Our Dog's Confidence

When we adopted Hogan at the age of 18-months-old, he was a very scared, abused puppy who desperately wanted to play and be loved. We realized early on that he had fears of flashlight, touch, and men with boots on their feet and hats on their heads. Developing his self-confidence was paramount in rescuing his self-confidence and daily happiness. Our goal was to get rid of the things that scared him. But... knowing that these scary elements would always show their ugly heads somewhere, we focused on developing his self-confidence so he wouldn't be frightened any longer.

Exercise was essential. As I have repeated many times, "A tired dog is a good dog." We took him on aerobic walks at least twice a day for a minimum of twenty minutes each time.

We found things that Hogan liked doing. He loved to run so we lunged him on a long line until we were able to move to our new home designed just for our pups. The lot is over five acres and fenced for safety. Then, we set up a lure course for him to chase his beloved "bunny," - the plastic bag!

Massage worked wonders!! Hogan learned that touch can be gentle and loving, and he came to trust our hands and the hands of others.

A mini agility course was built in our yard for him to jump, walk across, maneuver with great success. We could actually see the smile on his face at the end of each run.;

The more activities, the better the self-confidence. Our dogs developing good self-confidence is no different than our children! When they feel successful and are applauded, they soar. We were amazed at how many different things that Hogan loved doing. Not all dogs will like the same things, and that's OKAY! The best activity for some is walking. Yep! Just walk, and be sure to let your pup take in all the smells along the way.

By the way, like children, dogs need and want boundaries. A well-behaved, good-mannered dog makes going anywhere much more enjoyable. And... they feel good about being balanced and in control of their behavior.

Enjoy! Play! Walk! Read to! Hang out! Take drives! The list is endless.

Another great reward for having a well-balanced, happy, confident dog, is that they find a wonderful place in their forever home and are typically not returned to shelters.

"A righteous man cares for the needs of his animals." 

We'd love to hear from you:

1. What are some of the things that you do with your special dog to have fun and enjoy time together? 
2. What activities does your dog enjoy, and you can tell he or she is having a great time?
3. Do you see increased self-confidence when your dog is successful?

Our Dogs Amaze us with their "intuitive" Powers

How many times does your special pup let you know that a thunderstorm is coming long before you ever hear or sense it coming? How many times has your dog gone running to the door without you hearing anyone approaching, or even see them coming up the long driveway? 

Science hasn't figured out a way to actually figure out some of these things for certain. But... we do know that our dogs' senses are, in most cases, much greater than our own.  For instance, our dogs' ears hear things a minimum of four times more than we do. Their sense of smell is thousands of times better than ours! Whoo!  And it's very evident that our precious, smart four-legged companions are extremely aware of everything around them. Hence, our special dog is the smartest dog EVER! Sometimes, it seems as if they might even be smarter, or at least more aware of things than we are.

Dogs have the ability to smell the change in a person with diabetes whose blood sugar reaches dangerous levels. Cancer-sniffing dogs detect the specific scent that cancer cells emit. A person about to have a seizure is suspected, as well, to have a change in their personal scent, and even pregnant women have hormonal changes that change the way they smell. Dogs are known to recognize and give an alert to an episode with PTSD or extreme anxiety. I imagine the list is longer than we humans fully realize.

I have witnessed several times when a dog who shares a tight bond with their human is able to know when death is approaching and takes amazing steps to comfort and make certain that their person is not alone. 

Some dog parents have reported situations when their pup has warned them of impending dangerous people. Again, aggressive people give off pheromones that dogs' noses can smell and then react with protectiveness of their special human. Their instincts are to keep their family safe from harm.

Our wonderful canine companions are quite in-tune with the forecast or weather. They easily undoubtedly detect “the drop in barometric pressure and the shift in the static electric field that comes prior to climate changes.” This may occur long before we see changes in the clouds or the rain begins to fall. Dogs who seek a dark, safe corner because of their fear of thunder are especially alert sounders for us as they exhibit anxiety through whining, whimpering, shaking, panting, salivating, or hunting out their sheltered spot to hide.  

For me, what's most intriguing is my pups' ability to tell time. Well, maybe not literally read the clock but definitely have set schedules that I can set my watch! Judea comes to me when it's time for our walk - 11:00 AM. She seeks me out exactly at noon for her lunch snack and pesters me for dinner on the dot of 5:00 PM. And, Clarence used to let me know when it was time to wake up in the morning by giving me lots of wet, puppy kisses or go to bed at night by barking at the bedroom door. 

Our question for you today is: What kinds of things does your precious dog or dogs sense before you do? What do they alert you to happening?  Please let us know by writing to us in the boxes below! We look forward to hearing from you! Tell us about it in the comments below!