My mom just finished a five part series on how to stay motivated daily and I wanted to share the five things that motivate me every day.
You might be thinking what does a dog need motivation for? If you hadn’t realized, we have some very important jobs to do. It takes dedication and constant motivation to maintain such a strong work ethic day in and day out.
What exactly is a dog’s job? Read on!
We are very loving and loyal beings who instinctively sense when our humans are happy or sad, when they are excited and ready for a fun filled day or when they aren’t feeling their best and need some down time. We know when they need extra love and when they need us to remind them to take a break and go outside for a walk.
Dogs are always ready to jump in the car for a ride and are willing to swim in that cold lake or ocean water to fetch the stick that you’ve thrown for the tenth time because it makes you happy (Brrrrrr!!). Don’t get me wrong, I think I speak for most dogs when I say that fetching sticks makes us happy too. But sometimes that water is dang cold!
Another important job that dogs do every day is guarding the house and yard. You never know when the mail carrier or UPS/FedEx driver might try something sneaky.
And don’t forget about the garbage man! That truck will one day cause irreparable harm to our trash can and you’ll feel bad for telling me to stop yelling at him to be careful every week.
So you see, dogs work hard all day keeping an eye on things around the house and making sure you, our humans, are well and sometimes we need a little motivation to keep it up. So here is my list of things that motivate me to keep doing the things that I do best. Note they are in no particular order. I love all of these things!
Number one: Food
I’m not talking about my usual breakfast and dinner. I’m talking about TREATS! I know if I sit still and let mom cut my nails I’ll get a treat for being good. If I eat all my food at mealtime, I get a treat for dessert. Sometimes, my friend’s mom brings treats to the park and I get one just because. If I do good during my training I’ll get a treat too. Then there’s the special treats. I don’t get these all the time, but sometimes I get a little cheese or popcorn if mom is having a snack. So food is definitely one of my top five motivators.
Number two: Daily walks
I love to go for walks and I’m very lucky because we go out every day and spend time outside. Usually I get to visit with my friends on these walks (I have 2 Doberman BFFs in case you didn’t know). It’s great to get out and check my p-mail, catch up on what the Dobies have been up to, occasionally find something stinky to eat or roll in, and go poop in the wild outdoors. Well, not too wild really. I’m currently a city dog but you get the point. And our walks usually include my #3 top motivator ….
Number three: Playing fetch
I love to play fetch and my all time favorite toy is my squirrel. The moms like to save that for winter when throwing a ball in the snow is a little challenging but we’ve been playing with it all summer so far and I love it! I’m starting to snatch it out of the air and my moms seem to really like it when I do that. I guess I’ll practice harder and get better for them.
Number four: Swimming
I am so happy when we are out for an adventure and I see a lake or river that I can get in. There’s almost no stopping me and I’m usually in before anyone can say “good dog”! I enjoy fetching sticks that the moms throw for me and it feels so good to shake off when I’m done. I like to roll in the sand or dirt afterwards but that doesn’t make my moms happy so I try not to do that, but sometimes I can’t help myself!
Number five: The hose
I can hear the hose turn on even if I am sound asleep in the house and will go crazy begging to go out and play in it! Most times I have to wait until my mom is done watering first but sometimes she turns the hose on just for me to play and that’s the best! Running and jumping trying to bite the water makes me so very happy.
The next time you think that you’re just doing a routine thing like going for a walk with your dog, stop and realize that for us these little things are really big things and we love it when you want to spend time with us and give us some extra attention. It’s these “small” things that motivate us to keep doing the things we do – keep an eye on the house, make sure you are OK, and loving you unconditionally.
Thanks for reading. I’ll talk to you soon.
Love, Bayley
akaTheGirls 