How many times have you heard someone say, "I've been working like a dog!" or "My boss is working me like a dog!" The idea is that if you want to be successful then you will be forced to work long hours doing something you don't like to do. Working like a dog sounds like a tiresome, serious, and joyless affair, without a hint of laughter, fun, or play.
However, before you ever use the phrase "work like a dog" again, take a moment to think about how your own dog actually spends his days. In actuality, your dog has a pretty good life, and it would be your lucky day if you could work like your dog! Everything is new, everything is exciting, everything is fun to your dog. Dogs are great role models for us to emulate on the job. They approach their lives not only with dedication, loyalty, discipline, sensitivity, and love, but also with joy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to see their work as play.
You can see how to have more fun at work on Matt's video Work Like Your Dog here:
I would highly recommend that you spend a few hours this week in the company of a dog, The first thing you will notice that the dog is constantly living in the present moment. Everything is of interest to her: the sights, the smells, the slightest movement in the world around her. Nothing seems boring, and every interaction with another being brings its own excitement. Anything that can bring her pleasure will bring her pleasure, including the pleasure of your company. Notice how good you feel around her--- how you are immediately filled with joy, tenderness, concentrated focus, laughter and excitement. Notice how she makes you smile, over and over again. That is exactly how other people can feel in your presence, as well, once you learn to go out there and work like your dog!
People often say humans have not changed much in hundreds of years, but our universal respect for dogs as sentient beings is a revolution in human attitude. People often still say "beat like a dog" too without thinking. The words linger on long after the behavior has changed.
Or... just maybe "work like a dog" comes from a time when many more humans worked with dogs every day for a living and those people did very well know how joyfully dogs worked. Perhaps the phrase is now negative because not too many of us still hunt birds or herd sheep and cattle. ???
My boss came in Monday, and I hadn't seen him in 2 days, so I jumped up and down on him, and then smelled his butt. His new admin started that day, so I ran over to her, licked her face and humped her leg.
NOW there's a lawsuit pending, and I'm our of work. And, the denied my unemployment benefits pending psychological review. I don't think I did this right. :-)
She also naps like 16 hours a day. No wonder she's still so perky at age 9.
Her unofficial job is fetching about a hundred tennis balls a day. She's expert at both, and loves both.
Yes, border collies are really working dogs, and if we all had this much enthusiam for our work, we'd be a lot happier.
I realize that the point of this blog is work, not dogs, but dogs are already misunderstood enough. If people understood their complexities a little better, there would probably be a lot less of them in animal shelters.