Episode #198 Dogs & Loving Affection

Experience the transformative power of the bond between humans and dogs as we explore the profound emotional connections these furry companions bring into our lives. Dogs don't just warm our hearts; they help lower stress levels, release feel-good hormones, and teach us invaluable lessons in empathy, commitment, and responsibility. Join me, Amy Jensen, in this episode of the Puppy Training Podcast, as we uncover how dogs' genuine affection and simple gestures can enhance family dynamics, boost self-esteem in children, and offer comfort during life's challenging moments. Discover heartwarming tales of loyalty, companionship, and the nonjudgmental support dogs offer that truly go beyond words.

Chapters

• 0:00 Dogs and Loving Affection
• 6:46 Lessons in Love From Dogs

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Puppy Training Podcast, episode 198, dogs and Loving Affection. This podcast is designed to help you on your journey of becoming best friends through love and learning, as you train your own dog from home, and I'm here to help you every step of the way. This is the Puppy Training Podcast and I'm your host, amy Jensen, every step of the way. This is the puppy training podcast and I'm your host, amy Jensen. Hello everybody, thank you for listening to the podcast. Today. We are talking about love, we're talking about affection and we're talking about dogs and why they're so good at it and what we as humans can learn from them. I think they teach us lots of lessons good ones. So I'm glad you're here. Let's jump right right into it.

Speaker 1: 0:43

We know dogs are highly empathetic animals. They can sense our emotions, so they see our smiling face and they can interpret what that means. They see our grumpy faces. They can also interpret what that means, so they can feel our sadness, our stress, maybe joy, or they can often respond with comforting behavior. So, unlike people who might withhold affection due to pride, anger, frustration, I find that dogs are largely free from such emotional complexities. They don't seem to hold grudges and they seem to forgive and forget easily, which makes their love appear limitless and a little more pure. That said, it seems trust is important in order for them to show affection. So it is really necessary that they trust the person and then affection comes. Now, all dogs are unique individuals and some may show more affection than others. So if you're listening today and you're like, ah, my dog's not as affectionate as you're making it sound, that's pretty normal too. But in general, you know, if you're having a bad day, our dogs just seem to notice, they seem to understand it, they seem to want to come and comfort us. Uh, they seem to be able to read our body language and our facial cues pretty well. I'm super impressed with it. I find that with families, these dogs are amazing. The more families I work with and the more people talk to me about their dogs and all of the benefits and the reasons why they love having a dog. Uh, it just reemphasizes to me about their dogs and all of the benefits and the reasons why they love having a dog. Uh, it just reemphasizes to me that the presence of a dog and the love that they can offer can be incredibly beneficial for a family.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Now, one major advantage is the emotional support dogs provide. For instance, let's say there's some stress happening at your house. The calming presence of a dog can reduce anxiety. It can create a sense of peace within a household. Families with dogs often report lower stress levels, as even just petting a dog can trigger the release of oxytocin, which is a hormone linked to love and bonding.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Additionally, dogs help build a sense of responsibility in both children and adults. Right Now, make sure you get the dog with the full understanding that you might be in charge of the dog, especially if you have kids that are begging you to get one. If mom and dad are not on board, it's not a good idea, in my opinion, but definitely get the kids involved if they want to be involved Now. Taking care of a pet teaches commitment. It teaches kids compassion and empathy, how to care for someone other than themselves, which I think is a great lesson to teach our youth as family members learn to care for dog's needs. They're looking outward, right, they're turning outward because so much of the world is me, me, me or I, I, I, right. So I love to teach my kids how to look at another living creature, empathize with them, take care of them, show compassion towards them. Now, in turn, our dog's consistent love offers comfort, boosts self-esteem, especially in kids. For example, a child who feels misunderstood or anxious may find solace in their dog who will offer companionship without judgment. We find this when we take dogs in to do reading programs. So dogs who go to elementary schools and help kids read it can help that child feel confident in their reading skills to have the dog listening to them, because the dog is a nonjudgmental being listening to them. So instead of having a human listening that might cast judgment on how they read or their lack of skills, or they feel that pressure to perform, the dog doesn't have any of that and the child is just excited to read to them. So we see that reading scores go up because that dog who offers that companionship without judgment.

Speaker 1: 4:07

Dogs also help strengthen family bonds. A dog's loyalty to the family as a whole encourages group activities like walks, playtime or even shared responsibility for the feeding and care of the dog. And these moments can create opportunities in our homes for family members to connect with each other, which can reduce isolation and fostering a stronger family unit. Right, if you're like me, everyone in the home has a device and sometimes we've got to get off our devices and I find that dogs can be a great reason to do that. So let's go on a walk with the dogs. Hey, the dogs need to go outside and play fetch. Our dogs will even bring you a toy, like Baxter, for example, loves tug. He'll bring his toy over to you and kind of bump your leg Like hey, let's play, let's activity at hand here. I've seen personal examples of this in my own family.

Speaker 1: 4:50

Consider someone going through a difficult time like the loss of a loved one. We experienced this in my family in the last year and in these moments a dog's unconditional love and presence can provide immense comfort. My mom has told me multiple times how Maggie will come over, sense that she's sad and just lick her tears and she just knows. She just knows to climb in her lap and that she just needs some extra love. So they're simple, nonverbal expressions of affection, like laying their head on your lap or gently nudging a family member for attention. These can all offer solace that sometimes words just cannot. The consistent love a dog gives during grief can help family members cope and heal more effectively. My mom has told me again about the blessings of having Maggie as far as waking up in the morning and there's someone there to talk to, there's someone there to care for, there's someone there to go on walks with during the day. They just offer that companionship that's so missed when we're going through a hard time.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Similarly, for families with children who have special needs, service dogs can make a significant difference. These dogs are trained to offer emotional support. Maybe they are trained to calm anxiety, do some deep tissue pressure therapy and even help with specific tasks. The bond between a child with autism, for instance, and their service dog is often life-changing, as the dog's presence can help the child navigate social situations and provide comfort during overwhelming moments. You know we've been told before that my child wasn't able to go to the grocery store and now that we have the service dog with us, we can all go to the store as a family things like that that these dogs are just really good at.

Speaker 1: 6:17

Now what can we learn from dogs? I believe dogs have much to teach us about love. One of the most important lessons is forgiveness. Dogs don't seem to dwell on mistakes or hold grudges. If I put them in the pen and I leave for a little bit and I come back, they're excited to see me. They're not mad that I left right. They focus on the present, not the past. So if a family member is upset or busy, the dog remains ready and eager to give the love the moment that they're ready. In this way, dogs show us the value of living in the present and again letting go of past conflicts.

Speaker 1: 6:46

Dogs demonstrate the importance of showing affection without reservation. They don't withhold it from us. If they want to show it to us, they show it to us. So, whether through a playful nudge, maybe they're wagging tail, maybe they want to sit by your side or they want to play a game with you, dogs are constantly offering attention. Uh, as needed.

Speaker 1: 7:04

Now, humans often hesitate Maybe. Maybe we withhold our affection or we fear rejection, or maybe we misinterpret something. But by adopting a dog's openness, we can strengthen our relationship with others and how we treat them. Lastly, dogs remind us that love is about presence, not perfection. So a dog's loyalty does not depend on whether I'm having a good day, if I'm super wealthy or if I'm a successful person. Right, they don't really care about any of those things. Their love is unchanging, regardless of my life situation. This can teach us to focus less on external achievements and more on being there for the people that we love, offering them support with, again out judgment or expectations.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Sometimes we as humans, tend to have high expectations and we can, either intentionally or unintentionally, cast judgments. So, in conclusion, you guys, let's learn a little bit about love from our dogs. Let's see what they can teach us this week about it. Let's just kind of observe them, notice how they act, how they reciprocate feelings towards us. You know it brings numerous benefits to the families and to have dogs, from emotional support to fostering responsibility and building stronger bonds. By observing the ways dogs forgive, they offer affection freely and they remain loyal regardless of circumstances, we can learn valuable lessons about how to be more loving, more supportive in our own relationships. All right, you guys, have a great week and happy training. If you have a question about anything you heard on this podcast or any other puppy training question, visit my site, baxter and Bellacom, to contact me.