How to make my dog's life easier

Many times, the owners of a dog (the term "owner" seems a bit unwise to refer to the role that humans play, within the existing relationship with our best canine friend) are not aware of the tremendous influence that we exert on the life of the dog and as a decision that we make without thinking, it can totally change the life of our dog. And this in the case of newly adopted dogs can be a big problem.

Not understanding well how a dog's mind works, coupled with a very bad popular culture regarding how our pets should be treated, are often a super-destructive combination and far from helping our dog to integrate and be happier, they subject him to a stress that will end up becoming a problem for him, and surely for us. If it also turns out that the dog comes from spending a season in the Canine Shelter or in the Kennel, surely, these two factors that I mentioned before, can greatly complicate the arrival of the new member of the family. Without further ado, I leave you with the entrance How to make life easier for my dog. Do not miss it.

It would be very interesting, that for a better understanding of what I am going to narrate in this article, before you read the articles Educating on an emotional level: Stress (the complete series of articles) and The stress that humans cause I and II. In them you will clearly understand what is the functioning of the Mechanisms of Stress in our pets and how it affects their education.

In this article we are going to talk on how we affect the life of our dog from a bad education and how to improve the life of our dog, helping you to be more relaxed so that you can understand us better. Let's go to hell ...

In search of the ideal dog

I want a dog that is good

Almost everyone has that idea in mind when they decide to introduce a dog into their life, since everyone is minimally aware that such a decision entails a series of obligations and duties towards the animal (and for society ) minimum, with which the dog is not a danger to himself, or to us and our family (for the same society if you hurry me) and we can enjoy it with total carefree and freedom.

However, very few people are consistent with the situation of educate an animal, and prepare for it. Most base their entire culture around how to properly train a dog, in popular culture and in the education received, and that many times, as a final result, what you get is a tragedy. Yes my dear, you have read correctly ... tragedy ...

Any adult person believes they have the potential to educate a dog, since they believe that violence and intimidation are enough to achieve appease or eliminate certain behaviors with which you do not agree with your pet. This is an idea that you have to try to change as soon as possible.

We want dogs that are locked up at home for 12 hours, without pissing or shitting inside, that they do not move from a 2 m2 balcony, that they eat I think, that they go out for 20 minutes, tied and with a muzzle, and we also want them to be serene and happy . Well, it's not going to be. That is not possible. At least in a healthy dog.

How do I train my dog?

It's easy to understand that we educate as we have been educated. It has been shown that children who have been abused by their parents during childhood are more likely to be abusive than those who have not. It is something we see in our society.

It will never be something positive or good results will be obtained, with the use of coercive methods when educating, and much less if we apply those methods in puppies, what's more, that way of educating an animal from a young age is the greatest source of problems between dogs and humans.

Emotions in life 

One of the great problems that teaching systems based on the transmission of knowledge via memory have is that they tend to be unpleasant and boring, since they do not take into account the instincts and needs of the individual, be it animal or person, with what which you have to motivate in some way the learner to force himself to memorize, and what popular theory tells us is that there is no better way to force that is not physical punishment. Nothing is further from reality.

Educators and trainers worldwide have long realized that knowledge is obtained on an emotional level, and that within common regulated education, tends to fail as it is a topic that is not considered at all.

This fact is what makes it practically impossible to obtain knowledge from someone who we dislike, since we will offer all kinds of resistance to their message, or what makes us listen so comfortably to a person who we like and we will not offer resistance to your message in any way.

It is easy to understand therefore that The emotional education received, will affect our level of Emotional Intelligence and how this will greatly influence when we are able to transmit our knowledge or guiding an animal through a process as complex as the teaching-learning experience, from its early stages to old age.

Educate from fear

Anyone is not prepared to educate, and that is easy to see nowadays just by going to a Canine Recreation Area of ​​those in any city, or even easier, going to the place where people with dogs usually hang out. in your neighborhood.

Normally, humans and dogs are linked by an emotional bond, which makes it easy for my dog's actions to have an emotional consequence on me. Our dog moves us emotions, and this is very important to understand, so do we.

I know a lot of people, who go down the street with a puppy and they don't let any dog ​​get close to it. They do not want their dog to have contact with other dogs. And that's a very serious rookie mistake.

If I am walking down the street and my puppy dog, who is still a baby and does not know how to express himself well, meets another dog and rides him, that can create some embarrassment and before that emotion, pull the dog's leash and scold him. This is the complete opposite of educating.

Needs and Instincts

In that example above, the needs and instincts of the animal have not been taken into account, and we have only reacted Before something that for us is a sexual gesture and that if it is done to another dog of the same sex, because depending on who the owner is, it will feel even more ashamed, which will make it more traumatic for us. However, we have to see how this affects the dog, especially emotionally and more when it is a puppy.

This situation that I have described in the previous example and as I have already said, not only does not solve anything, but it generates in our best friend a series of negative emotions, which he will associate at the moment and will become a behavior problem in the future. In fact it is one of the most direct forms of make our dog reactive with the leash, and that every time someone, whether human or dog, passes by your side they react in a brusque or aggressive way.

You have to look for information

From before having our friend with us, so that later there are no major problems. We have to think about the situation well, so as not to cause a problem to ourselves and what is more important to an animal.

That is why we must take into account factors such as how much time we have, where we live or what our economic situation is, since everything is influencing the life of our dog and its well-being. For example, if I am a middle-aged couple, who work outside the home 50 hours a week and arrive tired, it is best not to think about a puppy, since in its early stages of life it will need a lot of care and attention. The best thing for this case is an adult adoption dog that is very calm and has energies similar to ours. This is almost pure logic.

Look from another approach

If we are looking for a slightly different example, if we are a family with several members, of different ages, and we are very energetic and athletic and together we have time, a puppy of a breed with high energy levels and recommended for children is the best .

Ultimately we have to find what best suits our needs, and leave us fashions, since the life of an animal is what is at stake.

The problems of adapting a dog to his family are usually the main cause of abandonment, and 95% of them could have been avoided, if humans had had specialized help before choosing their pet.

It is curious how, being one of the most important services that can be hired from an Educator or an Ethologist, it is one of the least demanded services.

Making life easier for my dog

You have to prepare

From here we are going to see what are some practical ways that anyone can have in their daily life with their dog, and that will make it easier to education and integration of our pet in our family.

Get away from old conceptions, from popular culture and fashion, should be one of the first decisions we make before even thinking about including a dog in our family.

Get the idea that we can adopt and educate any type of dog Of the race and condition that is, without any preparation, it is the easiest way to cause a problem to ourselves and to the animal.

That is why you have to be very consistent with the decision to adopt a living being, and not choose for the aforementioned reasons.

Needs to be covered 

A dog, like a human, has basic needs to cover, or if they are not covered, this will make you suffer from stress, and that is the least indicated to be able to have a balanced and obedient dog. These needs are:

Water:

The dog needs fresh water to be able to hydrate. Dogs are animals that suffer a lot from high temperatures as they have great difficulty in eliminating excess heat in their system. Dogs hardly sweat and regulate their temperature through their mouths. The dog needs to have easily accessible water, and in a large capacity container (more than 20 liters), preferably made of baked clay. This container must be washed regularly

Healthy food:

This is the complete opposite of giving him a diet based exclusively on industrial feed, even if it is of the highest quality. The diet of a dog must be varied, and based on fresh products, and the less cooked the better. In my articles Dogs and food stress e History of the dog food industry, I tell why, and in my articles 5 Recipes for healthy dogs o Canine Feeding Guide I give you information on how to cook them and recipes.

Urination / Defecation:

Thorny issue where they exist. You have to be patient and take into account several factors. Dogs are clean animals and they do not like to relieve themselves inside the home, this is usually done because they are puppies or because they are suffering from any type of stress. Stress leads them to have more desire to urinate, suffering from the so-called Imperfect Incontinence, which humans also suffer from. It is very important NOT TO RECIPE WHEN THEY DO, under any circumstances. The animal does not want to do it, so as responsible for it, we must study the subject carefully, consulting an expert if necessary, and develop and initiate a series of protocols that help us solve the situation from the understanding of the situation in which our animal is, and of course, ALWAYS without violence or coercive methods.

Temperature:

The dog has trouble getting rid of heat as they are designed for storage. That is why we have to pay special attention to this issue. The dog prefers a high and soft place to sleep in Winter (the ground is cold and hard, and that causes problems in the long run). In summer we have to make sure that you always have a comfortable and cool place to be. Special care must be taken with Nordic breeds in places with very high temperatures. A Huski Malamute is not made to withstand the 48º of the Sevillian Canícula.

Affection and physical contact:

Dogs are social animals, which demonstrate their acceptance, predilection and love for some individuals or others through displays of affection and affection. This affection and this affection can be a problem, if we do not understand well the way in which our dog's mind works, since both lack and giving too much can be an inexhaustible source of problems.

For me, the greatest display of affection that one can give for his dog is to take him out very early in the morning, to make an effort so that the dog has his time for everything, to be patient with him, and ultimately to meet the needs of the animal. , although sometimes that is at the cost of our comfort. On this subject, look for information on the Internet and form an opinion.

Communication:

This is one of the most important from my point of view. The dog is a social animal, and you need to communicate with other members of your species, as well as with other individuals of other species with whom it has contact. We have to facilitate the communication of our pets with other individuals, since the dog is a tremendously social animal and the lack of communication is generally manifested, moving emotions in the dog such as frustration, fear or anger, which always ends generating unwanted behavior in the animal.

We must be very concerned about this issue, and if our dog generates negative behavior, have a professional. We must let our dog get close to all kinds of dogs and people from a very early age, we must put aside unnecessary fears, and make our dog a better communicator, providing space and letting him interact. Let us always look for dogs that have an energy similar to that of my dog, and let us not let him play with any dog, if not only with those that we see that give him something.

Safety:

It is very important too. An insecure dog is a fearful dog a priori, and that is not good. If we are scolding him all day, telling him to shut up, yelling at him, hitting him, we cannot expect him to be a confident dog, especially if we do it from his earliest childhood. You also have to ensure that he has a space for him, where he can go to rest and no one bother him. A carrier is ideal for this mission, you just have to educate it to get inside. Another issue is the issue of children.

Many people think that the dog must learn to "tolerate" everything that the child does to him, and nothing is further from the truth. You must always protect the child's dog, and educate the child from an early age so that it does not hit or mistreat the animal, as well as to respect its spaces. This is vital for both of us. According to statistics, 90% of dog bites to humans are to children between 5 and 13 years old, by the family dog ​​that had never bitten anyone. You have to educate both children and dogs.

Curiosity:

Dogs are curious animals by nature, and that has its importance. Humans tend to repress certain attitudes of our dog, in an almost compulsive way. If our dog gets close to smelling a urination or defecation of another dog, it is to be able to communicate and obtain information from the dogs that are in their environment. It is natural. We should not repress this behavior, since at that moment we are preventing our dog from receiving information that is vital for him to receive.

Many people repress this behavior and scold their dog, calling it "dirty" or "piggy" or the like, as it is a behavior in human society that is considered aberrant. However, it is necessary to put aside those taboos and start looking at it from the point of view, which is vital for our dogs to be able to smell those piss and poop.

It is also necessary that we let him smell other things calm, get close to them, and let him investigate on his own. If he doesn't get close to that green, sour orange and bite into it, he will never know what is going on, and every time he sees the orange it will be a source of stress for him.

Letting him be a dog

A very important question for me is to give our dog the opportunity to be a dog, and not to humanize it. We cannot demand a dog as a human, since he is totally out of place in our society, since cities and human norms are not made for them. This issue must be taken into account.

And above all…

And above all else said, our dog has the right to fail. Not leaving space or opportunity for our dog to make mistakes, it is something cruel and totally unnecessary, since we all fail at times, even ourselves.

Googbye and closing

Without further ado, tell you that I await your comments and doubts about this article below. Greetings and take care of your dogs.