New Year

I am not one for resolutions. I believe if you would like to make a change you record your goal either mentally or literally and you seek to achieve it. I feel a lot of people feel let down by themselves when they make a unprepared spur of moment decision to do something without thought of what this goal will take.
I fear some people do this with pet ownership as well. I hate that phrase actually. "pet ownership" yes, we buy a living thing and promise to look after it but, to own a living thing is not respectful. Perhaps that is my native american nature speaking out. We are more rightfully the animals caretaker. My point here, and I should get to that directly, is that some people haven't a clue as to how to care for or what to do with a pet they bought because it was cute or they wanted it. They will end up resenting or thinking the pet is stupid or crazy or something because they take no time to prepare for what they undertake. much like those resolutions which end up coming back around the next year after hope was lost on about January 25th or so if they make it that long.
We should all plan a little better. here is how. Dogs need basics like us: food, water, shelter from the elements and their bodies demand physical and mental exercise but, a puppy has moving bones until (depending on size of breed) 14 months to 2 years of age and can not run (except in play) before then. They need to learn games and tricks learn good and bad behaviors and how to stay away from bad behaviors will get them good things. They need to learn from reponsible respectful leaders who value their worth and see the choice to accept leadership is always rewarded and understanding that dog brains work very differently from human brains is important. Dog brains will filter and get almost tunnel vision which once set is hard to break to focus on you, they can shut down the other senses almost to fully focus in on the one at hand. They need structure. They never need physical reprimands of any sort only refocus/distraction which guide them to appropriate behavior. Most of all they need patience almost exceeding their need for love.
I encountered a dog this weekend who reminded me of my own dog but, who had gone another way. My dog was very shy, he would hide and cower timidly sometimes barking and bouncing at strangers. He would shake his back, lift paw and yawn in his anxious state. I worked with him almost daily to face and work through his fears. I would push him a tiny bit beyond his comfort level but never so much he would ever need to lash out. He slowly got over crowds, started to be able to walk by people without much care and then we practiced him sitting not facing the strangers, lying down then sitting facing at distance etc. I gave treats most every time we encountered a stranger, encouraged him to sniff near them, I tried to engage in simple conversation, asked them to give treats while they didn't look at him etc. I took him all sorts of new places, eventually we walked around a school as kids were dropped off ( I needed high reward treats for that) After all this work I was able to see him begin to face fears on his own. I met another dog though who was receiving no encouragement and no value on her feelings as she was feeling them. No distraction was being given, no encoragement and she was very afraid. I felt badly that dogs continue to be afraid without any help. When I become a trainer that will be one of my main classes. body language communication and shy/reactive dogs how to help them. I actually went from my breeder asking to buy back my dog to her extendng great praise the following summer at how far we had come. Dogs need to know they matter or they can work through anything.

what dogs are made for

I have a herding breed dog. This breed is meant to look like coyotes and be fast and nip at the sheep if needed to keep the flock together and going in the right direction, that which the shepherd is wanting. Recently, I took my dog to herd and it was like he was a different dog. He looks to me for clues typically and looks to me for guidance and I was watching him do his thing with the shepherd. The shepherd was looking for his tendancies, his instincts (which were great) and guiding him to use his self control. The next day my dog was so relaxed and listened the first time every time I asked of him.
I think these dogs were bred for these tasks. Some dogs for retreiving game, some for burrowing out rodents, or chasing fox,wolves,elk. They were bred to use their noses to sniff out things needing finding or protect carriages while they ran along side, to warn humans of dangers, blend into a flock of sheep to protect them from predators. Our dogs have purpose other than sitting in the backyard or begging at the dinner table. When we let them be who they were born to be, it makes them just be, it lets them find themselves in such a natural way that we may never understand. It is beautiful. I was so proud of him that day, so proud of myself for driving the hour and a half up to let him see himself. I drove home that day wondering when I could make it so again. It was another milestone in watching my dog develop. I have watched him since his birth on my breeders puppy cam and watched him figure out things, saw his little brain working out problems, watched it overload him so he would collapse for a nap and this day was a grown up moment. You see I will probably never have kids. Partly because I am getting older and partly because my dog is shy around kids, but I will always remember his steps because they have taught me so much about myself.
This was what he was made for in a way too, and I owe him to let him shine in his own glory.