Why A Dog Can Be Great For Your Mental Health

Do you remember a year ago?  That’s right, just a year ago, you may have been looking forward to a relaxing summer vacation, working on a promotion, or maybe carrying out some home improvements. Fast forward to now and life has changed. The Covid-19 crisis is still here even though vaccines are now being rolled out. Job stability is still shaky, if you’re lucky enough to still have your job. And trying to plan for the future still feels quite impossible. No wonder many of us feel worried and anxious.

If you are working from home, you no longer have the office camaraderie that you enjoyed and you might feel a little cut off from the outside world. Rolling news channels and social media are doing little to quell your anxieties so you need something else to give you a boost. This is where a canine companion can help. Dogs are incredible creatures and can form such a tight bond with you to help relieve your anxieties and stress. Take a look at why welcoming a dog into your home could do wonders for your mental health. 

Exercise

A dog, no matter the shape, size or age, will require exercise. Welcoming a mutt into your home will see you getting outdoors more than ever before. Your mental health can suffer acutely when you are indoors all the time. The monotony of the same four walls can give you cabin fever. However, when you feel low or down, finding the motivation to get outside can be limited. A dog will give you that motivation and more. If a puppy needs to go outside, he will certainly let you know.

Being outdoors can help your mental health. Take your dog for some long walks in nature and enjoy being surrounded by greenery. It is scientifically proven that being outside, soaking up the the sun, and breathing fresh air into your lungs can lower your blood pressure and boost your mood. Your endorphins will be released and the happy hormone, dopamine, can negate the effects of your stress hormone, cortisol. Nature has positive energy boosters that can help your mind focus on the here and now rather than what may or may not happen in the future.

Exercising with a dog is fun. You could jog through the park together, play fetch and have some fun kicking a ball around with your loving four-legged friend. Exercising allows you to feel better about yourself and will help you to eat better and feel more conscious of your health decisions.

Training

Having a dog gives you a new focus. By doing something new and novel, your thoughts will be taken away from the negative and focus on your pooch. Training is a vital aspect of your dog’s behavior, no matter what breed he is. Ensure that you do some research online.  A page like https://www.puppytrainedright.com/site/online-puppy-training-course for example, and sign up for a fully online training course. This will empower you to help your dog learn great behavior and respond to commands. The last thing you want is for your dog to spy a squirrel and launch himself at it, meaning that he has zero recall or focus on coming back to you. Instead, a training course can empower you to be the leader of the pack.

Complete the online training with positive reinforcement tactics and watch the bond that you have with your furry pal grow even stronger. Having this little creature that relies on you for everything can help you to feel more positive and more connected to the world. Having a newfound focus and another energy in the home can relieve anxieties and stress.

Consider the sort of breeds that you would like and which will suit your needs best, such as the ones listed at https://www.dog-breeds-expert.com/calm-dog-breeds. If you are a relaxed and laid back sort of individual, you need a dog to match. A hyperactive Jack Russell will stress you out and a virtually untrainable and highly strung Bedlington terrier will heighten your anxieties rather than relieve them. Opt for a pup that is chilled out, great with people, and relatively easy to train. Depending on size requirements, a Labrador retriever, a border terrier or a pug could be ideal.

Socializing

While we are not allowed to be physically close to our loved ones at the moment, we don’t have to be totally antisocial. Zoom meetings only go so far in helping us to feel less isolated and alone. While you can meet online with pals every week for a quiz and you can Whatsapp friends and family all the time, human contact is still missing.

When you have a dog, you will find yourself in the park seeing a lot of the same faces every day. With like-minded fellow dog owners, you will end up striking up a conversation and getting to know the miniature schnauzer owner from a few doors down and the labrador owner from across the road. Setting up play dates for your pooches means your dogs get to enjoy a run around while you can chat with other human beings, at a safe social distance of course. A dog really can be the key to helping you to open up new social channels and expand your social circle. This human contact can help relieve anxiety and help keep your mental health in check.

Welcoming a dog into your home needs to go beyond your requirements. Yes, you may see a pooch as helping with your mental health and companionship, but you also need the long term commitment to love and care for a dog. This creature will be a new member of your family and you will love him to bits. The bond you create will go above and beyond a mental health crutch and he will be one of the most life affirming and positive relationships you ever foster. If you have the time, money and energy, there’s no better time to welcome the patter of tiny paws into your home.