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Lord of the Flies Canine Version
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Don't be seduced by cuteness. Train and care for your dog
This is a face anyone could fall in love with. But even the cutest of pups grows into a dog and dogs have teeth and teeth can bite.
A wild dog pack in rural Georgia reportedly set upon and killed an older couple although few remains were left and there were no witnesses. The dogs, reportedly unfed or cared for by humans, established their own pack which included the need to acquire their own food. While these attacks are very rare and sensationalist in nature, dog bites are not.
I have worked with many aggressive dogs with known and serious bite histories. I have never been bitten. I know how to read body language and work at the pace of the dog, figuring out how to get to a point of stress, and work though it to the next level. I apply a hands on approach and do not use aversive methods. Working with a behaviorally challenged dog is akin to a massage working out the kinks in a stressed out and achey system.
But get enough dogs together in an uncivilized state, feral, hungry and aroused, and it's like Lord of the Flies. Bad things are likely to happen. No matter how well you know how to read dogs or make like a tree.
Dogs need to know where they fit in in their families. When take them in, however they came to us -- rescue, shelter, breeder, stray, serendipity -- we take on the responsibilities. These responsibilities including helping shape them into what we want and need them to be.
Think of it as a contract. It can go something like this:
I, DOG OWNER NAME, agree to take you, DOG NAME, on as my responsibility. I want you to come when you are called, know basic manners, walk nicely on a leash, make me feel secure but don't hurt anyone, love me unconditionally, comfort me when I am blue, encourage me to get lots of exercise and rest, be nice to other animals, and help me remain focused on the here and now. In exchange, I, DOG OWNER NAME, agree to give to you, DOG NAME, healthy food and fresh water, training and exercise, a comfortable place to rest, grand adventures in the world, nice things to chew and toys to play with, an invigorating social life that suits your personality, and my guarantee that if I cannot keep you for whatever reason, I will take the responsibility to find you a new and suitable home.
If more people took on the care of a living, breathing and sentient animal by following similar rules of agreement, there would be fewer abandoned dogs whose only crime was not having a contract!
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