and a sense of adventure, most of them would probably agree walks are the best.

However, there are those dogs that just can’t get enough of their toys. I know that my dog certainly has a hard time deciding which one he likes more, so I always make sure to incorporate both when I can.

8. Many Strangers Are Friends

It’s hard to get through a day without being suspicious of strangers around us. It seems the world has made many of us cold, realizing how evil the world can seem to be. But our dogs don’t see it that way. They love all people, no matter what.

Granted, some breeds are much more suspicious of strangers. But for the most part, our dogs can see the good in people and meet them where they are.

I can’t count the times I have been led to an irreplaceable conversation because my dog dragged me into an encounter with a perfect stranger. I’ve also gotten to meet some pretty cool canines along the way, too.

Conclusion

We learn a lot about ourselves through the eyes of our canine. Sometimes, even the most simple or mundane tasks can do so much for us and the relationship we have with our fluffy companions.

If we lived life like our dogs do, we would probably be a lot happier as people. I’ve never seen any joy quite like the happiness my dog experiences on a daily basis.

• See Also: 10 Life Lessons We Can Learn from Dogs

Featured Image Credit: alexei_tm, Shutterstock