Dogs and the pack

Dogs are easily the most popular of pets. But this is not all. Dogs are also more useful to us than any other animal around. How did it all begin? There are probably as many theories as there are breeds. But the simple fact is that some where back in time he left his pack and joined ours.

From a symbiotic relationship probably starting with survival it has now become the most preferred companion. The use of the dog in all aspects of our lives has been the greatest boon of nature to us.

Dogs are primarily pack animals. If you do not understand this you will never be successful in having a dog. Understand this thoroughly and not only will you have the best dog but you could also have any number of them without much of a problem.

Dogs have a hierarchical pack system quite similar to ours. The oldest being the head of the pack. This is one of the main reasons that dogs adapted to being with us so easily then and they still do. When you bring a puppy into your home remember it is still a puppy. Quite like a bay it should not be just fed and locked up. Because if you do, like a baby it will scream to get your attention. Like a baby it must also be fed several times a day with small meals, and just like babies they cannot control their bowels. When they do you should not try to rub their noses in it. You do not do this to babies.

House training a puppy is simple. As it wakes up take it to a particular place and wait till it relieves itself. Bring it in as soon as it does. Repeat this at the same place and before you know it, its house trained.

Body clocks

Curiously another fully functional thing that a dog has is an inbuilt clock. Believe me it is more reliable than anything else you’ve ever seen. This is a great built in feature that if used properly can make having a dog very easy. Feed a puppy at the same times and same place every day. This habit created will remain with it always. The real advantage is come mealtime it will be at its place waiting. This also discourages scavenging.

This also works for other activities such as playtime. Play with the dog at a particular time and it will wait for it, and in case you forget it will remind you. Take it for walk and it will do the same. The advantages of having the dog used to times like this is obvious, clean house to say the least. Dogs usually sleep a lot. This happens after they have had their meals and played a bit. So when their feeding and play times are regular they sleep in between these times.

This stems from the contact with dogs. This is not to be confused with dog ownership. It has been proven that a reduction of cardiovascular and psychological anxiety has been shown in persons when in the presence of a pet. This goes further a pet gives social support as dogs provide social support as they also are good facilitators of interactions between people. There was study where wheelchair users experienced more positive social interactions with strangers when they a accompanied by a dog than when they were not.

Dogs being used in therapy started in the 18th century where mental patients used them to help socialize patients with metal disorders. Animal assisted therapy increases a person with Alzheimer’s disease’s social behavior’ such as smiling and laughing.

One study demonstrated that children with ADHD and conduct disorders who participated in an education program with dogs and other animals showed increased attendance, increased knowledge and skill objectives, and decreased antisocial and violent behavior compared to those who were not in an animal-assisted program.

Ever since the wolf made friends with the cave man and walked into his cave the dog has moved into our hearts and remained there since.