THE MORE I SEE OF MEN THE MORE I ADMIRE DOGS Madame De Sevigne
The are hordes of books dedicated to the nature and success of our relationship with the domestic dog. Endless films and stories of just that testify to the nature of that bond and many of us have our own lifetime experiences and memoriesWe are all aware of the special physical and mental health benefits of owning a dog like reduced blood pressure, increased self esteem,more exercise etc and so we do not like to admit to the negative sides of owning a dog.
While it has long been known of the special physical and mental health benefits of owning a dog like reduced blood pressure and increased self esteem we do not like to admit that there are negative sides to owning a dogWe are very protective of our dogs even if he is driving everyone within hearing distance nuts with his barking. In society today we need to care for something ,we need a dog to activate us into taking exercise and to keep us in contact with nature.
Dogs can cause a rapid and dangerous rise in blood pressure….like when you walk into your garden and those prize petunias are dug up and wilting. You come home to that darling Labrador puppy and half of that lovely rug in the living room is chewed to bits.
The toilet roll add with the small puppies comes to mind so cute except not that cute when it’s your toilet roll all over your house wrapped around the furniture. Then the overprotective dog that bites strangers who come to the house. I mean lets tell it like it is. My Jack Russel is my pride and joy but we no longer have our Window Cleaner. in fact the word must have got around because we seem to have problems finding one.
Jack Russells are very territorial and protective and the poor unsuspecting man put his hand through a hole in the gate to get the bolt open. Quick as a flash Rex had jumped three times his height and had his teeth sunk in to his hand. No amount of apologies and explanations of how the dog may have felt he was an intruder could overcome my embarrassment as the poor man wrapped his hand in a handkerchief assuring me he would do the windows on another day and scuttled off into his Van and out of sight. We haven’t seen him since!
On many occasions dogs require utmost tolerance and patience when they are puppies and often when they are adults as well. For the dog that growls at strangers or soils indoors we can turn to training, re homing or turn to the vet to end it all. you really have to be prepared and tolerant to get through those early days.
Many of us today with all the training materials available to us are far too involved in that protective friendly relationship for such callousness but I have memories of it happening on a frequent basis in my fathers practice in the 60s.Dogs from the farm would be brought to the clinic to be put down because they had become problematic. My father not having the heart for it used to tell them to leave it with him and we would end up keeping them. At one time we had 17 dogs.
Most owners of dogs with behavior problems will put up with it than be faced with the ultimate solution. Then again what constitutes a behavior problem is highly variable. For some a single mistake on the carpet is sufficient to cause rejection while others put up with far worse without raising a hair. We all like our dogs to do what we say but it takes some work and perseverance to get there.A behavior problem is only acknowledged when the pains of owning a dog exceed the joy It brings.
A behavior problem is only acknowledged when the pains of owning a dog exceed the joy It bringTackling problems takes time, time to look at all the factors that may be influencing the dogs behavior, the structure of its home environment and its relationship with the family and people outside the house. We need time to look at the dogs development and early upbringing in the true psychologists style of going back to childhood.So many problems have their roots in the dogs puppyhood.
What we need to do is have the time and patience to understand why and when a dog is doing the behavior and to modify it within the framework of the dogs relationship with its owner, their expectations, their lifestyle and its home territory.
No two dogs are alike, no two owners are alike and no two problems. So a broad approach is needed to identify the likely causes of the problem and decided on the treatment for each owner. What we need to do is have the time and patience to understand why and when a dog is doing the behavior and to modify it within the framework of the dogs relationship with its owner, their expectations, their lifestyle and its home territory. Often the dogs behavior may need a little fine tuning for the dog and its owner to appreciate each other to the full once again.
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