The Productivity Benefits Of Owning A dog.

I’ve been a dog owner since before I can remember. My parents always had dogs, and I got my first dog within 18 months of arriving in Korea 20 years ago.

There are many benefits to owning a dog, the unconditional love that dogs will give you, the most fantastic greeting when you come home from a tough day, and that warm, cuddly bundle of fluff that curls up next to you on cold winter nights.

But it’s not just these that make dog ownership such a pleasure. There are also some immensely productive benefits of having a dog in your life too. I will list these below.

You’re forced to get exercise every day

The biggest benefit of owning a dog is that even on the busiest days, I still need to find an hour to take my little boy out for a walk. No matter how busy or “urgent” a piece of work is. One hour of walking outside in nature allows my brain to calm down and for me to come up with amazingly creative solutions to whatever is bothering me or I am trying to resolve.

Without the responsibility of having to take your dog out for a walk each day, going outside and getting some exercise is one of the first things you will sacrifice when you have a busy, hectic day.

Dogs give you a healthy distraction.

There is so much talk about distractions being so destructive to your focus and productivity, yet, we can only focus for up to two or three hours at a time. When our brains become tired, we often reach for the easy distractions — social media, news, and other destructive distractions.

Dogs provide us with a healthy distraction. They need attention, they want to feel loved, and the way to do that is to play with them. I take breaks in my sessions of work to play with Louis. We go outside and play ball for 10 to 15 minutes or run around inside. These distractions are healthy. I’m not being triggered by negative news or other people’s opinions. I’m playing with a dog. What could be more joyful than giving your dog some time and attention?

Dogs help you to realise there’s more to life than work.

One of the beauties of being a dog owner is your dog will teach you that there is so much more to life than work and worry. No matter what your dog faces daily, they deal with it and get on with their lives. They don’t let things bother them or get stressed about little things. They focus on enjoying life.

In many ways, that’s been the biggest lesson I’ve learned from the dogs I’ve owned: they have taught me that life is to be lived and enjoyed, not to be worried and stressed about. It’s a great grounding lesson.

Be curious about everything.

If you’ve ever enjoyed spending time with a dog, you will notice that they are curious about everything. Now a dog’s primary sense is smell — while ours is sight — dogs will investigate everything. They want to know what something is and what it smells like, and they do it with enthusiasm.

We should be curious about everything to learn and become better people. It’s a great way to learn and one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from owning a dog: Be curious, not judgemental.

Don’t be judgemental or prejudiced.

I’ve never met a dog that cares about the colour of a person’s skin, whether in a wheelchair or male or female. Dogs don’t judge. They treat every person they come across the same way.

Perhaps dogs see all humans as a potential plaything. And maybe we should follow their example and treat any human being we meet as someone who could teach us things and improve our lives.

Being judgemental about others means we lose opportunities to learn, grow, and gain experience.

So, there you go, five things dogs have taught me that have made me a more fulfilled, productive person. Owning a dog has kept me grounded, creative and productive and, most of all, reduced stress.

Thank you for reading my stories! 😊

If you would like to receive all the productivity and time management content I create each week in one convenient email, you can subscribe to my weekly newsletter here

You can also learn more about what I do here on my website