SUMMARY: Making eye contact with your dog’s eyes can do more than melt your heart—it actually strengthens your bond by synchronizing your brain activity with theirs, enhancing social and emotional connections. This fascinating insight could also explain why therapy dogs are so effective. Want to know how simple eye contact can transform your relationship with your furry friend? Read on or listen to the full article below.
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Have you ever looked into your dog’s eyes and felt a deep, unspoken connection? Science says that a bond is more than just a feeling.
A groundbreaking study from the journal Advanced Science reveals that when we engage in bonding activities with our dogs, like eye contact and petting, something extraordinary happens—our brains sync up!
How Eye Contact with a Dog’s Eyes Strengthens the Human-Dog Bond: The Science Behind It
Using a technique called dual-EEG, researchers measured brain activity in both humans and dogs at the same time. What they found is mind-blowing: our brains literally “talk” to each other during these moments of connection.
This synchronization, known as interbrain coupling, happens mostly in the parts of the brain responsible for social interaction and attention, like the frontal and parietal lobes.
And guess what? We lead the way, with our dogs following along. It’s almost like we’re guiding them through this neurological dance.
But here’s where it gets even more fascinating. This connection can grow stronger the more time we spend with our pups.
Eye contact, in particular, seems to play a crucial role.
And while we all know that dogs are great emotional support companions, this research suggests that the bond we feel with them may have real, neurological foundations.
Unlocking the Secrets of Interbrain Coupling: The Deep Connection Between Humans and Dogs
The study even ventured into autism research by exploring dogs with mutations in the SHANK3 gene, which is linked to autism in humans. These dogs had trouble syncing their brains with humans, similar to how people with autism struggle with social cues.
And in a surprising twist, researchers found that LSD temporarily restored brain synchronization in these dogs, though this area of study is still in its infancy.
This incredible discovery opens the door to many possibilities, from understanding therapy dogs to exploring how our pets help with anxiety, PTSD, and more.
Conclusion: Embrace the Bond!
So, next time your dog locks eyes with you, take a moment to appreciate the deep connection you’re sharing. It’s not just love; it’s science.
By engaging in these bonding moments—whether it’s petting, playing, or simply gazing into your dog’s eyes—you’re strengthening a neurological bond that runs deeper than we ever thought.
Let’s cherish these moments and keep building that amazing human-dog connection, because it turns out, “man’s best friend” is a title that’s rooted in both heart and brain!
Now, go give your dog some extra love—you’re not just making them happy, you’re syncing your minds!
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
Proper dog nail health is important for the overall health of your fur friend.
Once they’re too long, the quick (the vein) will grow longer into the nail, which makes it impossible to trim the nails back far enough.
Save Your Floors – Save Your Skin
Short nails will also save your hardwood floors and nicely rounded nails, rather than clipped nails leaving sharp edges will also save your skin from scratches.
How Do You Know If the Nails Are Too Long?
If you can hear the nails clicking on the floor – they’re too long and you’re compromising your dog’s nail health.
If this is the case with your dog’s nails, you need to work on trimming them back a little bit every week, getting them as close to the quick as possible, so that the vein starts to naturally recede farther back into the nail.
Properly trimming a dog’s nails is a skill that should often be left to the professionals, and especially if you are nervous, uncertain, or have difficulties doing this yourself, it’s best to enlist the help of a professional on a regular basis.
If you’re a K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering client, “pawdicures” are one of the exclusive extra services we offer to our furry clients.
We use a specially designed Dremel tool to safely and painlessly grind down the nails to get them as short as possible, and then we finish up with an anti-bacterial Neem oil treatment for the paws and nails.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
So many people are excessively humanizing their pets, and none more so than our canine counterparts.
For instance, you see cute, little humanizing sayings everywhere, such as “Dogs Are People Too”, “I’m Family”, and “Dogs are Children in Fur Clothes”, just to quote a few.
Such as movies portraying dogs and cats as conversational, intelligent, puzzle-solving, clothed, miniature human-like creatures, etc.
How Can Humanizing Your Dog Be Harmful?
Generally speaking, the more you humanize your dog, the more likely your dog may be suffering from psychological problems that manifest themselves through your dog acting out in ways unacceptable to us humans.
Many behavioral problems can arise as a result of too much humanizing, including anxiety, barking, aggressiveness, obsessiveness, nervousness, confusion, fear, and more because the dog, try as it might, doesn’t have the capacity to turn itself into a fur human any more than we humans have the capacity to turn ourselves into hairless canines.
We love our dogs, but perhaps we humans need to ask ourselves how much we love dogs, as opposed to how much we want our dogs to change themselves into furry humans that also retain the loyal, unconditional loveable dog characteristics that attracted us to them in the first place.
Perhaps we humans need to exercise a little more understanding of how our excessive humanizing may actually be harmful to our dogs and instead of trying so hard to turn them into perfect little humans, we need to respect them for the wonderful dogs they are and all that being a dog actually means.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
We’ve all heard about how stress can kill humans, but have any of us humans ever stopped to consider how dog stress is also taking its toll on our beloved canine population?
Once we humans decided to domesticate dogs, remove from all they previously knew and fully integrate them into our immediate environment, they have become affected by all our human foibles and diseases, which includes a mountain of stress.
In many cases, we have unknowingly created situations that are unnatural to our dogs whom we now expect to function as small fur humans and just forget about the true nature of their very being.
There are many humans situations, which seem normal and every day to us humans, that when not approached in a way that the dog can properly comprehend can cause ongoing dog stress for your fur friend that will ultimately shorten your dog’s life.
Dog Stress Situations
There are multiple situations and daily activities in the human world that can cause a great deal of dog stress which the average human may not even be aware of.
When you start to think about how much we have changed the lives of dogs over the centuries and how much we expect them to accept or give up as they become part of a human family, we start to realize that all that is part of our daily routine, is largely foreign to our dogs.
Riding in Vehicles
Many dogs are just expected to blindly accept that they will ride about in vehicles, and for many of our fur friends, this simple transportation system that has been part of our human daily lifestyle for a very long time, and which we don’t even think about, if not introduced properly can be a big dog stress.
The Little Things
What we humans think of as simple, little things, such as nail clipping and bath time can cause much dog stress.
In the wild, dogs don’t need their nails trimmed because they wear them down naturally from all their daily motion, but when they come to live with us, we are much more sedentary than the average dog, therefore our dogs don’t get the exercise they need, and thus their nails grow too long, so require regular trimming.
When your dog is not properly introduced to a nail clipping routine, this process than cause traumatic dog stress so severe that your dog will do anything to avoid the procedure.
In the wild, dogs don’t take baths, but instead they run through streams and puddles, swim in lakes and oceans, and they never have to mask their natural scent with lovely human fragrances so that they are more agreeable to the humans.
No Job – No Exercise
Dogs are natural born athletes who, in order to stay healthy, need to move at a pace much faster than the average human is capable of.
Over the centuries our dogs have worked outside with us, providing valuable services to help us get through our daily grind, but today, many of our dogs are confined, must stay indoors all day long and just don’t get the exercise or mental stimulation they need. This causes a great deal of dog stress.
Victoria’s very own Dog Whispering team is concerned that the majority of the Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island dog population is suffering from stress overload that could very easily lead to an early death for many beloved canine companions.
The K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team believes that the majority of dogs are not receiving the leadership they need from their humans resulting in many stressed, unhappy dogs acting out in noisy, destructive and dangerous ways.
The K-9 Super Heroes team says that an out of control dog not only disrupts the household and puts children and adults in a potentially harmful situation, the stressful, ripple effect is also felt throughout the entire neighbourhood.
Of course, our fur friends can be easily integrated into our human lifestyle and learn to accept many unnatural situations without the stress than can shorten their lives once the humans understand that there are many things they can do to help extend the lives of their best friends.
How Do I Know if My Dog is Stressed?
There are many different ways that dogs display their stress, with the more common indications being excessive excitement, panting, barking, pulling, lunging, growling and aggressive behavior towards other dogs and humans.
Not only do the above behaviors put a tremendous stress load onto the dog, the result of which can shorten your best friend’s life.
Even worse, if left unchecked these types of unstable behaviors can escalate to such a degree that your best friend may hurt someone and be sentenced to an early death.
Also, the family that doesn’t know how to rehabilitate these unwanted behaviors may feel forced into making the decision to remove their dog to a local pound or rescue organization, which may also result in early death.
The K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team is often called upon to show humans how to stop this unwanted behavior and bring peace to the neighbourhood.
Help your dog live a stress-free, happy life. If you need help, please contact us today.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
Many people have heard the term “puppy mill”, yet many more don’t really understand what it means, other than that it has something to do with buying and selling puppies.
The following article is intended to help educate the millions of responsible pet owners who may be about to unwittingly purchase a puppy from a mill because they believe that they are getting a dog from a “reputable” breeder.
Here you will find the shocking truth behind the cruel and inhumane trafficking of those innocent canines who are little more than a means to a fat bank account for the owners of these puppy mills.
What is a Puppy Mill?
The definition of a puppy mill is a large scale breeding operation purely for attaining the highest dollar profit possible in the shortest period of time with little to no regard for the health or welfare of those incarcerated.
Why Should You Care?
There are many reasons why dog lovers should really care whether the puppy they are thinking of buying comes from a puppy mill.
Firstly, when breeding usefulness is over, the mother of a puppy mill puppy you may have unknowingly purchased is usually killed or dumped in an out of way location where she will die a slow, painful and frightened death.
Even though breeders who sell puppy mill puppies may not technically be operating above the law, as they may indeed hold a breeding license, the standards of care required for obtaining such a license, as set forth by the government, is so far beneath what it should be, ending up being little more than providing bare minimum food, water and shelter.
Why is it Cruel?
Besides only providing minimal care, puppy mill breeders can own many hundreds of dogs of many different breeds and the breeding stock can be kept in unheated, small wire cages for their entire miserable lives, oftentimes being malformed and unable to even walk.
These tortured dogs can be bred over and over again, as often as possible, to ensure optimum revenue for their human captors.
Care Enough to Check
Beside the obvious reason of not wanting to support irresponsible breeders by being part of a chain of events that promotes more of this horrific and inhumane treatment of man’s best friend, oftentimes the puppy you buy will have genetic problems from the mistreated, malnourished, suffering, production-line mother, leading to multiple defects and disease in a puppy that may not show up until the puppy gets a little older.
What Sort of Defects?
The list is endless, however some of the more common problems and severe health issues leading to costly veterinary service found in commercial breeding operations include internal parasites (some that can infect humans), deadly Parvo and Distemper, congenital defects, such as displaced kneecaps, hip, eye and heart defects.
As well, oftentimes puppy mill puppies develop behavioral issues or extreme fearfulness and shyness because they were removed from their mothers too early to learn any socialization skills. Many times these dogs with behavioral issues then become an additional burden for rescue groups, humane societies, municipal pounds and SPCA facilities.
What about inspectors? Yes, there are inspectors out there, however, as is the case with many government branches, the many thousands of “licensed” kennels far outweigh the very few inspectors.
Where are Puppy Mill Puppies Sold?
a) Classified Newspaper Ads b) Pet Stores c) Websites
Where NOT to Purchase Your Next Puppy
a) Classified Newspaper Ads b) Pet Stores c) Websites
If you must buy…do your research and make sure that you are not contributing to the suffering of millions of adult dogs forced into a miserable life of inhumane captivity on the production line of a puppy mill because this is no life for your best friend.
Puppy Buying Protocol
(1) always insist on seeing the breeding operation beforehand, and be highly suspicious of anyone who is willing to “deliver” to you, or won’t let you see where the dogs and puppies live.
(2) Never purchase from a pet store because no responsible breeder would sell to a pet store, plus even the staff in the store may not know that they are also contributing to ongoing puppy mill hell.
(3) Never buy a puppy from a website, without first viewing the facility yourself, because as great looking as a website may be, this is an easy way to disguise a torturous operation.
(4) Teach your friends, family and acquaintances about horror of puppy mills because knowledge is the only way to put a stop to such inhumane breeding.
Shopping vs Adopting
Instead of shopping, consider adopting one of the many, many deserving dogs looking for a new forever home. If you’re looking for a new best friend to share your life, please consider the many, many alternatives and instead of shopping, do your part to help shut down puppy mills and instead, consider ADOPTING!
Always consider adoption, rescue and shelter services, many of which are rescues for specific purebreeds, so even if you have your heart set on a particular type of dog, there’s one out there that needs a forever home and the loving care that only you can provide.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Only Misunderstood
And don’t forget, at K-9 Super Heroes we don’t believe there are any bad dogs, just misunderstood ones, therefore, if you rescue a dog with behavioral issues you don’t know how to eliminate, a little Dog Whispering session will usually be all you need to help rehabilitate your new best friend and help him or her attain balance in their new surroundings.
Canine Matchmaking
Finally, if you’re not sure what type of dog is best suited to your lifestyle, and need help finding the perfect 4-legged companion, call the K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team today because we also provide a Matchmaking Service that may be just the help you need. ^..^
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
“This year, popularity for one unique type of dog is surging in China. The black and white pooches are chubby and exceptionally fluffy. They bear a striking resemblance to pandas.
The panda dog is not an identified, accepted breed, but instead they’re Chows that have undergone cosmetic primping to get them to appear as adorable pandas.
Chinese citizens don’t seem to care how the doggies get their look, because pet shops are having an incredibly hard time keeping up with the demand. One pet store owner in Chengdu city, Hsin Ch’en remarked “Ten years ago the natural instinct of a Chinese person was to eat a dog. Now we are like westerners and want one as a companion. The cute breeds like French bulldogs and Labradors were the favorites, but now it is the panda dog.”
Ch’en isn’t complaining about the trend though, as he’s responsible for creating the makeshift breed.
He claims to have ‘perfected’ the grooming and coloring technique for the panda dogs.
It takes roughly two hours to transform a plain Chow into a panda dog, but after about 6 weeks, the color fades and the pooches need another grooming touchup. What do you think of the panda dogs?” ~ GeoBeat News (I personally believe that this is cruelty to Chows).
P.S. looking for a breed specific book? Go to Must Have Publishingand see if I’ve written a book about your favorite fur friend (400+ books and counting!). New books are regularly added.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
Just like us humans, far too many of our best fur friends are overweight too.
Our canine companions suffer from many of the same health related diseases their human guardians suffer from, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Dogs are natural athletes, not naturally overweight…they get that way because they live with humans who do not take care of them properly and instead of getting them out there walking, running and exercising like dogs are meant to, keep them unnaturally sedentary.
There are only two reasons for a dog to be unhealthily overweight:
(1) they are fed terrible, fatty food and/or too much of it; and
(2) they do not get any or enough exercise.
Many of these problems can be helped simply by making healthier food choices and increasing daily exercise. When you have a dog, you’ve always got a reason to exercise more and when you have an overweight dog, you really need to exercise more, if you love them and want them to live as long a life as possible.
There is a simple way to determine if your dog is overweight.
When they are standing, place your hand flat against their ribs and if you cannot feel any of their ribs when you apply a little firm pressure, this means that your dog is spending too much time at the feed bowl and not enough time being outside moving around and enjoying being a dog.
Don’t shorten your dog’s life…instead, help your BFF live a long and healthy life by making sure you are not over-feeding and that you and they are getting out for lots of exercise.
P.S.looking for a breed specific book? Perhaps I’ve written a book all about your favorite canine (400+ and counting). All my books are listed, or soon will be listed, at Must Have Publishing.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
Did you know that there are approximately 60 species of spear grass, commonly known under many different names, including, foxtail grass, porcupine grass, needle grass, silver spike grass, etc. and “spear grass” is the generic term used for any wild grass that has barbed seeds.
What Spear Grass Looks Like
There is dangerous foxtail barley grass growing everywhere in the Victoria, BC area (it looks similar to wheat), including the off-leash area of Beacon Hill Park, and although this grass is beautiful and graceful in it’s green and purple growing stage, once it dries out, the spears have a Velcro-like texture that easily attach themselves to anything that brushes past, including your best fur friends.
Each small piece that attaches itself to a passing dog also has a needle sharp end that can easily pierce your dog’s skin and work it’s way inside your dog’s body.
No matter what name you give this insidious grass, there is no denying that any type of spear grass and your pet are a dangerously unhealthy and treacherous combination that can cause your pet much pain and distress.
Spear Grass and Dogs Don’t Mix
Spear grass is most dangerous for dogs once it has become dried out and more easily falls from the stalks and is most often a problem from late spring through to the fall.
Make sure that you keep a vigilant eye during the spear grass season and if you allow your dog to romp through grassy areas, always check between the toes, underbelly, eyes, ears, nose, etc., because if just one of these Velcro-like seeds gets into an ear canal, for instance, your dog will be doing a lot of head shaking and ear scratching and may even whine or cry because he or she is experiencing extreme pain.
Once a spear grass has lodged itself in an ear canal or up the dog’s nose, removal will require an expensive trip to your local vet’s office.
The seeds found in the ears, eyes and nose can cause very serious problems, even to the point of becoming life threatening if not discovered and properly treated. Because these seeds literally stick to anything, and are designed to move forward through the hair, to pierce the skin, no body part is immune.
The seeds have been found in the urethra, vagina, anal glands, brain, and spinal cord. In one case a veterinarian found a seed in the lung, even though the original site of entry was through the paw. Spear grass can also gain easy entry through open wounds.
Final Thoughts about Spear Grass
To shield your furry friends from the hazards of spear grass, pet guardians can adopt a proactive approach with these steps:
Thorough Checks Post-Adventure: Make a habit of a quick brush-down for your pet after outdoor excursions. Examine their ears, eyes, noses, and paws diligently for spear grass infiltrations.
Awareness is Key: Post-playtime in grassy expanses, a detailed inspection is crucial. Keep an eye out for symptoms like head shaking, ear scratching, paw licking or chewing, or persistent whining, which could signal spear grass troubles.
Strategic Grooming: A well-groomed pet is a safer pet. Trimming the fur around paws and ears lessens the likelihood of spear grass embedding itself into their skin.
Preemptive Landscape Care: Eliminate any spear grass from your surroundings to drastically reduce the danger it poses to your pets.
Staying ahead of the game with these measures will greatly diminish the chances of spear grass incidents with your pets.
Spring and summertime in the Northwest is a wonderful time for dogs and their guardians to be outside enjoying the sites and sounds and you can make sure that all this fun activity remains a happy memory when you carefully inspect for spear grass after each outing.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
Even though, when you ask most humans why they have a dog, their spontaneous response is usually “for companionship”, there may actually be far more subtle reasons we humans aren’t even aware of that speak to the many human needs that might be left unfulfilled if we were unable to share our lives with a furry friend.
“Companionship and affection and they never get grumpy” “Because I’ve always had them and I love them and they’re a calming effect in our lives. They comfort me and my wife.”
We asked some of our clients and strangers, too:
“What’s your number one reason for having a dog in your life?”
Here are some of the spontaneous comments we gathered…
Isn’t it so very interesting that many of us humans, even those who are married and have children in their families, and lots of friends, seem to have dogs in our lives for “companionship”, “love” and “affection”? Beyond these very important aspects of our human lives, perhaps our dogs are so much more than we even realize.
Dogs Are Our Helpers
We wouldn’t be where we are in society today without the help of many working breed dogs that helped us humans in so many ways. If us humans had a need, we could find (or create) a dog that would provide the answer.
We have working dogs for herding, hunting, guarding, rescuing, policing, bomb detection, drug sniffing, border patrol, emergency response, service for the handicapped, therapy for nursing homes, rehabilitation and detention centers.
“Companionship.” “Because my husband wanted one. I grew up with cats and he wanted a dog.”
Dogs Are Faithful Companions
In today’s society, for the most part, while our dogs still play a vital role in many areas of our human lives, we don’t require our dogs to work the herds and guard our fields alongside of us like they used to, and thus our dogs are more often fulfilling the part of faithful companion for many of us humans.
Dogs Are Great Listeners
No matter how busy our spouses, children or friends may be and how crazy busy our daily lives, our dogs are always there, waiting to sit quietly and listen to anything we have to say, blindly accepting everything we are – whether good, bad, or otherwise, without passing judgment.
Dogs Are Our Fitness Coaches
We humans go to great lengths buying memberships at our local gymnasiums, driving to the local fitness center, buying the latest exercise DVD’s and lugging home the best, new exercise devices, when our dogs are the very best fitness coaches, always waiting and willing to go for a walk, a hike in the park a swim in the lake, a run along the shoreline. If we humans would just listen to our dogs, who are all natural athletes, follow their example and get out there, we’d all be healthy and fit.
“I fostered her and my husband fell in love with her and I kept her for him.
Dogs Are Giving Without Expectation
Our dogs give so much of themselves to us every single day.
They wait patiently for us to be finally ready to take them for a walk.
They let us dress them up in silly clothes, and style their coats in ways pleasing to human fashion.
They learn how to do tricks because it makes us humans happy and they follow our commands the best they can because they always want to please us.
All of this and so much more, yet they don’t “expect” anything in return other than to be with us. Margery Facklam (award winning Children’s Science author) could not have been more correct when she said, “We give dogs time we can spare, and love we can spare. In return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made.”
“For affection – the dogs give me affection and I give them affection.” “Because they make me laugh every day and remind me about the really important things in life.”
Dogs Are Unconditional Love
If we’re lucky in our human relationships, we may find that elusive “unconditional love” and acceptance we’re all looking for, or we can simply share our lives with a dog and have a guaranteed endless supply.
The canine capacity for unconditional love is likely the biggest reason that dog has become man’s best friend.
Further, when it comes down to displaying unfettered love and affection, a dog can always outdo us humans without even working at it because he or she is born with it.
Think of all those times you’ve had a trying day, you’re a complete grouch, you ignore your dog, and show him no love or affection whatsoever. Does he hold this against you or ignore you back?
Of course not. He waits patiently for you to decide you’re ready to be social again, and then is just happy that you are there. When it comes to unconditional love, our dogs win hands down.
“To rescue him from homelessness, or from being unwanted by his previous owner”.
Dogs Are Joy
Dogs are always showing us the joy in everyday things that us busy humans often don’t take the time to even notice. If we slow down just a bit and watch, we can enjoy vicarious, spontaneous joy through our dogs.
Dogs live for the moment, and when you have a dog in your life, you can learn this, too.
A dog appreciates every fine moment of each new day and doesn’t complain about it, and we can certainly follow their lead and learn to be grateful for all that we have.
When we learn to live our lives more fully in the present, we naturally have more enthusiasm, less worry and a more simplified joy for life, just like our dogs.
Dogs Are Keeping Us Young
Dogs are always ready and waiting to give us an opportunity to be silly and child-like any time we feel like it, which is a side of grown up and responsible adults that we most often don’t allow ourselves to experience with our peers.
“Because taking care of them helps me enjoy a better quality of life.”
Dogs Are Our Connection With Nature
Dogs are always reminding us that there’s a whole great, big, wide, wonderful world of beautiful nature out there for us to explore that is so much more interesting, educational and spiritually uplifting than sitting in front of our TV’s watching the latest movie, playing the latest video game or chatting on our smart devices.
Dogs are always showing us that we need to take the time to notice all that is growing, living and breathing around us.
Dogs are telling us to pay attention and take the time to appreciate the flowers, smell the ocean breeze, wonder where that bald eagle builds its nest, marvel at how far that tiny hummingbird had to fly to get here.
Our dogs are encouraging us to pause for a moment and watch the most outstanding sunrise and enjoy these many free gifts from nature that expand our minds, bring peace to our souls, and are simply without compare.
“Companionship – they’re interesting – to have something to nurture and because they provide unconditional love.”
Dogs Are Uninhibited
Perhaps our dogs remind us about how great it would be to be so uninhibited and not worry about how others think about our fun, crazy, playful moments, because it’s so much more important to really notice the day and laugh out loud than worry about how we look.
George Evans (Outdoor Essayist and Dog Breeder) captured the essence of the uninhibited dog quite perfectly when he said, “I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren’t certain we knew better.”
Dogs Are Holistic Medicine
Dogs are truly medicine without the side-effects.
So many of us humans lead very stressful lives, we’re overworked and underpaid, run ragged trying to keep up with our families and friends and because of our fast-paced lifestyles have little, if any, truly “me” time.
This leads us down a path that can cause ill health, which in turn sees us swallowing all sorts of drugs to try to find a way to cope or reach a balance or inner peace that will work for us.
Many times, instead of reaching for the medicine cabinet, what we really need is a peaceful walk with our fur friend, a moment to sit on a park bench or grassy knoll, and watch the clouds roll by, while stroking the soft, stress-reducing fur of our favourite canine.
“For love.”
Loving Companionship
This loving companionship we receive from our dogs is obviously a very special type of companionship that we just don’t get from our human family members or significant others.
Perhaps it’s because humans can be judgmental, have expectations about how you should look and act, and usually have limiting boundaries, which means that no matter how special a relationship you might have with your human counterparts, there are still many social boundaries we feel we must adhere to.
Could it be that the only time we humans feel that we can escape from feeling overwhelmed with our daily lives, when we can experience moments of loving, unconditional companionship where we can totally relax, be 100% ourselves, carefree and connected with our inner child, enjoying the bliss of the simple things in life, where we give ourselves permission to be spontaneous and crazy loving, is not with our children, our friends or our life partners, but rather, it’s that precious time we spend time with our dog(s)?
“Because…!”
Of course, what our dogs bring to our human lives will be special to every dog and personal to each and every one of us humans, as we and our dogs are all individuals with unique needs.
What do you get from YOUR dog that you may not be consciously aware of, because of course, our special dogs are all of the above, and so much more.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
No doubt you’ve heard of a “speed trap”, but for irresponsible dog owners who refuse to pick up after their dogs, what about a “$250. poop trap”?
Sure everyone is more vigilant when they see the local enforcement authorities wandering about in their uniforms, but what if they were in plain clothes and just wandering about at the off-leash park or beach?
It’s a $250. Fine
Perhaps you’re not aware that not picking up after your dog is a substantial $250. fine – that’s more than not having a current dog tag on your fur friend’s collar.
What’s worse is that dog poop is highly toxic and when you don’t pick up, this toxin finds it’s way into our water supplies, and into our homes.
Why might it be a good idea for control officers to blend into society so that they can catch irresponsible owners?
Nobody wants to step in doggy do, and they sure don’t want to smell it when they’re taking a few hours to enjoy the sun and sea at the beach.
None of us conscientious dog owners want to keep on taking the rap for those who think it’s OK to operate outside of the rules of common decency.
I’m sure that all conscientious dog owners have many times seen a big pile of dog poo left on the side of the road in your neighbourhood, or at your local park, and I’m sure that being the conscientious dog owner that you are, you’ve picked up many loads that didn’t come out of your dog, while silently cursing the irresponsible dog owners who makes all the rest look bad.
Pick It Up – It’s the Law
Because there are so many more dogs in homes these days than ever before, this means that sadly there are many more piles of poop not being picked up.
Every time a dog owner does not pick up after their dog, this inaction creates a health hazard and puts all other dog owners in a bad light which broadens the wedge between those who love dogs and those who would rather see them banned from all public places.
As an example, just yesterday when we were pack-waking with our clients as we do every Saturday, the weather was gorgeous and we decided to return to the beach. There were lots of dogs and humans enjoying the sunshine and ignoring their off-leash dogs.
Within a space of just five minutes we saw two dog owners NOT pick up after their dogs.
One young woman actually dug a hole in the beach and buried her dog’s poop under an inch or two of small rocks and when one of our group called her on it, her excuse was that it was better than filling landfills with plastic.
When I replied that most doggy do-do bags are biodegradable, she became belligerent and said, “you look after your dog and I’ll look after mine.”
A minute farther down the beach and we witnessed another dog squeezing out a fresh pile of poop while the two young guys who seemed to be associated were already too far down the beach to ever notice.
We live very near a beautiful little park where we often walk our dog, and inevitably we are picking up after a dog and owner that has long since left the vicinity.
In fact, we seem to pick up far more dog poop from other dogs than from our own.
The Power of Peer Pressure
So what’s the solution to solving this problem before dogs are banned from all public areas?
Conscientious dog owners need to voice their opinions loudly whenever they see someone not picking up, as sometimes it’s a legitimate mistake, but for those who are purposefully not picking up, perhaps a little peer pressure or embarrassment might do the trick.
Of course, it might have the opposite effect and you will get a hail of four-letter words back at you.
No matter if this happens, as the person is really swearing at themselves because they know they are wrong and perhaps unbeknownst to you, they will change their errant ways somewhere down the road.
I say, why not set up poop traps and start making some serious money for the city?
If every time a plain clothes enforcement officer catches someone not picking up they fine the individual $250. wouldn’t you think that this considerable hit to the wallet would have a positive effect on teaching the irresponsible that the rules also apply to them?
If you have a good idea about how to get those dog owners to be more responsible, put it in play, and help all conscientious dog owners make our community a safer, cleaner and all round better place for everyone.
Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^
