Marina Garfagnoli, a dog expert, writes us the 10 Tips to remember if you live with a dog. Good advice to keep in mind to take care of your furry friend.
10 Tips If You Live With a Dog
1. We too often forget to tell dogs how good they are at dealing with the human world. We should always remember to tell them how proud we are of their brave and sunny way of being DOGS .
2. Smell and chewing are two important elements of the natural life of Dogs. To be healthy, a dog needs to follow his nose and use his teeth. As fortunate human beings, life companions of dogs, we must build experiences that allow our dogs to do both.
3. Not only the nose guides our dogs. We can often see them licking odorous molecules from the ground. In the middle of the palate there is an organ (Jacobson's or Vomeronasal) for the perception of pheromonal components that give our dogs fundamental information about their conspecifics. It is very important to give dogs the opportunity to express themselves according to nature , for their serenity and sociability.
4. A dog's tail wagging is not always and only an expression of positive emotional states. It expresses excitement, and excitement is present in joy, in predation, in fear. Dogs express emotions with their entire body and with the extraordinary expressiveness of their face. Every emotion must be placed and analyzed in a context.
5. Contentment is clearly visible in the facial expressions of dogs. Rolling on the ground, on a carcass, on a toy, on a trail, on the treat received from the owner can be a marking, but it brings with it pleasure and accomplishment . Do not miss the pleased expression of your dog when he exhibits this behavior!
6. Dogs mark surfaces, objects, other individuals. Not only, and fortunately, with urine and feces, but with their entire body, with the glands that are found there, from the muzzle to the tail. If your dog “caresses” you delicately with his body, it could be a complicit and affiliative sharing of personal odors. It could be the symptom of a group recognition that means “family” .
7. Dogs mark water. They do it with their nose and paws. They perceive odors in water. And it represents not only a fundamental resource, but also a very important element of well-being and relaxation .
8. Rest is fundamental . Olfactory activities in a natural environment produce that beneficial and healthy possibility of satisfaction that is the basis of an extraordinary quality of rest, useful for ensuring that serenity increases.
9. In the game it is not so important to win, to get a fetch, or a perfect leave. What makes playing with a dog extraordinary is sharing and having fun , for both parties involved, without conflict and impositions.
10. Serenity comes before “education” . It is the BASIS of “education”. The second cannot and must not be independent of the first. Commit yourself to making a serene dog, before expecting a “well-mannered” dog. Choose someone who thinks first of all of the well-being, rather than the education of your dog.
