Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Dogs instinctively understand that there is much they can learn from humans. Only the wisest humans understand they have just as much to learn from dogs.”

When I was a kid, I forever pestered my parents for a dog, but we never got one. They’d tell me they were hard work, that they’d need walking in all weathers, that someone would need to pick up their poo. And would I really do all those things? Absolutely yes I would, I said. To be honest, back then I just wanted a dog because they were fluffy and cute and would be an extra playmate.

As I look back to that time, sitting in my own house with a sleeping Golden Retriever at my feet, I’m glad I waited and I’m glad my parents didn’t give in. Because right now, I am so appreciative of my dog. I cherish every single moment she’s in our lives and I learn so much from her every day, things I never expected. But I also know I’ve got so much more to learn, and picking up this book was one of the best things I could have done when it comes to making the most of every day. Dogs are the best. Literally, the best. I am SO happy to be sharing my review of Be As Happy As Your Dog!

About the book

What if you could take the same joyful approach to life as your dog? Dogs enjoy whatever comes their way – a chance to play, walk, eat, cuddle, or sleep. They’re always ready to show you how happy they are and how much they enjoy being with you. They aren’t busy fretting over things that happened in the past or that might happen in the future. A dog’s default position is to be happy-right here, right now.

Be as Happy as Your Dog explains how people can learn to enjoy life like dogs do. By bringing together the wisdom of dog behavior experts and leaders in the growing field of positive psychology, it reveals easy changes you can make to level up your happiness immediately, and make it last.

Introduction

Straight away, the author describes what we can expect to learn from this book and gives a brief introduction to a ton of experts that have played a part in its creation. This number is staggering! Psychologists and dog trainers, some of who already have their very own published works, have all given their insights and thoughts on different areas of the book. This gave me so much confidence that this wasn’t “just another self-help book”. There was time, research and so much thought put into every section to make it actually worthwhile, something we can really learn from. And to me, that’s a huge thing. Of course, the stars of the show, the author’s two dogs Marlowe and Nuka are also introduced, and their stories really tugged at my heart. When I started reading the chapters, I was surprised at how much I could relate to the points made. I definitely feel on auto-pilot a lot and I always seem to put off doing the thing I want to do because ‘now is not the best time’. The way the author changes your mindset is quite surprising!

The middle

I had a constant smile on my face with each chapter I read, not only from reading paragraphs from a dog’s perspective (which was just too cute) but from the words of wisdom, the explanations for my own thoughts and feelings. It was amazing just how much I said to myself, “Yep, that’s me all over,” how much I realised I was habouring somewhat unhealthy thoughts and habits. The way these ‘lessons’ were written were easy to digest and even easy to implement. So easy in fact that I was left thinking ,”Why aren’t I doing this already?!” After reading the Wag Your Tail chapter and those that followed, I immediately grabbed a spare notebook and began a kind of journal. I began noting down the positives I experienced every day, even on my bad days. Reading them back to myself before heading to bed each night was just the boost I needed. I also started observing my dog more, in her down time and while out on walks. The little joys for her have certainly become my own joys too!

“Playing is not wasted time – it’s important for stretching your brain in a different direction. When you take a break from a difficult task or problem and do something fun for a while, the solution often comes to you much faster.”

From making time for play amongst the busy hustle and bustle of life, surrounding yourself with good people and maintaining the right social connections, the book taught me a hell of a lot about keeping happy and comfortable. Even things such as ‘barking, not biting’, meaning speaking through things that are bothering you before they get worse and pinpointing the root cause of an issue before it grows into something unmanageable is just SO relatable to me! Dogs instinctively know how to manage these areas of socialisation, and it’s things like these that affect an awful lot of us. The author consistently lays out each of the chapters of the book and I found each section so invaluable. I especially liked hearing what the happiness experts had to say on each topic and I loved how thought-provoking and useful their comments were. Each chapter was an absolutely joy to experience and I took a lot from each one, the ‘Go for a walk‘ and ‘Play fetch‘ were the most memorable sections for me.

Conclusion

Be As Happy As Your Dog is a delightful and extremely helpful book about learning from your dog, improving your levels of happiness and overcoming challenges and obstacles to help you make the most of every day. The thorough research, expert opinions and encouraging words gave me reassurance and a smile, especially reading from a dog’s perspective. If you have a dog or even if you’re a dog lover, you’ll definitely resonate with this book as I did, and learn so much about dogs and their way of living. After reading this, it becomes so easy to incorporate some of these happy and crucially important behaviours into your own routine. Being introverted brings a lot of anxiety to my life, and the information in these chapters was something I could really benefit from. I’ll forever be grateful to Michelle for this!

You can grab your own copy of Be As Happy As Your Dog over on Amazon now, available on Kindle and in paperback. Make sure you’re following the book and author over on their website and Instagram for more updates (and cute dog pics!)

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