Understanding Your Dog

This morning, I was speaking with a new client and she said something that I found so insightful. I loved that she was able to see this so clearly and know it was a problem worth exploring with me.  Definitely a conversation worth sharing with all of you as well.

She has a young dog that she is showing in conformation.  At home, the dog is happy and content.  She feels the dog enjoys her daily walks and enjoys training.  However, when they get to a dog show, or anywhere really that isn't their home or neighborhood, the dog is anxious and sad. When she looks at video from the ring, all she sees is a very unhappy, often frightened, dog.  She has decided to quit showing this dog until we can help her "find her joy." And, yes, she has ruled out medical causes for her dog's behavior.  This dog is not in physical pain, nor is she physically ill. She is afraid and panics when in big, public places.  If she were a person we would say she has agoraphobia.  We might even label her expression as depressed. Because she is a dog, however, people seem to hesitate to use these these terms for fear of being told they are "anthropomorphizing" or "humanizing" an animal. Why is that?

Dogs are mammals.  We are mammals. To think that we are the only mammals in the animal kingdom to feel emotions like joy, happiness, depression, or fear is very narrow-minded.  In fact, there are studies which show that other animals besides mammals experience these emotions and more. Having an emotional life and emotional awareness helps individuals make connections with others necessary for their survival. If you want to get "science-y" about it, break it down this way.  Emotions are fueled by hormones and neurotransmitters, and those are not limited to humans, but found in all other vertebrates, and many invertebrates as well. While it may be difficult to test and prove that a dog feels guilt or that a rat enjoys being tickled, it does not mean that those emotions don't exist for those animals, nor does it make those emotions any less important to their well-being. Maybe the fault lies with our inability to accurately assess/measure those emotions in anyone but ourselves.

So, back to the dog.  We are going to treat the fear and depression using a combination of drug therapy and behavior modification.  We are going to help this dog overcome her fear of crowds and large spaces and see if she can ultimately enjoy being out in public. Her owner is less concerned with her returning to the show ring, and more concerned with her being a happy, well-rounded dog who can enjoy being out and about.  She doesn't want her dog to be anxious and afraid any more.  Neither do I.  The bottom line is this: we need to show some empathy and some compassion.  Understanding how much our animals are just like us is the first step.  Realizing how much we have in common with other animals keeps us humble and helps us stay connected to our world.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

We have more in common with dogs than you might think!