<p>The thought of having a dog in the office isn’t just great fun, but there are some proven mental health benefits of having your four-legged bestie at your workplace.</p>
<p>Check out our top five reasons why reserving a seat for your pawed friends at work is a good thing:</p>
<h4>Petting a dog has been proven to reduce stress and improve your health.</h4>
<p>The process of patting and stroking a dog has the ability to reduce blood pressure, change your physiological state into a more relaxed mode, and make you feel better overall. According to the <a href="Centers">https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/">Centers for Disease Control</a>, pets help reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure in their owners.</p>
<h4>Pawed friends can help you make human friends.</h4>
<p>Dogs can act as a social ice-breaker by helping people feel more relaxed and friendlier whilst boosting interactions and conversations between colleagues, strangers and friends. No one is going to be able to resist saying hello to a furred friend and dogs will tend to help increase cooperation across the board.</p>
<h4>Feeling Ruff?</h4>
<p>Research has shown that canine colleagues can improve staff wellbeing including less visits to the doctors. It’s a win-win.Less sick days equal a happy employer - a healthier workforce with fewer sick days.</p>
<p>Bring Your Dog To Work Day is likely to boost the productivity and happiness within your company.</p>
<h4>Workplace fitness.</h4>
<p>A <a href="recent">https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/dog-owners-walk-more-miles-pet… study</a> found that dog owners walk a huge 21 miles every week, compared to non-dog owners who cover less than 14 a week by foot. Dogs encourage owners and employees to take exercise, which has many add on benefits for physical and mental health. Employees with their dogs at work are likely to get out and about at coffee breaks: the physical exercise will help with their state of mind and productivity for the rest of the day.</p>
<h4>Productivity booster.</h4>
<p>Taking short breaks away from your desk to spend time with the dog, or take it for a walk has the ability to increase employee productivity. <a href="/a/managing-stress-at-work/">Our stress management at work guide</a> mentioned that taking a short break to clear your head can boost productivity - taking your furry friend for a short walk can help you return feeling refreshed and engaged.</p>
<p>Follow the hashtag #BringYourDogToWorkDay on social media channels for endless paw-fect photos!</p>
