Shake It Like You Mean It: A Dog's Take On the Art of Appreciation (and a Special Holiday Offer)

November is one of my favorite months. Why? Because the focus is on giving thanks, something that we dogs excel at. Oh, yeah—there's also the Thanksgiving turkey to look forward to!

In fact, just thinking about the taste of a Thanksgiving turkey is reason enough for me to wind myself into a half-moon and wiggle my stub tail while dancing sideways across the floor like a crab. In Boxer-speak, this is called "doing the kidney bean." It's a Boxer's own silly way of showing both gratitude and appreciation for even the most basic things in life—shelter, food, water and belly rubs.

Humans tend to lump gratitude and appreciation together, but a dog will tell you that there is a difference. Think of it this way: Appreciation is gratitude in action. It's something you feel throughout your entire body, from the tip of your tongue to the end of your tail. If gratitude is good, appreciation is better.

The mantra that happy dogs live by is said best by writer G.B. Stern: "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."

The beauty of appreciation is that it makes everyone feel good, whether they are showing appreciation or receiving it. It turns everyday, ordinary events into special occasions. (A liver snap? For little old me? Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!)

Appreciation is also contagious, like a smile or a sneeze. If you've had a bad day at work, it's impossible to stay grumpy when your dog greets you at the door, bouncing up and down with appreciation for your safe return. Things don't look so bad all of a sudden, do they?

Lastly, appreciation has an uncanny way of breaking down barriers. Whenever I score a piece of cheese, I do a little dance of happiness that charms my two-legged humans and weakens their resolve to give me "just this one little piece."

Take my advice: A wee bit of appreciation will always get you more than just one little piece of cheese (or turkey, depending on the time of year)!

How do YOU show your appreciation throughout the year?

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A Special Holiday Offer from Bella The Boxer

The above is an excerpt from my book, Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success. To show my appreciation for readers of my blog, I am offering pawtographed copies for just $12.95 from now through December 15th. That's 35% off the retail price of $19.95 and includes free shipping in the U.S. The book is the perfect stocking stuffer for all your dog-loving family and friends (cat lovers will like it too, I promise!). Just enter "bellaholiday" (one word) as the discount code when ordering directly from this page on my website. Any questions? Contact me here.