Killing pets with kindness
YOU CAN LOVE YOUR DOG TO DEATH
Not long ago we lived in an era of low-grade stress with no cellphones, faxes, computers, social media or television as a life-consuming distraction. In those days, dogs were dogs and dogs were pets, not surrogate children, grandchildren or life partners and they lived safely and happily outdoors.
Everyone was allowed more freedom to learn and acquire social skills, independence, assertiveness and coping skills. People learnt the consequences of their actions, mostly through trial and error.
Modern life has become complicated, stressful and unsafe. Living behind four walls without any idea who the neighbours are is commonplace in society today.
In this artificial environment and mundane lifestyle, dogs are being swamped with affection but deprived of rules and boundaries. Although dogs long to please, they have no idea what is expected of them because there are no defined guidelines, resulting in them having no coping skills.
They do not have mentors. They do not have to strive to earn anything from the people supposedly in charge. Dogs do not even know what is acceptable or inappropriate because they are not trained in this important field of life skills.
In the canine world, puppies are not perceived as cute and must know their boundaries within the pack system at all times under the auspices of the bitch mother. Their playful behaviour around adult dogs is tolerated as a “puppy license”, a license to learn survival skills, with adult dogs instinctive disciplinarians.
These puppies relish knowing where they fit in. It gives them security and stability. This “licence” expires around the age of sixteen to eighteen weeks of age.
What is acceptable behaviour between a pup and an adult before four months of age, such as nipping the tail of an adult dog or stepping over his resting body, suddenly becomes unacceptable.
This is the transitional period where adult dogs equip puppies with the critical social skills of self-control, respecting boundaries and thresholds.
But at this crucial stage most puppies are already in the care of a human family who are in awe of their cuteness and failing to teach them the vital social skills and, in most cases, hinder adult dogs from exerting discipline because they “cannot stand the bullying”.
If rules, consistency and assertiveness is lacking puppies will feel the need to take charge as they mature. Lack of all the desired signals will lead to unacceptable behaviour patterns ranging from abusive “spoilt brats” to aggression which, in too many instances, results in euthanasia – loving dogs to death!
Read more on this topic next week.
In this artificial environment and mundane lifestyle dogs are being swamped with affection but deprived of rules and boundaries