Living with Dogs

My Philosophy

Dogs are amazing creatures. They are smart, simple, honest and adaptable. It is this adaptability that led to their bond with humans. It is their ability to adjust to any situation that has made them "man's best friend". A dog's method of adjusting is to find the easiest, most direct path to acquiring whatever it is that makes their life, at that moment in time, happy. They are the king of short cuts, instant gratification, living in the moment, and the idea that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is why breaking your dog's bad habits is so hard. The habit they have is getting them the reward they desire, in the easiest, quickest way possible.

Without your guidance, your dog will find his own way, make his own rules, and become his own leader. If he wants food he will take it, if he wants fun he will create it, and if he wants attention he will demand it. Survival at it's finest. This is the way most people live with dogs. A constant cycle of the dog making a decision to get his needs met, the owner not liking the behavior and punishing the dog. Now the dog might feel bad, but he still doesn't know another way to get what he wants. So he will do the same bad behavior he did before because it worked the first time, he got the reward! The owner then punishes the dog more severely but still doesn't show him what he should do instead so the dog will again repeat the behavior in the future and so on, the only difference now is he will get sneakier in an effort to prevent the punishment. Most people's relationship with their dog consists of frustration, punishment, avoidance, and if the dog is lucky, traditional training of basic commands. I doubt this is how anyone imagined what Life with Fido would be like.

My philosophy of Life with Fido is simple. Dogs should add something wonderful to your life. They should not be a constant source of frustration or anger. Every interaction you have with your dog is an opportunity to teach them your expectations using their own language and capitalizing on their natural instincts. Your dog wants guidance. He wants a leader to take the responsibility off his shoulders and show him the short cuts. If you provide constant, consistent and patient guidance, using rewards your dog desires, he can learn what you expect of him on a daily basis. He can move freely and independently around your house without making bad decisions. He will offer the behaviors you want because it gives him what he desires without having to figure it out on his own. You will have the dog you always wanted and he will have the carefree life of a dog who has discovered the "ULTIMUTT" short cut... making you happy!

You are already showing your dog what you will accept every time you interact or don't interact with him, why not make that time count? He is already looking to you for guidance, why not show him the way so he doesn't have to guess it wrong? What you do and what you don't do will change his behavior, why not make purposeful decisions to create a dog you love living with? Why not become the benevolent leader your dog can trust and respect? Why not develop a stronger relationship with your dog? Life with Fido can show you how to easily shape your dog's behavior by helping you to develop a relationship and by taking advantage of every moment you interact with him. All dogs from puppies to older adults can benefit and change.

Copyright 2006. Wendy Anastasiou, www.lifewithfido.com. All rights reserved. Reproduction with permission only.