There is no way ‘around’ a dog’s issues. Balance exists without issue. Love never cures issues. When we rescue dogs, their issues exist by no fault of our own, may begin growing from birth, from before birth and sometimes cannot be fixed, even with all your time and effort and knowledge. Dogs are not people but their experiences mirror our own. When a child is born into an abusive or neglectful home and comes to maturity knowing only the unfair and angry side of the world – they are going to be more prone to physical and emotional issues going forward. A baby or infant that is born to a horrid situation, for example a child in a third world country who is even born without food, shelter or adequate medical care – if brought into a loving, stable home at a young age still has the potential to be an ambassador to the human race. People adopt young children to make a balanced addition to their lives – to enrich their existence and to make a pure creation out of something that has had a rough start in life. People foster troubled teenagersbecause they feel equipped to handle the challenges that come with it. They struggle daily to provide some stability to an already much maligned existence in hopes of recovering a dependable and stable human being. Some of these teenagers are just waiting until they are eighteen so that they can be on their own and act out from all of the emotional baggage that they have stored up for years. Some teenagers are still looking for love and guidance and can thrive in a stable foster environment and become happy and productive adults. It is not simple black and white, but a massive gray area with the only ‘given’ being the potential for change based on our commitment, knowledge and abilities as humans. All dogs cannot be saved with simple love and affection. The body heals with our physical efforts but the mind requires more of us than we can break down into actions. It is a delicate process and although dogs prove everyday to be more resilient than most humans, it is ignorant to believe that the hurt they receive will just go away with passing time.
Everything in the primal, natural world of animals is based on energy. Dogs do not speak our language and do not share our physicality. The way that they communicate to us is through their body language, their energy and their actions and until you have been witness to all of this, you cannot and should not judge a dog. Until you have joined them, on their level, they will not understand you fully. You cannot keep a dog like you would a hamster, a bird or a reptile. Dogs live to exist free in nature. They live to move, to walk, to exercise, to socialize, to work. If you do not offer dogs a chance to act in their primal nature, you will not see their true intentions and abilities. Dogs cannot be isolated and be expected to follow.
Discipline is necessary for every dog. The power that a dog gains from misbehavior without correction is potentially harmful to you and always harmful to the dog. Discipline is everything and is not ever just correction. Correction does not have to be sound or touch but can be your own energy and body language only. Correction is the ability to communicate your pleasure or displeasure with the actions and reactions of an animal. You can do this without touch, without tools and without a plan of action. Affection is everything. Anything that you give a dog is affection. Food, toys, beds, touch and time can be affection. Reward without discipline leads to imbalance. Discipline without reward leads to insecurity. Once you fully immerse yourself in what your dog is communicating to you in every moment and fully commit to rewarding and correcting their behavior consistently you have begun full rehabilitation. Every time you fail at this, you are hindering rehabilitation and the ultimate potential for success.
Dogs cannot be allowed to live with their issues untouched and expect to achieve balance. Every issue, no matter how small or large, that a dog possesses must be addressed and not for the difference that it has on your life, but for the monumental change that it has on theirs’. Know your energy, always.