Provide Exercise, Discipline, Affection Archives

A cute dog gets ready to go through an indoor obstacle course that her pack leader set up because the weather outside is too cold for prolonger periods.

Dog Psychology

Indoor Activities for Dogs

In an ideal world, we would all walk our dogs twice daily, 30 minutes to an hour each time. Unfortunately, our world is not always ideal; in fact, it’s sometimes downright inconvenient! When harsh weather hits or circumstances make it difficult or impossible to venture outside for physical exercise, don’t despair! There are indoor activities for dogs that you can enjoy right in the comfort of your own home. Benefits of Keeping Dogs Mentally and Physically Stimulated Indoors Keeping a dog mentally and physically stimulated indoors is essential for overall well-being. Dogs are active animals that require regular exercise and

June 28, 2023 No Comments

A dog goes through an exercise obstacle course

All About Dogs

Exercise: Challenge Your Dog Physically

All dogs require exercise to lead balanced, healthy lives. Exercise is Needed Just because a dog is small doesn’t mean he needs less exercise, and, although breed can give an indication of the dog’s energy level, the final judgment must be made on the individual dog’s needs. As your dog’s pack leader, you must help her to expend her energy in a productive way. For all dogs, this means a daily walk. Some dogs may require additional activities, such as running, Frisbee, or swimming, in addition to, but never replacing, the walk. Remember that dogs are animals, and animals need

September 29, 2020 No Comments

Dog Psychology

Mastery

Mastery is very important when it comes to having balanced packs, particularly mastering the walk and mastering leadership. But what does “mastery” mean? Basically, it means command or grasp of a subject, or the state of being in control. Note, though, that mastery does not mean “being the best.” There are many people with a mastery of chess who could not beat the world champions no matter how hard they tried, although they still know enough about what they’re doing that they could beat a dozen amateurs at the same time. Mastering the walk and leadership just mean that you

September 21, 2020 No Comments

Dog Care

The Look Of Love: How Humans And Dogs Bond

There’s a reason that human mothers bond with their newborn children so quickly. This is because the process of pregnancy and birth releases various hormones, particularly oxytocin. Ocytocin When oxytocin works on various parts of the body, it is responsible for causing contractions during labor, as well as allowing the mother to lactate and feed her child. But when it goes to work in the brain, something else happens — it fosters bonding between humans and, in the case of a mother, facilitates maternal instincts. Oxytocin is common in many mammals and plays the same roles. However, scientists have so

September 11, 2019 No Comments

A woman gently pets a dog that she just met.

All About Dogs

How To Get A Dog To Trust You

We’ve probably all had the experience of asking whether we could pet someone’s dog only to have the dog completely ignore us or try to run away, and it’s not uncommon for adult rescue dogs to be a little aloof at first. It’s easy to take this personally and think that the dog doesn’t like us, but that’s because we’re looking at it from a human perspective. When two human strangers meet, our rules say that we introduce ourselves and shake hands. Dogs don’t have that rule with other dogs or with humans. Dog socialization is different from human socialization.

July 7, 2019 No Comments

Cesar Millan

Presidential Leadership with Your Dog

In February in the U.S., we have two holidays in a row celebrating presidents’ birthdays — Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. They are two of the country’s most famous and highly regarded presidents. Both of them appear on our money — coins and paper — and they make up one-half of Mount Rushmore. Any time there’s a list of “10 Best Presidents,” whether voted on by the public or created by historians, these two are at the top, usually along with Franklin Delanor Roosevelt. It really says something about their legacy that very few people who were adults when FDR

February 16, 2018 No Comments

A loyal dog is not hard to find, it is one of their best qualities

Cesar Millan

Your Dog’s Greatest Super Power

We Can Learn a lot from a Dog’s Character Work Well Together Dogs have a lot of admirable traits that humans can learn from. They can be tireless and persistent in pursuit of a goal, and they can work together very well with other dogs whether they’re pulling a sled, herding sheep, or hunting prey. Great Listeners They are incredible listeners, although they listen to a lot more than just words. Every moment, your dog is reading your energy and your body language and reacting appropriately, whether you know it or not. However, there is one trait that is practically

January 26, 2018 No Comments

Cesar Millan

Chaos And Change

A week ago, there was another unfortunate mass-shooting that reminds us of the fragility of life. Now, it’s a myth that we’re the only species that kills its own. Nature is full of examples of that. The difference is that one animal will kill another of its kind for very specific survival reasons — food, territory, or competition over a mate. Humans will murder for those same reasons, but there are two more that are uniquely human motives. Humans will commit murder over ideas, and will sometimes do it to get something they want. I believe that these two motives

October 6, 2017 No Comments

Dog Deception

If I were to ask you what one of the most frustrating things people can do to you is, I’m pretty sure that your answers would probably mostly revolve around miscommunication — whether someone doesn’t explain clearly what they want or even goes so far as to lie outright. It’s easy to take that kind of thing personally even when it’s not, but it’s also easy to miss when we do it to others. And yet, it’s the kind of thing we do to our dogs constantly without knowing it. We mislead our dogs when we are not absolutely clear

July 27, 2017 No Comments

A man gives affection to his dog after a walk.

Dog Psychology

Pack Leadership Technique 2: Provide Exercise, Discipline, Affection

A balanced dog is one that is fulfilled in all three aspects of its being: body, mind, and heart. In nature, dogs instinctively find that balance. When dogs live in the human world, however, it’s up to us to ensure that they get that balance. Humans and dogs both have instinctual, intellectual and emotional dimensions. We humans live in a world where intellect and emotions are primary, while our instinctual side is less important. For dogs, it’s the other way around. They live in an instinctual world where their intellect and emotions are secondary. When we relate to our dogs

July 3, 2015 No Comments