Dogs experience a very different world than we do. entering into the experiences of your dog could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of his/her behavior. For example, say you are an extroverted business professional who loves a good hike on the weekends. Monday through Thursday your life is dominated by work, Friday by work and then social hour at your place, the weekends by rest and time spent hiking with friends. You might think about how exhausted you are all the time, and wonder why you cant get a moments rest without the dog asking to play or go outside for the sixteenth time. Take a look through the dogs eyes for a moment. Every day your best friend gets up, goes into the bathroom for a while, makes delicious smelling food, throws some food into your bowl and takes off. you then sit on the couch, wander around the house, perhaps lay in a crate, and maybe even play with a toy for a time. The day drags on, and finally your best friend comes home again... but he is clearly tired and just wants to sit down. So you wait. finally, your best friend takes you on a walk and oh boy is that exciting. You are having a great time but then soon, all too soon, you are home again. your best friend then proceeds to sit down on the couch and stare at a moving picture that means nothing to you. At least he is scratching you ears though! shortly, your best friend goes to bed... but you are not tired! You got to rest all day long... but you want to be with your friend so to bed you go... boring. This happens day after day until the glorious weekend. Friday evening your best friend arrives home and immediately is busy scurrying around the house. Soon, other friends arrive and you have strange hands and faces grabbing at you randomly for hours, fortunately, they also slip you treats for doing absolutely nothing. I'm sure you can see where I am going with this.
It requires you to take step back and look at things through a dog's eyes, just as I recommend in my old post regarding dogs at places like fairs. I ask you to do it though for the sake of your dog. I can assure you that I understand, with a highly demanding academic schedule, many healthy relationships, and multiple jobs, I regularly question the life that I have created for my puppy. That being said, with effort and taking advantage of free moments, I do my very best to keep him happy. Remember that exercise [for the brain and body] is incredibly important, as well as diversity in activity... take them new places, rotate their toys, surprise them with a long lasting raw bone, make eating a longer lasting activity, and find ways to engage them in your daily life. Remember the golden concept of dog ownership: A Tired Dog is A Happy Dog - A Happy Dog is A Good Dog!
It requires you to take step back and look at things through a dog's eyes, just as I recommend in my old post regarding dogs at places like fairs. I ask you to do it though for the sake of your dog. I can assure you that I understand, with a highly demanding academic schedule, many healthy relationships, and multiple jobs, I regularly question the life that I have created for my puppy. That being said, with effort and taking advantage of free moments, I do my very best to keep him happy. Remember that exercise [for the brain and body] is incredibly important, as well as diversity in activity... take them new places, rotate their toys, surprise them with a long lasting raw bone, make eating a longer lasting activity, and find ways to engage them in your daily life. Remember the golden concept of dog ownership: A Tired Dog is A Happy Dog - A Happy Dog is A Good Dog!
