Have you ever asked yourself... How well balanced is my dog?

Photo Caption: What's more stubborn than 3 English Bulldogs?

As a dog person, I'm guilty as any other of wanting to shower my pup with endless boops to their noses, hugs, kisses, treats, belly rubs and scratches. I'll shower just about any dog with all the loves. Especially puppies, because who could resist wanting to squeeze every puppy on this planet. Unless,… Are there puppies on other planets? If so, I definitely want to squeeze those puppies too. Nancy, FOCUS!

In many cases when we show love without applying the right amount of exercise and training (in discipline and boundaries) we may end up doing more harm than good. We want to mention this applies to all dogs and does not exclude because of age, breed or size. On the contrary senior dogs benefit greatly from continuing these exercises as this supports keeping their body and mind strong. We would firmly recommend adjusting activities you practice with aging dogs especially in their silver years as their bodies no longer respond as they did in their youth. I also highly encourage dog people to learn the history, specific needs and what a breed was bred to do. This knowledge can guide us to decide whether that breed is a good fit into our life and vice versa. Through educating ourselves on breed types, we have a better understanding of the necessities for that breed to reach full potential. As for size, simply because a Chihuahua is smaller than a German Shepherd does not make them exempt. There is nothing worse than having an ankle biter terrorizing your house guests.

With mixed breeding and dogs being so gosh darn unique in their inherent disposition, it is easier to excuse bad behaviors as part of the breed or their personality. We’ve all met that person who says “My dog’s just a little feisty.” or “He’s a bulldog, so he’s stubborn.” right?

Can we please cue the eye roll?

Most dogs will have breed or personality specific traits, but please do not fault simple bad behaviors to those traits. If corrections are being avoided, owners are modifying their lives around these behaviors and their dog’s health or safety is potentially put at risk that’s what we need to look at.

Therefore, I would strongly argue imbalance is not associated to breed or personality. It is instead associated to the importance of exercising and training our dogs before showering them with love, not the other way around. How do we know if we have a problem? Let’s first ask ourselves, “How well balanced is my dog?”.

Here are two examples:

• Scenario 1 - You get your first puppy and in your attempt to socialize her you worry because frankly “She’s so wittle”. She begins to bark, you freak out and pick her up into your arms. She continues her barking and you coddle her before you excuse your departure. Each subsequent encounter thereafter, you have done the very same thing but as she’s continued to grow you notice she now pulls from her harness, lunges and the barking includes snarls at everything (other dogs, humans, heck, the crazy bitch barks at the wind). Now your dog has fully matured to the point you can no longer pick her up and it has become difficult to handle her size so you’ve chosen to avoid all dogs, strangers and even limit and shorten her walks.

• Scenario 2 - Does your dog understand and respond to “Leave It” “Drop It” or “Let Go” commands. No biggie, right? Well you take Fido for a walk and he sniffs out a discarded T-bone on the sidewalk. While you were on the phone, he gets a hold of it. You begin to frantically yell out commands and as you try to pry it from his mouth… GULP!

These are merely two situations that although seem innocent enough, pose a threat to each dog’s balance and safety. In scenario one this dog is kept from appropriate socialization, already displays negative psychology and as a result is not being exercised. In scenario two who would think understanding commands would be crucial in keeping this dog from emergency surgery to remove a lodged T-bone. Better yet, this situation could have been prevented altogether by placing limitations on the things this dog is allowed to get a hold of. He taught you a lesson didn’t he?

Please do not mistaken this blog as my judgement being passed on any individual or their pet parenting abilities. I write my blog to share this type of information with the pet community and to raise awareness around topics we often give little thought to which pertain to the long term happiness, health and safety of our pets and others. I believe the more knowledge and information we attain the greater probability of us making wiser and confident decisions. This being said, I am convinced that the more well balanced your dog is the better chances we have of identifying true problematic issues in their well-being.

Here’s one story of my own personal experiences with my first dog, Josie. Despite her being a very obedient, sweet and submissive dog, she was always quite neurotic. She was that dog who wanted to play fetch with any human for hours but hadn’t cared much for the idea of most other dogs at the dog run. She was most comfortable sleeping only if she were covered, so when she needed to be tucked in she would make this whistle howl, similar to a butler’s bell to summons her people (this happened daily, especially in her double digits). We kept her active and continued to set boundaries as she matured, limiting her access to stairs as she began to develop arthritis in her spine. The day prior to having to say goodbye, I was moving her to a more comfortable position and she suddenly snapped back and bit me on the wrist. 12 years together and this was the first and only time she had ever been reactive. It was in that very moment that I knew something was terribly wrong with her and she must’ve been in excruciating pain to warrant such a response. Had she always been aggressive, mouthy or nippy, I may have associated this action to hose behaviors and who knows how much suffering she would have endured.

Let us ask a few primary questions to help identify if you and your dog need some help to achieve well balance.

• Is my dog overweight?

• Is my dog destructive?

• Does my dog understand commands, discipline and boundaries? How does s/he respond?

• Does my dog display any aggression, anxiety, incessant barking, fear, growling, over excitement, nipping, stubbornness or reactiveness?

• How does my dog behave on walks?

• Have I made adjustments to my lifestyle to accommodate my dog?

These questions identify an imbalanced dog to some level, degree or combination because they support the need for more exercise and/or training. I’ll explain.

First, dogs that are overweight are at a higher risk of a shortened lifespan. Extra pounds is a clear indication that your dog is not receiving the appropriate amount of exercise. Similar to humans, think about how added LBs on the scale affect us, our bodies and overall health. I believe this is no different for our canine companions (we recommend regular veterinarian checkups to eliminate any disease or illnesses before engaging in or increasing physical activity).

Next, well exercised dogs are ordinarily calm, focused and/or tired. Destructive behavior is generally demonstrated as a sign of boredom or lack of training around boundaries. If your dog is tired, they will likely rest instead of looking for something to entertain themselves. Moreover, training a well exercised, calm and focused dog is more effective than an overly excited or anxious one. Well rounded dogs follow commands, will respect boundaries and make exercising so much smoother.

If your dog displays any of the behaviors I’ve listed, I’m sure walks have been no walk in the park (see what I did there?). This is because while outside there is so much for a dog to experience which can become overwhelming. As their people, we are responsible to make appropriate corrections to acclimate them to challenges and distractions to ensure an enjoyable, healthy and positive experience.

Positive association takes consistent reinforcement and should begin before the walk even starts. As an example, if you have an overly excited dog, you want to get them to calm state before ever stepping foot out of the door, the leash should be loose and it helps to have their attention. Otherwise, you will experience a lot of pulling and protest throughout your walk which never makes for a good time for either of you.

I wanted to include a comment around barking and growling. Both are absolutely normal as these are forms of vocal communications between dogs to humans and other dogs. However, either should not be allowed in excess. Excessive barking can be linked to boredom, loneliness, compulsion, and separation anxiety. If you allow your dog to bark incessantly, how are you to determine if there is any true danger or risk they are trying to warn you from? Same applies to growling with one exception as there is a difference between playful growls versus aggressive/warning growls. However, if you weren't even aware there was a difference but your dog is constantly growling and when he does, you back off immediately. There may be miscommunication between you that needs correction.

If you’ve reached this point of the blog and feel indifference because “My dog and I are fine. She’s just a diva.” That’s okay as well. I'll leave you with this final thought to consider. Your dog likely loves you unconditionally, gives you a purpose and fulfills your need of having him/her as part of your life. Can you say the same for your dog? I thank you for your time and interest in reading this and would love if you had any feedback you'd want to share.

If you reached this point of the blog and started to feel guilt piling heavy, there’s good news. That my friend is enlightenment and you can start making changes today. Be forewarned that this is likely not an overnight fix, so do not expect to see results immediately. This will take consistency, determination and a lot of patience on your part to follow through and not give up. You cannot give in to your dog with his cute round eyeballs, his button nose and that look of pure torture. That’s how you got into this mess in the first place.

Prepare to free up some time to devote toward these exercises. You will also want to start training when you are feeling confident and up to the challenge. There is nothing worse than trying to effectuate anything when we are feeling impatient, nervous and/or stressed. Your dog will sense your energy and you will not be very successful. However, once your dog starts to respond favorably you get to again shower him/her with all the loves, hugs, kisses and treats and I think that’s a pretty huge reward for the both of you.

I will try to get another blog out with training tips. However, if there is any specific topic or question you have feel free to email me with. Thank you for your interest in this blog.

As always, let’s keep all our pets happy, healthy and safe. Good luck!

DISCLAIMER:

All data, information and/or content contained in this blog is for general informational purposes only. JoJo and KiKo Pet Services LLC. and Nancy Chan makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of any information contained on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, loss, injuries or damages arising from its display or use. Any reliance you place on the information contained in this blog is strictly at your own discretion. The blog post may contain topics or content related to health and safety. Any health, medical or safety matters should be discussed and consulted with your medical professional or professional trainer.