When we think about giving our furry friends our absolute best, we have to think in terms of who they are and what they need – body, mind, and spirit. Understanding what’s best for their body is like thinking about what our own body needs – exercise and a healthy diet. Their mind, like ours, needs stimulation and to feel secure. To ensure your dog lives a long, healthy, and happy life, mental activities and a calm loving environment will help her live that long and happy life. Lastly, and just as important, is to really think about their spirit, which is a wonderful part of these friends we love so much!
Here are some suggestions on how you can help nurture all 3 primary needs of your dog:
BODY
When thinking about what’s best for your dog’s body, think of both exercise as well as the food you offer her. No matter where you live, the size of your dog or its age, all dogs, need exercise to get or remain healthy. Because she is part of your family, it is your job to make sure she gets daily exercise minimally through a walk. If you can allow your dog to run free, either on the beach, a dog park, or through a meadow, that’s a bonus. Keep in mind that your dog may need these more activities to burn energy. These activities are secondary to the daily walk, which should be a minimum of 30-45 minutes. Come on now, you’d love a reason to get out there for a daily walk yourself, right?
Regarding what you feed your dog; I’ve done extensive research over the years to find the perfect diet for my dog. As you may know, German Shepherds can be particularly picky eaters, so I wanted to make sure what they were eating was providing all their nutritional requirements. Years ago, I went through great lengths to make my dog’s food: grass feed beef, free-range chicken, wild turkey meat; healthy grains; a variety of vegetables and fruits. What I discovered was that what I thought was doing the right thing for her could have been harming her nutritionally. I learned that pet food companies spend a lot of time and money researching and developing the best balance of vitamins and minerals for my dog. So, I no longer make my dog’s food but instead feed her the highest quality dog foods on the market. I have to admit though, I still like adding some special flavors to her meal once in a while.
MIND
Like us and our children, we all need some type of discipline. Discipline can basically be defined as rules or boundaries. When we think about our pets, it’s so important that we are consistent in those rules and boundaries. What you don’t want her to do today, you shouldn’t allow her to do tomorrow either – be consistent. This means you have to consistently correct “bad” or unwanted behavior and not rewarding or encouraging negative or unwanted behavior. On the flip side of that, it’s really important to reward wanted behavior such as a calm state and remembering those rules and boundaries. Remember, when they are calm and relaxed, that is an extremely healthy for the state of being. . . their mind.
Also important for their mind is stimulation and learning. I love to watch my dog discover something new, such as observing a trout in the creek for the first time. Since dogs are naturally curious, that’s not a hard thing to provide for them. Teaching her new “tricks” or behaviors helps stimulate her brain. You just have to use your imagination and figure out something fun and stimulating for her to do or learn.
SPIRIT
The spirit of a dog is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful things in the world to experience! However, as tempting as it is to smother our “babies” with a lot of affection and love all the time, it’s important not to overdo it or give too much affection at the wrong time. An example of a wrong time to give affection is when your dog is scared, barking, whining, aggressive or begging. Giving affection during this time is telling her it’s okay to behave that way and that’s just fine with you. Only share affection after you have exercised and fed her, corrected, and changed unwanted behavior. Also share affection when she has responded to a rule or command or entered a calm state. This affection sends the wrong message that you are approving of that behavior. What we all want for our dogs is a healthy balanced life. It’s important to keep in mind the entire being of your pet – body, mind and spirit. In nature, animals will instinctively find that balance. However, when we take on the responsibility of having dogs live in our world, however, it’s up to us to ensure that they get that balance.
Our dogs can lose their own instincts when we relate to them purely in human ways, emphasizing the intellect and emotions over the instinctual. What causes dogs to develop behavioral issues is when we ignore or minimize the fact that they are dogs and have their own instinctual behaviors. We have to learn to observe their nature and what it means to them as a dog and what they are trying to tell us. That’s why exercise, discipline and affection must be given to our dogs. . .in that order! We first exercise the instinctual, then we discipline the intellect and express affection to the emotions. In this way, we fulfill the dog’s needs and promote balanced behavior.
This is what Cesar Milan calls the Fulfillment Formula:
Exercise is for the Body = Fulfilling Instinct = Creating Trust
Discipline is for the Mind = Fulfilling Intellect = Creating Respect
Affection is for the Heart = Fulfilling Emotion = Creating Love
Cesar also says, “It is only when we, as humans, stop acting intellectually and emotionally with our dogs and start living more instinctually that we learn one of the most important things we need to have a balanced dog: Our goal is not to make our dogs trust, respect, and love us ‘ it is to make ourselves trustworthy, respectable, and loveable.”
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