A Downtown Dog

A Flagstaff Dog 

Anyone who has been out to coffee downtown knows Flagstaff is a dog town. A little observation will prove however that only some of Flagstaff's dog population are true downtown dogs.

To us, a downtown dog is a socially adept dog; a dog who is trusting enough of their owner to be comfortable in all reasonable social situations. But if we bring a dog home from the pound at 5 years old, can we really expect them to get over their old ways of doing things? If we have a dog we have raised from a puppy, and always known her to be bad in social situations, can we realistically expect for things to change? In short, absolutely, but only if we take on the challenge of modifying our own behavior around our dog. If we can change, so too will our dogs!




Getting from there to here
The first and most important step in making  a change to the life we share with our animals is observing our own situation with respect to our dog as an animal. Too often, and usually out of social pressure, we humanize our dogs, especially in the moments they act up, in order to try to shield our selves from embarrassment. You may here an owner say something that starts with, "She has never liked . . . " or "Well, that's just insert name here" after a moment of bad dog behavior. Fact of the matter is, dogs are naturally social animals that are very capable and willing to make new friends and stay calm in any situation we teach them excitement is not allowed.. If our dog is having a hard time with that, we need to re-teach him/her how to be a social dog, and we need to do it leading by example. Sure, you will need to learn how to read dog behavior and react accordingly at the right time, but if your dog does not sense a balanced energy from you, good luck convincing him that you are in charge and a capable leader who is safe to follow.

"I let my dog be a dog"
This is a common reaction by dog owners when first presented with the above ideas. My question to this reaction seems logical; If we take home a puppy who is naturally programmed to learn from her mother and siblings, and then her pack, and let her"be a dog," where does she get her learning from? Straight to the point, with out any fluff, allot of dog owners fall into a pattern of acting selfish. We love our dogs, pet them, make funny noises, wrestle with them, and yet we don't know how to provide a calm environment for them. We need to respect our animals and learn more about them so that we can give back the love they so willingly give us.

A simple understanding
Above all else, your pet is an animal first. At this level, he needs to be fulfilled by communication with body language, and by working for his food. Next, he is a dog, fulfilled by being part of a pack where job status is very well defined. His breed and personality are below these traits in order of importance. Dogs that chew, dig, bark, bite, pull and so on are not being fulfilled at the Animal and Dog levels. That is that; no debate, no ifs or buts, those are the facts.