Now Hiring…

Many of us believe that having a dog’s life would be heaven on earth.  You sleep when you want if you want and even WHERE you want.  Your food magically appears in its bowl 2 or 3 times a day.  You even get to pee outside!  And the biggest reason most humans want the dog’s life is because a dog doesn’t have to go to work. 

But it is healthy for your dog to be unemployed?

The answer is always NO, it is not healthy, and your dog wants to have a job.  They live for that job, whatever it may be. 

Dogs are pack animals that originated from wolves.  Wolves are highly social pack animals that work together to hunt and survive in the wild, in many different climates around the world.  Each wolf has something it excels at and will use that skill to help its pack survive.  For instance, even if the wolf isn’t the pack leader it may still lead the pack through deep snow if it is the biggest wolf in the pack and can clear the snow easily for the pack behind it.

The goal is to always survive for wild animals.  But what about your domesticated dog in its artificial environment?  It may not need to use ALL its skills to survive anymore but it still wants to use its skills and will attempt to by instinct alone no matter what you do.

The bottom line is that if you don’t give your dog some sort of job, they will become self-employed!  And that self employment may not be things you want happening in your environment.  Guarding the entrances to the house, rearranging the landscaping, tracking the local wildlife and the list can go on and on. 

Some of the most fulfilled and well-behaved dogs are ones that are working dogs.  Police and military dogs, sheep herding dogs, service dogs and therapy dogs.  The important part is giving your dog a job to do, big or little, and allowing them to perform it consistently. 

Want to learn more?  Contact your local certified Always Faithful Dog Trainer today.