Do you really know your dog that well?

Dogs have been the a source of genuine delight to their owners.  They have been with humans since pre-historic times. And they have been called man’s bestfriend and one of the most popular pets in the world.  Over the years, many have worked hard to earn their keep by pulling sleds over snowy tracts, delivered messages, herded sheep and cattle, and even rescued people trapped in the snow.  They were used in drug research and uncover illegal drugs because of their keen smell.  They are used by police to track escaped prisoners.  “Soviet scientists launched dogs into space to test their  ability  to survive the rigors of space travel before people were sent up.”  Specially trained dogs also served as “eyes” for the blind.  In fact, scientists have recently discovered that with proper training “dogs can distinguish, with almost unerring accuracy, between breath samples from people with lung cancer and from people without.”  I mean, it’s remarkable because even with our ingenuity we will never be able to find cancer-sniffing humans. 

So, how well do you really know your dog?  As a dog owner, my goal is to make sure my dog is as comfortable and happy as possible.  I want to know we’re meeting our dog’s basic needs to ensure health and happiness.  Like humans, he needs food, water and shelter to survive. Also like humans, he needs physical care and nurturing  to thrive.  However, dogs are pack animals by nature and they are normally pushy and don’t want to be alone.  Notwithstanding their domestic temperaments, they are still related to are related to wolves, foxes, and jackals. They will try to advance as far as possible within the order of the pack.  And every pack has a leader.  Maintaining eye contact until he breaks away is one of the good things I learned to establish  with my dog that I am the leader of the pack and want to maintain that position.  It is an air of authority and also the basis for mutual respect.   I believe that by establishing dominance and meeting his needs, I can keep my dog happy and content.

My dog and I are best of friends because I take time to really get to know him. I pay attention and interact with him most of the time,  I can easily recognize whether he is in pain, happy or afraid.  When he’s tense, lose his bladder control, panting, yawning or drooling, I know he is afraid so I try to remove him from that situation and assess what’s causing it.  But when he’s friendly with most people, easily handled, will give up his toy and when he is alert, I’m sure he is happy.
 
In our effort to humanize them, we are inclined to forget their extraordinary power. We may even overlook that our dog  may already know things about us that we will discover only too late but if we treat him well he will not only work hard for us but will be a loyal friend and companion.