Has getting a dog strengthened the bond between you and your partner? Check out these 10 Things a Dog Can Do for Your Relationship!
Our puppy comes home on Wednesday, but he’s already brought us so much closer as a couple. Maybe it’s that “next step” that couples experience when they hit a milestone in their relationship like moving in together, getting married, or having a baby. For us, there’s been so much excitement over welcoming our new family member. Becoming pet owners has definitely strengthened our bond in so many ways!
They cut the tension and stress. Have a bad day at work? Stressed to the max over daily struggles? Doesn’t really matter as much once the puppy banter begins! All of those happy little endorphins seems to get released and the tension gets whisked away once we start talking about the puppy.
They give you time to let loose and play. Last weekend, we got to meet our puppy and his brothers for the first time. There was nothing more fun than stepping into their play pen and getting a little playtime in with them. From belly rubs to tug toys, we had a blast!
They give you the feels. My husband isn’t one to put his emotions on display. While he may not be jumping up and down with excitement, this dog has brought this amazing sense of emotion out of him. He turned a little soggy when he first saw the puppies (total love at first sight!). More than half of our discussions our centered around the puppy now and he begins a lot of them. He’s excited and I can tell!
They get you to really listen to each other. And not just pretending to listen to one another! Communication is key in any relationship, but our conversations have taken a big turn in truly listening, understanding, and compromising depending on the situation. We’re making decisions together instead of just throwing an idea in the air and having the other person agree on it.
They get you to be more active. Dogs have a lot of energy to expend and puppies especially do. We’ve already reestablished a pretty active lifestyle, but once our puppy comes home we’ll be even more active with walks and playtime!
They get you to set out on new adventures. One of the things I cannot wait to do with our new puppy is discover new places to walk like we did last weekend after visiting with the pups. We took a drive to Merrill Creek Reservoir and did a lot of walking around.
They make you more aware of your surroundings. You know how couples baby-proof their house before baby comes? I’ve been in puppy nesting mode from the minute we put the official stamp on our journey to become puppy parents. We’ve reorganized a few things, stored things in the attic, and made sure there weren’t any real dangers our puppy could get into.
They don’t make you so squeamish. Dogs vomit. Poop happens. During a recent trip to visit my nieces, I ended up taking one of their dogs out to dirty. I grabbed a shopping bag and it didn’t even faze me to pick up nature’s little present. Better get used to it!
They get you to lighten up. I guess this kind of goes along with cutting tension and stress, but having something else to care about kind of makes you forget about all of those little things that nag at you. You’ll laugh more, joke more, and get over things in a shorter amount of time.
They fill your house with so much love. Maybe it’s that renewed and rediscovered bond or the attentiveness and the feels. All I know is that seeing this puppy parent side to my husband has made me fall in love with him all over again. I can’t wait for my heart to swell even more once we bring our puppy home. ♥
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