Choose a dog and live in harmony with it: advice from a zoopsychologist

When you think about getting a dog, you should remember: a pet is not a living toy. This is a separate creature with its own character and habits. Of course, he will adapt to your rules – but in a sense, you will also adapt to his real needs.

How to choose the right dog and what should future owners know about the peculiarities of life with her? Let’s talk!

Choose me!

It is not only possible, but also necessary to select dogs “by character”! It is worth carefully studying the breed characteristics, and not just the appearance or size.

Dogs weighing up to 35 kg can most often live in peace even in a small apartment. It is very important that the character, mobility, lifestyle of the owner and pet match. Most dogs require activity.

In a family with children, relatively calm golden retrievers, poodles, labrador retrievers, cavalier king charles spaniels, bichon frizes will feel comfortable. Welsh corgis, beagles, huskies are also perfect for living together with children, but only if there is enough active physical activity.

For older or very busy people, it is better to pay attention to decorative dogs, such as French bulldogs, pugs, chihuahuas, Japanese chins.

Some breeds are considered human-oriented, some are independent, such dogs can occupy themselves. An affectionate dog is easier to contact, easier to train.

With an independent pet, the owner will have to show character. Not rigidity, aggression or cruelty, but perseverance and consistency.

Shelter or nursery?

When buying a puppy from a breeder, you can imagine how he will grow up, based on the breed characteristics, based on knowledge about the nature of the parents. But still, you choose hypothetically: it is impossible to predict what kind of character a pet will have.

When you adopt a dog from a shelter, it is no longer a “pig in a poke”. Often the animal is already 8-9 months old or more. Volunteers can tell a lot about him. Is this dog phlegmatic, sanguine or choleric? How does he treat other animals, people, children? Human-centered or independent?

When you have the information, the chances of finding the right pet increase. Sometimes dogs from the shelter, thanks to volunteers, move to home overexposures and therefore have the skills of living in the city, are accustomed to the toilet. But you need to understand that their character has already developed. Yes, you can pass on your rules of life to such an animal, but you will also have to take into account its habits.

It is important not to take the dog out of pity! Pitying someone, we expect gratitude in return. The dogs from the shelter are grateful to us, but not in the way we understand it. When we take such an animal to us, we pull it out of its familiar environment. And even if the new house is undoubtedly better, the dog needs to get used to it.

When the tenant gnawed all the slippers

If you take a dog from home overexposure at the age of 8 months, it’s a little easier than dealing with a puppy. You will have to be very attentive to her, but she will quickly adapt to you, because she has already been taught the rules of behavior in the house. If you have a puppy settled in, this is tantamount to the appearance of a small child in the house.

Up to 7-8 months, he has the right to go to the toilet, without leaving the room, on a diaper. He has the right to gnaw and smash everything if he does not have enough distractions that are interesting for him. You must monitor his actions, but you cannot scold him, use physical punishments.

The puppy should not be left for a long time: he will be bored. Your belongings and repairs are at risk – so it’s worth stocking up with patience, time, and finances.

Learn and learn again

It is best to train a dog when it is still young. But for adults, classes with specialists (dog handlers, zoopsychologists) will not hurt.

What do they give? There are three answers to this question.

1. Find a common language with the animal. It is important to remember: we do not take the dog to classes, but ourselves with the dog. There you can learn how to properly communicate with her. The dog has simple and clear species-specific features that you may not know. And the job of a dog behaviorist is to teach you that. Then you can do everything yourself.

2. Define the pet’s “work of life”. Dog behavior experts talk about such a thing as “life’s work.” People have a profession, a hobby. Likewise, dogs have favorite things to which they are ready to devote their time. Most often, they enjoy doing something with the owner.

We can give the dog activities that mimic the activities for which the breed was originally bred. “Hunters” can be led to coursing: this is an imitation of chasing a hare. A herding breed dog can be taken to a triball or to imitation herding. Many people like agility – overcoming obstacles with a person. There is also dog frisbee (catching plates), canicross (running with the owner), weight pulling (drag and drop) and other activities.

3. Adjust behavior. Behavior correction is one of the most popular requests that pet owners turn to specialists. Sometimes misunderstanding is initially present in the relationship of the dog and the owner. And the longer they live together, the more annoying each other.

The dog begins to spoil things, bark, shows aggression towards other family members or animals. At this stage, many refuse pets. But it is much better to try to establish contact with the participation of specialists.

You can look in your area for experts in the method of operant training – this is a method of education built on positive reinforcement.

Before signing up for classes, you should agree with a specialist that you will come without a pet and see how he works at the site with animals. If you are close to his style of communication with dogs and with the owners, you can go to him with a dog. Several consultations with a professional and humane cynologist will give a good result.

We look around

As with any relationship, difficulties can arise between us and a pet. It’s better not to search the forums looking for answers to questions: users write about their own experience, but it’s different for everyone!

Take a closer look at your friends who have pets, the owners of dogs you meet on a walk. Surely among them there is a harmonious “couple” in which mutual understanding reigns: the owner uses humane methods when communicating with a pet; the animal does not walk on a “noose”, but on a loose sagging leash; when the owner calls the dog, she immediately comes to him.

Ask: what helped them to achieve such a result? Perhaps some specialist or literature. Both should be taken into account and continue to look for your own path to mutual happiness with your pet.

What to read: Karen Pryor Don’t growl at the dog; Clive D.L. Wynn, The Soul of a Dog. How and why your dog loves you”; Bobkova N., Pigareva N. “Smooth, love, praise. A non-boring guide to raising a dog.