Do You Know Your Pet?

Dogs thrive on positive direction and are extremely social animals. Over the years, the breeds have been protected and perfected. The outcome is a breed who have a deep foundation within the respectful human dog relationship. This is why the respected relationship is the most significant factor between pet and pet owner. As such, a good relationship between dog and man is built on trust and honor.

In such a relationship the dog is guided and not pushed to understanding himself naturally. By doing this, a pet owner is committing themself into truly understanding who the dog species really is. This is first developed by understanding the dog and its history.

Within a dogs pack are its inner circle of friends. This consists of both human, the pet owner and family, and dogs, either friend or sibling. We know this because all dogs are derived from the wolf, who are social-pack animals. By understanding and studying the wolf, we gain a deeper knowledge of the dog's human relationship; where the canine views those humans he lives with as pack members. By recognizing and understanding this simple yet crucial fact you now understand and know 95% more about the true dog than the average pet owner. 

This will lead to the best possible training of a puppy through the inclusion of the dog in the pack and naturally developing a pecking order with your dog.

What about the alpha dog? 

Is this for real or is it another dog myth? By all scientific documentation the alpha male is for real and is a common fact. All wolf packs have an alpha male that can be seen as the head boss. They can take on single or multiple roles depending on each pack that can be: leadership, setlling fights between pack members, dictator, etc... All other wolves look to the alpha male dog for leadership and guidance and therefore create a stable "family pack relationship." If you've got a dog who hasn't been trained properly and is the alpha of your house a change is needed. There should be no question in your dog's mind that you are the alpha, and he is the subordinate. You must present yourself as a leader starting with the first impression. 

When dealing with your dog, an enormous amount of communication is sent through body language. One important way alphas command respect is with authority in their eye contact. Gentle looks will signify acceptance and stern dominant expressions will demand respect and compliance. This is done through various training techniques to aid the dog in establishing and making eye contact with its owner. Training in general should start the day the little puppy enters the world. Dog training should be a complete life experience for the dog focusing on the big picture and the human dog relationship. 

This is different from the basic sit, roll over, shake, stay and find commands and requires much more than breaking a dog through disciplinary actions and reward systems. When the inner pack relationship is established between owner and dog, an unbreakable and non-duplicated bond is formed. This bond is not done justice with words but is known by many pet owners throughout our world.

Pets are truly amazing

Not just for the reasons they make us feel as we adopt them and make us part of our families, but for so many reasons we aren’t really even aware of. These loveable animals we think we know, just how well do we really know them?

 

Take for example the cat. This household pet is one of the most common pets which everyone thinks they understand. Ask anyone what they consider a strange or exotic pet and I don’t’ think anyone would say the cat. Yet there is so much unknown about this very ‘common’ pet.

 

In fact there are also some things which people think they know which just isn’t true. For example; catgut. Catgut used to be used for strings on a tennis racket and in musical instruments. But these actually did not come from a cat at all. Catgut originated from pigs, horses, and sheep. I bet your cat will sleep better tonight knowing that piece of information!

 

The cat also for some reason has gotten the reputation for being independent and quite finicky. And with that reputation would you be surprised to find out that the average cat actually consumes around 128,000 calories a year. That is over 28 times its own body weight! Not only that, they drink the same amount in liquids as well. Doesn’t sound too finicky, does it? 

 

By the way, here is another interesting fact about a cat’s diet. A cat can not survive on vegetables alone. So if your cat looks like they want to become a vegan or something because they want to make a point, don’t believe them. They really would prefer a nice fish. Maybe you can just close your eyes and let them think we don’t know.

 

The diet of our pets stack up some pretty staggering figures

The next time someone looks at you strange for buying that expensive pet food you just revel in the knowledge that you are not alone. You and your fellow pet lovers spend over 1.5 billion (That’s billion with a B) dollars on pet food. That is four times the amount of money spent on baby food in the US!

 

Speaking of pet food, if you are a parrot owner you should know that your beloved bird can actually eat almost anything you eat except for avocados and chocolate. (Why you would be eating chocolate covered avocados is beyond me!) If your parrot gets a hold of either of those it might be its last supper as both are very toxic to parrots and can prove to be fatal.

  

So the next time you look at your pet, just think about all you don’t know about that beloved creature. Your pet is a world of mystery and one I’m sure you will enjoy discovering!