Coexistence with Your Dog

Living and Dealing with Your Dog: "Every breed has their own requirements about the owner and it's surroundings, which have to be taken into consideration to achieve the dogs good health and well being"A Dog in one Floor and in a House with a Garden: The dog is an animal that prefers an established order and who wants to know exactly where it is, therefore it is important to organize it's life having these circumstances in mind. The first problem arises when the dog is a "lonely dog", meaning that the animals owner has a profession and therefore spends most time alone. There isn't a breed which is ideal for this situation, dogs are naturally sociable animals. Anyway, whoever thinks the cant give up owning a dog must have in mind the next indications. A decision to own a dog can't be made from one day to the next, because you have to be willing to spend most of your free time with it. You can't hold back your presence next to your dog in the day or leave it unattended at night. The same goes for the weekends. It's important to organize your work days in a way so that the dog is not alone for more than 8 hours in a row. Also it is important for the dog to have an area of the house which is exclusively for it. The dog must be well educated and in consequence have a deep trust in itself to tolerate the loneliness of every day, which in this case is not natural. For this you'll have to praise the dog repeatedly, as well as make sure it spends good times and reward it. Try out having a dog house in your home, it is an ideal place, it's safe and familiar. Lonely dogs that I've met and which were causing problems stopped misbehaving and causing problems when they got their own house.

Correct Reaction to Bad Behavior: Dogs who destroy furniture, bark constantly and abandon their sanitary or cleanliness' habits because of the absence of the owner cant be punished when you get back home. In consequence, the dog is happy for the reencounter and relates the punishment with the immediate moment and not for what it did an hour or more before. Close certain rooms, give the dog a big bone to chew on for boredom or turn music on to try to analyze the cause of the problems which are presenting themselves. Loneliness can be an object of training, therefore bad behavior as well as the fear of separation accept therapy in most cases.

The Alternative: Two Dogs?: Since I am against the "lonely dog" I am not in agreement with having two dogs which are going to be lonely, even though things might work out well if they adapt and relate to each other.

A Dog with a House and a Garden