Photo by Jennifer Gauger - Unleashed with Love Pet Photography
Dog
I have traveled to several countries around the world and I have noticed some key things regarding dogs and behavior. What I have observed is not ground breaking in the industry, many others have noted these as well, but to the average pet owner, they may be eye opening.
When we travel to other countries, I am always interested in how they treat their animals, especially dogs. Some countries, like Morocco have a high concentration of street dogs. Some, like Peru and Costa Rica, have pet dogs that are allowed to free roam all day. Then there are some, like Ireland, where the pet population are pets and not free roaming all day.
The thing that always strikes me is how few behavior issues, such as reactivity, anxiety, aggression, and fearfulness there is. Whether a street dog, a free roaming pet or a pet walked on a leash, these dogs are typically very well socialized and have few behavior issues. Some of this is because there is no room for a boorish, pushy over excited dog. The social pressures of the other dogs will help teach correct ways to interact. The other part though, may surprise you. These dogs all have agency!
Agency is the dogs ability to make decisions. In our urban lifestyle, we often tell our dogs where to go, when to play, when to potty, when to sleep and what to eat. We dictate where they go on walks and at what pace. Most urban dogs don’t have a lot of agency or ability to make choices in their own lives.
In Ireland, I was struck by how people purchase dogs that are suited for their lifestyle (smaller dogs in the city center of Dublin, or herding breeds on the farms). More than that though, when people walk their dogs, they are walking with them. Dogs are allowed to move at their pace, to sniff, to explore and move on when they are ready. They have some ability to decide the pace of the walk and were they are going. The same is true of street dogs in Morocco- they decide when to move, where to go and whom to interact with.
Think of free roaming pets in South America. These dogs are let out in the morning and are free to explore their neighborhood, choosing who to interact with an who not too. They decide if they want to rest in the sun or instigate play with another dog. They decide when they want to return home. That is a lot of choice for a dog!
In our urban environments, we cannot let our dogs run free and be loose all day. That is dangerous for them and not safe for others, but we can offer them plenty of choices. We can offer two puzzle toys at dinner and let them decide which to use. We can do a sniffy walk and let our dogs lead the way and set the pace. Even giving our dogs the ability to say no to petting, grooming, etc, when it is not affecting their health is important.
Giving our dogs agency helps them feel confident, they learn to problem solve and how the world works. Science tells us that the more agency we can give our pets, the less stress and anxious they are. It makes sense, they feel like they have some control over their lives.
Canine Einsteins gym rentals are designed to give your dog all the agency they could want in the time they are with us. They decide what type of enrichment they want, where to go and when to move on. Try it and see if your dog is not more content after a 30 min session!
