Five Natural Dog Laws Archives - Page 2 of 4

Animal, Species, Breed, Name

Looking Beyond

Last Friday was Epiphany and, in case you’re wondering about the origin of the 12 days of Christmas, this would be it. January 6 is 12 days after December 25, and is traditionally the day that the Three Kings arrived at the manger and first saw the Baby Jesus. In Mexico, like a lot of Catholic countries, it’s a big deal, but it’s not really observed that much in the U.S. However, English speakers probably have heard of “Twelfth Night,” which is a Shakespeare play that debuted around 1602 and premiered in connection with Epiphany. The title itself doesn’t seem

January 6, 2017 No Comments

Cesar Millan

Away In A Manger

It’s hard to believe it’s already only one week until Christmas. This is also the week that my pack and I go on vacation until next year, so this will be my last Sunday message until 2017. Next year is going to bring some great new things with it, so stay tuned for all the updates and surprises. It’s interesting to note that Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa all begin together this year, with the first day of Hanukkah on Christmas Eve, while Kwanzaa starts on Boxing Day, but I have a question for you about Christmas Eve — at midnight

December 16, 2016 No Comments

Dog Psychology

The Power Of Disguise

Humans love to put on disguises, whether it’s playing dress-up as a child, putting on a costume for Halloween, or dressing as your favorite fictional character to go to a convention. It doesn’t even have to be what we’d call a costume — I know many people who enjoy those occasions when they have to get really dressed up, whether it’s a cocktail dress or fancy gown, or a nice suit or tuxedo. A formal outfit can be a kind of disguise as well, reminding the wearer, “This is not my every day self.” Even when we don’t get dressed

September 13, 2016 No Comments

Dog Care

Ley Natural De Los Perros 1: Los Perros Son Instintivos

Uno de los mayores errores que los dueños de perros pueden hacer es asumir que sus perros sienten emociones y piensan como hace la gente. Esto nos lleva a humanizar a nuestros perros atribuyéndoles nuestras propias necesidades y motivaciones para justificar su conducta. Como consecuencia, podemos llegar a estar reluctantes en disciplinar o corregir a nuestros perros, porque tenemos miedo de herir sus sentimientos o crear resentimiento. La primera Ley Natural de los Perros nos enseña que los caninos no funcionan de esa manera. Sí, ellos sienten emociones y piensan, pero diferentemente de nosotros. Las emociones de los perros tienen

January 6, 2016 No Comments

All About Dogs

Strange Facts About Canine Instincts

Every dog is born with a number of natural behaviors, things they can do without having to be trained or taught. Certain breeds have incredibly visible canine instincts, such as guarding or herding behavior, or strong natural hunting abilities. These are instincts that have been intentionally bred into these dogs over generations. But while dogs can be bred to encourage particular skills and behaviors, there are also a number of natural instincts that every canine shares. Many of them are so innocuous or understandable that most Pack Leaders don’t even think about them. Some examples include dogs’ inborn ability to

December 8, 2015 No Comments

Dog Psychology

Natural Dog Law 1: Dogs Are Instinctual

One of the biggest mistakes that dog owners can make is assuming that their dogs feel and think like people do. This can lead us to humanize our dogs by attributing our own needs and motivations to their behavior. As a consequence, we can become reluctant to discipline or correct our dogs, because we’re afraid of hurting their feelings or creating resentment. Natural Dog Law This Natural Dog Law teaches us that canines do not work that way. Yes, they do have emotions, but they differ from ours. Dogs’ emotions are rooted in the moment and are an immediate reaction

July 3, 2015 No Comments

A pack of dogs rest after a hike in the woods.

Animal, Species, Breed, Name

Natural Dog Law 3: Dogs Are Animal, Species, Breed And Name

We humans think of ourselves in a way that dogs would see as exactly backwards. To us, the most important thing is our name. It’s how we sign documents, how we introduce ourselves, and how we know other people. Breed Next, we focus on ‘breed,’ which for humans is a group identifier like race, religion, or nationality. Way down our list is our species, Homo sapiens, and we often forget that we are ultimately animals. This works for us because it’s part of our psychology, but it’s not the way dogs approach the world. To a dog, its name is

July 3, 2015 No Comments

A Dog's Senses Form His Reality

Natural Dog Law 4: A Dog’s Senses Form His Reality

Humans and dogs experience the world through a very different combination of senses. To most humans, sight is the most important sense, followed by touch, sound, and smell. For dogs, the order is smell, sight, sound, and then touch, with a dog’s sense of smell being by far the most important. The easy way to remember it is: Nose, Eyes, Ears, In That Order When you approach a dog, the dog has already investigated you by scent, from as far as fifty yards away. To a dog, our scent and energy are our “names,” and the dog will have figured

July 3, 2015 No Comments

dogs running in the snow, there are natural leaders and followers

Dog Psychology

Natural Dog Law 5: Dogs Are Social Pack Animals.

As descendants of wolves, dogs are instinctual pack animals. They instinctually seek to join whatever pack is nearby. This explains why dogs can get along so well with so many other animals, especially other pack or herd animals like horses, cows, and sheep. There’s even at least one case of a dog and elephant becoming best friends. It’s also why dogs have bonded so well with humans. We too are social creatures and dogs instinctually sense that and seek to join our pack. We humans have become ‘ or should be ‘ their Pack Leaders now. In a dog pack,

July 3, 2015 No Comments

Be the Pack Leader

A Family Affair

In quite a lot of cases where I’m called in to help a family with their dog’s misbehavior, I quickly find out that the dog is not the problem. In fact, some people have told me that I turned out to be more of a marriage counselor than a dog behaviorist. Humans are Pack Animals, Too AsI often say, humans like to think that we’re not pack animals, but we are. And we need to remember that, when we bring dogs into the household, we are not creating two separate packs. Every member of that household, human or dog, is

June 18, 2015 No Comments