Love

Are You Dating A Cat Or A Dog?

cat or dog

A lot of people think of acts of romance as being gender-specific. Men should bring home bouquets of long-stemmed roses and women should wear naughty lingerie to keep the fire burning in their relationships. The problem with this kind of thinking is that it perpetuates false gender roles and actually misleads people into following a set of rigid sex-centric guidelines that ends up hurting the relationship — and disregards your uniqueness as a couple. I have a solution. (And I'd love to have you join me on the Love On Purpose Revolution Telesummit, where you can hear top relationship experts like me share our best strategies for creating love on purpose in your life!)

So here's my secret technique: consider romance from the perspective of a cat or a dog.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What's the difference between thinking in male/female terms and cat/dog terms?" Bear with me for a moment.

If you're dating a "cat", your significant other's idea of romance is the thought behind the act. In the mind of a cat person, romance proves that you were thinking of him/her before you walked into the room. Your significant other gets all warm and fuzzy inside when you bring home flowers, make dinner reservations or send a thoughtful card.

If you're dating a "dog" (and I'm a dog by the way), romance is being told that he/she is a "good dog." When you praise your partner for his/her accomplishments or you let your partner know how much you appreciate him/her, this makes the person feel loved and more open to intimacy.

So where does the conflict come from? Dogs are not usually thinking about things or people in advance. We're always thinking and acting in the moment, so we don't think about the people in our lives until we hear the keys in the door. Once we hear that key click and that doorknob turn, we're excited because you're home! All we want is for you to tell us that we're a "good dog" and have you play with us and feed us.

That's all. We're very simple. But of course, for cats, that's not very thoughtful. A cat will be wondering why you weren't thinking of him/her beforehand. So, what's the solution? Keep reading ...

More romance advice from YourTango: