There’s a mental health tool more powerful than most apps, journals, or breathing exercises. Your dog uses it constantly without even thinking about it.
Most people walk right past this moment dozens of times a day. They see their dog doing it, they might even smile at it, but they never stop to realize what’s actually happening or why it matters. Scientists have studied this simple behavior for years, and the results are remarkable. It lowers cortisol, improves sleep quality, resets your nervous system, and creates genuine emotional balance. The best part? You don’t need to learn anything new. You just need to notice what your dog is already showing you.
In this article, you’ll discover the exact mental health trick your dog has been demonstrating all along and why pairing it with your pet makes it even more effective. You’ll learn how to turn this into a daily ritual that takes less than five minutes, requires zero equipment, and actually works when you need to feel calmer and more grounded. Your dog has been the teacher this whole time. You’re about to become the student.
Budget Tip:
There's only an upside to practicing gratitude with your dog daily. It helps you to be more positive, improve your overall health, and even decrease your fatigue. Yet, you don't need to spend a cent. Plus, you get to bond with your dog. This is a major win-win for you and your dog!
What does it mean to practice daily gratitude?
It simply means you are expressing a sense of thanksgiving for a person, space, thing, or whatever. You find different items to be grateful for each day. Such as a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning dog walk.
Or it can be more complex or intimate. Perhaps something like “I’m grateful for my partner’s love and support on the days when I don’t love myself.”
That sounds easy enough. But is there any real benefit to having a sense of gratitude or expressing your gratefulness?
Benefits of Daily Gratitude
Yes, there are many benefits to being grateful. They generally fall into five main categories:
- Emotional – a greater feeling of happiness
- Social – improve relationships
- Personality – better outlook on life
- Career – reduces stress
- Health – overall better physical health
Intrigued by the positive impacts of gratitude? Here’s one more to think about.
Daily Gratitude Changes the Brain
“It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.” ~ Positive Psychology
By being grateful and having an optimistic outlook, you activate the “feel good” hormones. Moreover, the chemical makeup of your brain is changed in a positive way. Now, how’s that for some good medicine?
The Mindfulness Awareness Research Center of UCLA stated that gratitude does change the neural structrues in the brain, and makes us feel happier and more content. Feeling grateful and appreciating others when they do something good for us triggers the ‘good’ hormones and regulates effective functioning of the immune system. ~ Positive Psychology
What are the benefits that a dog provides to its human?
Dogs provide a multitude of benefits to their owners. Here are just a few of the top ones:
1. Keep dog parents active and moving
2. Give their humans a profound purpose
3. Provide a bouncing board and someone to talk to, which can enhance brain power
4. Social butterfly for the dog parent – make friends with people otherwise dog parent wouldn’t know
5. Reduce dog parent’s level of stress
How do I practice daily gratitude with my dog?
Here are a few dog gratitude examples:
I’m grateful …
- for your wet nose alarm in the morning.
- you picked me to be your family.
- we get to walk together every day.
- you show me how to see joy in simple things such as throwing a ball.
- for petting your soft fur.
- you don’t pee in the house anymore.
- for your carefree attitude toward life. I learn a lot from you.
- you’re willing to share your life with me.
- that when I need you somehow you’re always around.
- you love to be hugged and loved.
Of course, you don’t need to use any of these. Think of these as a sort of brainstorming list of gratitude thoughts. You can create your own and then expand on it. I like to use at least three statements of gratitude to start my day, with my dog, Henry.
However, you can state a lot more. I often do even, especially if I’m feeling down and need extra help.
Moreover, I’ll specifically look for things that I’m grateful for to remind myself of everything amazing in my life. It’s a trick I use to shift out of a little dip into a blue state.
But, don’t forget all the other things even beyond your dog and pet that you are grateful for each day. It could include:
- The sun beating on your face
- Your child’s drawing
- The wind whips through your hair
- Your spouse’s touch as you run out the door
- A favorite song on the radio as you run errands
These are all things to be grateful for every day.
How do I express daily gratitude?
There are many ways to express gratitude. Each is valid. You will need to find what works best for you.
1. Verbal
Basically, this means saying what you are grateful for out loud. It doesn’t necessarily have to be to the person. It just has to be out loud so YOUR brain hears it. However, there are added benefits when you express gratitude to your person or furry friend. The best benefit is that you feel the gratitude returned to you.
2. Journal
Writing what you are grateful for allows your brain to absorb your gratitude on another level. Additionally, journaling or writing your gratitude provides a great documentation of your gratitude at a certain moment. Moreover, you can go back and review your journal for a boost when you may be feeling blue.
3. Thank you notes
This is a combination of verbal and journaling. This expression of gratitude is to a person. While you can’t go back and review it later or receive additional gratitude from writing it, the person who receives it can get a deeper sense of your gratitude. It will provide that person a boost to their self-esteem.
4. Gratitude jar
Personally, I love gratitude jars. These are little time capsules. If you write what you are grateful for on a small note and put it into a jar (like a mason jar), then you can pull it out anytime you feel down and need a pick-me-up.
A gratitude jar is especially great to open on New Year’s to review the year in gratitude. I also make a note of how many times my dog or other animals pop up in my jar. It always makes me smile and often giggle.
Whichever way you express your daily gratitude the key is to be consistent. In other words, do it every day. If you opt for a journal or gratitude jar, I always recommend reviewing them at least at the end of the year.
Most people get melancholy at the end of each year, but a quick review of your gratitude journal or jar will make you realize that the year wasn’t so bad. It will also give you added hope for the new year. Even a review of a difficult week will show you that you had a lot to be grateful for during the week.
This article details how to create a gratitude jar or dog journal jar.
Should kids practice gratitude daily?
The benefits to children who practice gratitude daily with their parents are amazing.
Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, is considered an expert in the scientific world of gratitude. Dr. Emmons notes that children who practice gratitude experience significant benefits, including being optimistic, kind, physically healthier, less stressed, able to handle stress better, sleeping well, and can live up to 7 years longer. Those are some amazing benefits! This is certainly a ringing endorsement for kids, even young kids, to practice daily gratitude.
Still, stumped where to start? No need to worry.
Here’s a very easy way for you and your family to begin a practice of daily gratitude with your dog.
Related Articles:
- Why Your Brain Needs Dog Self-Talk
- Ways to Destress Quickly With Your Dog
- Got a Dog Journal Jar? Creative Journaling!
- Happy Dog Hiking Trails Without Back Pain
- Quick Simple Dog Massage Therapy at Home
Tails Wag With Dog Daily Gratitude
When you combine daily gratitude benefits in general, with those benefits of a dog, you have a powerful combination. Moreover, there is no age limitation to practicing gratitude. In fact, the earlier you start with a gratitude practice, the better. The benefits are wide and long-lasting.
While you don’t need to limit yourself to being grateful for only your dog or pet, it’s a good jumping-off point each day, especially since a wet nose is generally most pet parents’ morning alarm.
Although, at the end of the day you can take a couple of minutes to reflect on all you were grateful from the time your furry buddy woke you.
Additionally, helping your children begin their practice is a great idea. Kids can start with as simple as pictures and talking.
In a nutshell, or dog cookie, gratitude is free, has no negative side effects, and it’s easy. What more could anyone want?
