The emotional bond between dog and owner is a strong one this for certain is undeniable. It’s hard to ignore the loyalty in our dogs eyes or the seemingly endless amount of love we have for our dogs.
Our dogs love us but all to often dog owners place far to many emotional expectations on their dogs thus unknowingly causing an adverse effect on their dogs mental state.
Your dogs psychology is very different than that of humans. Yes your dog does love you but he is completely incapable of loving you the way you love him. Acts of revenge of sulking for attention are all human traits and not that of a dog. Dogs by nature are pack animals and as such form strong social bonds with those in its pack. Many people view and treat their dogs almost as if they were people but what they fail to realize is that their dogs view them, oddly enough as other dogs. Now the genetic differences between that of a canine and a human are obvious but the psychological ones at times are much harder to point out.
Keep in mind that we humans have been blessed (others would say cursed) with the ability to reason and anticipate in ways that no other animal on the planet can. Humans like dogs are social creatures by nature. Unlike the dog however we form a much more complex social structure. A dogs social structure is formed solely for the benefit and survival of their pack. Dogs are instinctual creatures and operate almost solely on instinct.
In the dog world the rules actually are very simple. Rule number one the strongest dog in the pack is the leader or the alpha dog. The alpha dog is the one responsible for the safety and security of the entire pack. So bearing this in mind because your dog looks to you as its provider of food, shelter and security it is easy to come to the obvious conclusion that our dogs view us as an alpha dog.
Dogs have a get it and forget it mentality. What this means simply is that dogs live in the moment, the here and now. A dog will not remember that they are not suppose too chew on your sofa 10 min after they have done it and attempting to correct their behavior 10 minutes after something has happened will only serve to scare and confuse your dog.
All to often dog owners will scold or physically discipline their dogs almost as if they are children. What they do not realize is that this can cause far more problems than they realize. The worst form of punishment for a dog is to be excluded from the pack or ignored. So when your dog misbehaves its often better to send the dog away and exclude him from your presence. When we spank or scold our dogs for misbehaving we are creating a sense of mistrust within our dogs thus damaging the social structure of the pack.
When your dog is exhibiting a behavior that is desirable this is the time to praise and reward him. For your dog this is no different than your boss praising and rewarding your good work. For your dog there is no better feeling than having the alpha dog of its pack praise him. This creates a stronger sense of loyalty and strengthens the bond within your pack.
The fundamental key of healthy dog ownership is constancy. You must always strive to consistently praise and reward healthy desirable behavior and properly discipline the undesirable behavior your dog may exhibit. Our dogs each have their own unique and special personalities and in order to maintain a happy and psychologically healthy dog it’s important to always remember the psychological differences that separate us from our dogs.
The fantastic thing about our dogs is that their social structure is so simple. Dogs prefer order over chaos and thrive in a consistent environment. Humans can learn so much from their dogs if we were to take the time and interest in learning. Personally I have realized that the most admirable trait dog has is that he doesn’t have the ability to hold a grudge. For me and I’m sure many others, dog ownership has taught me as much as I have taught my dog.
Taking care of your dogs mental well being is quite simply put, a state of mind. Learning to think like your dog will not only help your dog you may very well find out along the way that it will help you just as much.
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