Nature-Based Community-Focused Dog Care
A Brief Overview
As mentioned in my previous post on using multiple dog training methods, today I'm going to share on what I call nature-based community-focused dog care.
Nurturing Nature
Leadership
All creatures have social boundaries and dogs are no exception. You can see this in dog packs (family units or groups) when a mama dog or another canine leader nips a too aggressively playful pup to correct its behavior. Our experience with dogs in groups is that a more dominant or mature dog will let another dog know when they're getting too hyper or annoying.
Leadership has little to do with “lording over” a dog or being mean or aggressive when applying boundaries and corrections. Too much stern discipline is indeed harmful, however all dogs need a guide, a guardian, a provider, and a champion for their highest levels of safety. Benevolent leadership encompasses all these aspects. Gentle discipline along with clear consistent boundaries is necessary to maximize family security.
Years ago, we had a client who didn't understand why it was in everyone's best interest to not allow his dog go out the door first when leaving the house. His feisty Pomeranian one day darted out the door first, got under foot, and tripped both of them in one act. The human went to the hospital and the fluffy Pomeranian went to the veterinarian. His dog suffered an injury that left permanent damage.
Leadership leads to safer outcomes for both dogs and humans.
Dogs are animals
Nature-based care begins with understanding that dogs are animals. Dogs are generally domesticated but that doesn't mean they think like people. I occasionally hear “my dog thinks he's a baby.” This statement is often followed by a guardian picking up their dog and cooing at it like a baby and snuggling it in a similar manner.
These same guardians are shocked when their sweet “fur baby” suddenly snaps at a friend, beloved family member or even their own guardian. What happened? Too much anthropomorphism or trying to attribute human qualities to a non-human.
While some anthropomorphism is normal in dog-human relationships, too much leads to a dog having their communication misinterpreted. It's like the dog is speaking French and we're only willing to interpret their words with English. To “hear" dogs better, we focus on their animal language, which centers around body expression. A good place to start is by learning what a dog's tail is saying.
To be nature-based is to be more aware of how canines communicate, rather than how we want to interpret their behavior for our own edification.
Getting outside
A key component to providing nature-based care is to spend a significant amount of time in the natural world with our dogs. On their own, dogs roam about seeking food, other dogs, and things to sniff at or focus on.
Walks are essential for dogs. In nature, dogs don't sit around in buildings exposed to a constant barrage of electromagnetic radiation, blathering background noise, and no fresh air. Walks give dogs a chance to be in their natural element, get exercise, and use their powerful noses to distinguish between scents.
Occasionally a guardian won't walk their dog because they say their dog doesn't like walks or is poorly behaved on them. The way to treat such issues is by going out and practicing mindful walking and boundaries. If a dog has physical issues, a dog stroller is a good option.
If a guardian has physical issues or time constraints, getting family and friends to help with walking can be a great community-focused option. Hiring a professional dog walker is another way to nourish a dog's need for constructive time outdoors.
Walks deepen human-dog bonds by being together in the world where instincts and random circumstances collide. These moments help dogs to know their guardian will protect them. It also helps guardians understand their dogs body language better in the outside world.
Going analog
When indoors, we like to have the TV off and our phones off or on silent as much as possible. After years of caring for groups of dogs, I noticed that the less we humans paid attention to screens, the more dogs in our care seemed relaxed. When digital minimalism and serenity is cultivated in our shared space and personal lives, it's easier to get dogs back to a calm and happy state.
Giving tasks
Whether at home or out roaming, dogs enjoy tasks. Indigenous tribes utilized their dogs innate skills for hunting buffalo or pulling sleds. Dogs are still used in the military or for herding on ranches. Some dogs have even been trained to hunt truffles or skydive.
Engaging a dog in nose work, retrieving, hide and seek, or teaching tricks, keeps their minds engaged. While dogs may not conceptualize themselves as having a purpose, our dogs can be more than just cuddle companions.
For example, we've trained Angel to “go get” other household members. We did this so if one of us has a medical emergency, our dog can fetch the other guardians for help. Angel's tail always wags with joy when she finds us.
Community and Cooperation
We all know that one neighbor, friend, or family member who can't (or won't) control their dog. Just today I was awoken at 6:30am by a nearby restless border collie left outside by itself. It barked incessantly until 9:30am and then barked again for the entire afternoon.
It seems that dog’s owner doesn't care about fostering a peaceful neighborhood or living in harmony with those around them. The consensus among neighbors is that the area was more peaceful before this family recently moved in.
It's amazing how one dog can affect a whole block, an entire neighborhood, or even terrorize a community at large.
Dogs are members of our communities as much as people. As guardians responsible for our pets, training our canines to be good dog citizens spreads happiness and leads to safer outcomes
We focus on dog training that promotes harmony within communities by fostering positive interactions. Dogs who have been trained to be less reactive with other dogs and people can teach kids how to be gentle. When a dog resists barking back at unruly dogs, it shows the other dogs (and people) they don't have to react that way.
When a dog guardian lets their dog get up on people, physical injuries can happen. When an owner provides little discipline on walks or at home, the results could be physical harm to people and other dogs.
The scariest moment I had as a dog care professional, was when a neighbor, who rescued Mastiffs, had his dog get loose from him. His territorial female was lighting fast and attacked the weakest dog in my pack, an older Airedale Terrier. The Mastiff used her powerful teeth and jaws to shake the terrier in my care by the chest. As we all struggled, the owner eventually got his dog away but not before receiving a nasty bite that he needed stitches for.
The terrier ended up okay and the neighbor kindly paid for his veterinary visit and treatment. Sadly the owner put his Mastiff down. All of this could have been avoided by being more mindful of his dogs capacity to harm and training it to stay when others walked by.
This is why we focus on not just dog care but community care in relation to dogs.
Final Thoughts
My goal for this newsletter is to continue to highlight the holistic benefits of nature-based community-focused dog behavior management. This work is about healthy relationships and creating more well-being in the world.
By being a dogs leader and champion, we help our four-legged companions learn boundaries and develop appropriate awareness. When we see our dogs capacity as animals to help or harm, we become willing to learn their language and deepen bonds. Spending time outdoors and away from digital distractions, leaves us more time be fully engaged with our dogs and train them with patience.
Our dogs aren't just family members or pack members, they're community members. Working with canines from this perspective strengthens social ties and shows other dog guardians what safer and saner dog-human relationships look like. Such interactions can make life a littler sweeter for all who encounter our dogs.
Here's to the journey!
In this issue of The Dawg Mama you said "blathering background noise"! Well, that comes from my TV, too! But I use it when I'm away from the house. I don't know if this is right, but I let the TV audio mask out many of the noises that come from the street - People (and other dogs) walking by, delivery trucks, cars and who knows what else. I usually pick CNN or something like a cooking show - a program that has people talking as opposed to a movie that might not have so much constant conversation. My theory is that the dogs (a pair of miniture Dachshunds) wouldn't react so much to outside noise if they were bathed in noise. Does that make sense or is it just plain wrong?