My top four things all dogs need from us to live a balanced life within a human house. are a balance of these,
* Control
*Affection
*Physical Exercise
*Mental Stimulation
If we provide a balance of these four actions when we think of our dogs needs our dogs will love us for it. They will learn how to lead a fulfilled life within their human pack. This will certainly lead to Happy dogs and Happy owners too.
Control When we first come into contact with our dogs I can not be sure of how they will behave yet I can be sure of the fact that they understand control. Dogs of any age understand control yet none more so than puppies, as all dogs were controlled by their mothers. Yet this is not the kind of control you are probably thinking of. Their mothers were in control for every minute of every day that they were together from the minute they were born.
She did this because it was absolutely necessary in her eyes for the unity of the litter and absolutely necessary to teach it to her offspring. This is because dogs are inherently a pack animal and for a pack to succeed their has to be unity and cohesion. This is best achieved as a hierarchy with a calm, assertive and confident pack leader. Human beings are the only animal that promotes unstable leaders. So when a puppy leaves its mother and siblings it understands a packs mentality and needs. It understands that being controlled is necessary for the pack to survive. She controls feeding, play and equally as important rest.
When I tell you that their mother controls every interaction that they have you have to understand how she does it. When she growls or snaps into fresh air in the puppies direction it is communication in dog language. Yes that is how dogs communicate. Far too often this is seen as aggression or a form of dominance that we should replicate yet it is far from that, it is just communication! When a mother controls her offspring she does not do it to create fear because if she did her puppies would certainly not arrive to you as happy as they are. Yes the mother controls every minute of every day they are together and her puppies leave happy. So do not shout at your dogs or use aggression on your dogs when training as it is not what their mother did, she just communicated in her native tongue and she had full control.
Affection A vital part of owning a dog is providing affection and play. Dogs are by nature fun loving and joyful. I can certainly think of older dogs that I have come across whose bodies let them down as their mind is telling them to play when they meet a dog with the right playful energy or it is someone that they recognise. I am sure we all have images of how fun loving and joyful puppies are. So all dogs of all ages need affection and play. This does not mean that we keep our dogs in a perpetual state of excitement because that would be out of balance and do not think that if your dog is constantly bouncing off the walls he is happy regardless of tail position.
When we apply affection it needs to be heartfelt and meaningful. It needs to mean something in order to have an affect on our dogs in the way that is appreciated and understood by our dogs. So find the spot on your dogs body that really gets to the mark. Nearly all have one and nearly all are willing to show us where it is. Once you know where your dogs spot give deep massaging motions with a meaningful good boy or good girl. If you appreciate the fact that your dog has shown you the spot that matters to them and are willing to stand there calmly as you massage the spot. Let them know as best you can. If we can do this calmly yet as meaningful as we can can make it then our dogs will truly admire you for it.
Play is different in its nature to affection. Play needs to be higher energy yet still engaging. Their are many areas of play that engage our dogs and as dogs are as unique as you and I, then it is always prudent to find which form of play your dog finds most appealing. Whatever the form of play, the emphasis is always the same, add energy to it. We still need to be in control of the situation so that our dog learns the energy level that is acceptable in the play. To do this successfully remove your own energy when your dogs energy exceeds what is acceptable and do it consistently then the level of energy will be enjoyed by both dog and owner.
Whatever the particular play is that engages your dog do it with honesty and gusto, enjoy it as much as your dog does. If it is using toys do it with honesty and gusto, if it is a game of tapping the ground around your dogs feet as they do the same do it with honesty and gusto, if it is a bit of rough and tumble do it with honesty and gusto, if it is playing fetch or chasing a ball do it with honesty and gusto. This time spent in play is valuable bonding time yet if it is a chore for you or you are not in the mood then refrain from doing it because it needs to be carried out as wholeheartedly as you can muster but please come back to it when things improve because it is vital to the balance of owning a dog.
Physical Exercise I can not put enough stress on the importance of physical exercise as part of a balanced approach to owning a dog. All dogs need a minimum of a daily walk. The level of physical exercise is subjective to every individual dog, Yet until it gets to a point where a walk around the block is too much for a dog every dog requires at least a walk around the block or onto the local patch of grass. This is a bare bones requirement of any and all dogs. If this is something that you believe would not be possible for you to provide then please do not get a dog.
Daily physical exercise also has a valuable anecdote in that every breed of dog we see today was designed by man. In most of these cases the type of dog breeds we see were developed for a specific job or to do a specific role. We tend to give very little consideration for this when we select a breed of dog to come and live with us yet if we provide sufficient physical exercise and fulfil that requirement for all dogs then it will go a long way towards negating whatever job they were bred to do because the energy levels they were bred to have in order to complete the role they were expected to do will not be expended otherwise. So put as much effort in planning and executing your dogs physical exercise as you can muster.
When there is suitable exercise provided for your dog as part of a balanced approach to owning a dog then so many other aspects of owning a dog will be more enjoyable. The best time to teach your dog something new becomes a lot easier after our dogs have exercised because they will have less resistance to what you are asking them to do. If our dogs have sufficient exercise then introducing them to a new situation becomes easier. In other words our dogs become more manageable and enjoyable when they are properly exercised.
I know a lot of people will say that they walk their dogs for miles or that their dog has a lot of exercise and their dog is still not very well behaved so please remember everything is part of a balanced approach and physical exercise is a key ingredient.
Mental Stimulation Dogs are very clever animals. I grant you that some dogs are more clever than others but that does not matter. All dogs are more than capable of learning how to live in a human household and all dogs need to be mentally challenged. Dogs thrive on challenge so please challenge them, more importantly teach them how to live amongst you.
The more things that we teach our dogs the better behaved they will be. I know that sounds obvious. Aim to teach your dog to do as many things as possible all of the time. I say it like this because there are many aspects of a dogs behaviour that they find easy to do because it is either suited to how they think or a natural way in which they communicate or interact with each other. There are also many things our dogs can learn that is not natural to them and can also be in defiance to what they have been bred to do.
Mental stimulation is not just about teaching our dogs individual voice commands it is providing the mental challenge that rules of the house should be obeyed at all times regardless of a command such as teaching a dog not to go upstairs unless they have been given express permission. This is the sort of mental challenge where the dog has to make the right decision every day or every time that they pass the stairs. Mental stimulation is often tiring for our dogs, so once again put in as much into making it work as you can muster because the rewards will equal the amount of effort that is put in for both you and your four legged friend.
A good way to mentally challenge your dog is to teach them to hunt for items using their noses. Around 50% of a dogs brain is controlled by the dogs nose and its capabilities of analysing what it detects. So when our dogs are encouraged to use their noses it is very mentally stimulating. Make it fun and it is a win win for both owner and dog.
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